The 118th Apple Cup arrives with a fresh face at Washington State and a familiar heavyweight on the other side. Kirby Moore’s first game as the Cougars’ head coach comes Sunday against Washington, and the matchup immediately throws him into a rivalry setting with plenty of noise around it.
Washington comes in ranked No. 17 in the preseason AP Poll, and the Huskies also own the series edge, 77-34-6. But Washington State has had some success in recent years, winning two of the last five meetings, and both of those victories came in Seattle.
The Cougars beat Washington 24-19 at Lumen Field in 2024 and took a 40-13 decision at Husky Stadium in 2021. The Huskies answered with a 24-21 win over the No.
4 Cougars in 2023, and last season they rolled 59-24 in Pullman after scoring four straight touchdowns in the fourth quarter.
This year’s meeting also lands in an unusual spot: Week 1. It’s the first Apple Cup ever played in the opening week, and it gives Washington State an early shot to make noise with a revamped staff and roster. Moore is working with new coordinators Trent Bray on defense and Matt Miller on offense, plus a new quarterback in UC Davis transfer Caden Pinnick.
The odds reflect just how steep the challenge is. Washington is a massive favorite at FanDuel, sitting at -2800 on the moneyline, while Washington State is +1160. The spread, records against the spread, and the rest of the betting board are still at 0-0 heading into the opener.
Kickoff is set for 1:00 p.m. Pacific time on Sunday, Sept. 6.
The Apple Cup also carries a little extra weight in the broader conference picture. The new look Pac-12 has all eight teams in action during Week 1, but only three are favored at FanDuel: Colorado State (-3 vs.
Wyoming), Utah State (-12.5 vs. Idaho State) and San Diego State (-40.5 vs.
Portland State). The rest are underdogs against ranked opponents, with Boise State at No.
2 Oregon, Texas State at No. 5 Texas, Fresno State at No.
17 USC and Oregon State at No. 20 Houston all listed as 20-plus point dogs.
For Washington State, though, the focus is much simpler: try to knock off a rival, and do it against a top-20 team in Moore’s debut.
Odds are courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook. Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER.
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