The Washington Huskies play Washington State in the famous Boeing Apple Cup at Lumen Field, while No. 9 Oregon travels to Oregon State.
With so many teams switching conferences and adapting to new schedules, some historic rivalry games have been lost in the transition.
However, some of these in-state historic matchups are still alive this weekend, particularly in the Pacific Northwest.
The Washington Huskies play Washington State in the famous Boeing Apple Cup at Lumen Field, home of the Seattle Seahawks, on Sept. 14. In addition, No. 9 Oregon travels to Oregon State for their long-standing rivalry also on Sept. 14.
Washington and Washington State are meeting for the 116th time. The game, first played in 1900, is one of college football’s most storied. The teams began playing for the coveted Apple Cup trophy—named for one of the state’s most recognized crops—in 1963.
The Huskies have been the dominant team in the series, going
76–32–6 in the 115-game series. Washington also holds a 43–16 edge in Apple Cup games. Since Washington moved from the Pac-12 to the Big Ten, this is the first time Washington and Washington State will play a non-conference game since 1963.
Washington is coming off one of the most successful seasons in program history,
going 14–1 and losing to Mic
higan 24–13 in the College Football Playoff National Championship. However, there have been major changes in the program, with coach Kalen DeBoer leaving the helm to succeed Nick Saban in Alabama.
Jedd Fisch took over the Huskies program after three years at the University of Arizona. Last season, Fisch was
named a finalist for the Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year Award, given to the nation’s top head coach. In addition, Washington lost 41 letter winners from last year’s team, but the Huskies still opened the 2024 season with a 35–3 victory over Weber State and a 30–9 win over Eastern Michigan.
Will Rogers, a transfer from Mississippi State, is the starting quarterback and has completed 41 of 52 pass attempts for 511 yards with five touchdowns and zero interceptions over the two games.
Washington State also opened the season with two wins, cruising past Portland State in a 70–30 victory and beating Texas Tech 37–16. Redshirt sophomore quarterback
John Mateer has led the way, throwing for 467 yards with six touchdowns and one interception over the two games. Mateer set a Washington State rushing record for a quarterback with 197 yards against Texas Tech.
Washington is a 4.5-point favorite, according to BetMGM Sportsbook.
Oregon and Oregon State have an equally longstanding rivalry and are playing for the
128th time. After Oregon also moved to the Big Ten from the Pac-12, the Ducks and Beavers will play as nonconference opponents for the first time since 1963.
Oregon leads the all-time series 68–49–10 and has won 13 of the past 16 matchups. The Ducks are one of the favorites to reach the expanded College Football Playoffs this season under Dan Lanning, who is the third head coach in program history to have at least 22 wins in his first two seasons.
The Ducks opened the season with wins over Idaho (24–14) and Boise State (37–34). Quarterback Dillon Gabriel has completed 59 of 70 pass attempts and ranks third in the nation with an 84.3 completion percentage over the two games. Gabriel also leads the Big Ten and ranks 13th nationally with 623 yards passing.
Oregon State is also 2–0,
earning victories over Idaho State (38–15) and San Diego State (21–0). The Beavers are led by their rushing attack led by Jam Griffin (124.5 yards per game) and Anthony Hankerson (113 yards per game).
The Ducks are 16.5-point favorites, according to BetMGM Sportsbook. Because of the upheaval with the new non-conference schedule, Oregon and Oregon State are playing in September for the first time in the rivalry’s history.
