The Huskies got their full season slate released on Tuesday.
On Tuesday night, the University of Washington football program learned its full 2026 schedule. The Huskies, coming off a 9-4 season and an LA Bowl victory in 2025, will open up the season on Sept. 5 against arch rival Washington State. The former Pac-10 and Pac-12 rivals continue their rivalry even in the wake of the breakup of the former Pac-12.
The full schedule
Sept. 5 - vs. Washington State
Sept. 12 - vs. Utah State
Sept. 19 - vs. Eastern Washington
Sept. 26 - vs. Minnesota
Oct. 3 - at Southern California
Oct. 10 - vs. Iowa
Oct. 17 - at Purdue
Oct. 24 - bye
Oct. 31 - at Nebraska
Nov. 7 - vs. Penn State
Nov. 14 - at Michigan State
Nov. 21 - vs Indiana
Nov. 28 - at Oregon
Now, to the takeaways...
Travel is your friend in 2026
Any time a Washington schedule comes out, it's always important to look at how the travel schedule shakes out. While Washington has trips to the midwest to take on Nebraska, Purdue and Michigan State, they avoid true East Coast trips entirely. There is no trip to Ohio State, no trip to Rutgers, no triple to Maryland and no non-conference games that require massive travel.
Conversely, Penn State has to come to Seattle as do Minnesota and Indiana. For teams that are generally used to staying close to a certain geographic footprint, that trip is nothing to take for granted. That could benefit Jedd Fisch's team as they look to earn signature wins.
The beginning of the season is as well
Washington should feast on the early portion of its schedule. The Huskies get four of the first five games at home and don't see a ranked opponent until Week 5 (USC). But as a result...
Quarterback Demond Williams Jr. (L) and head coach Jedd Fisch (center) with Rob Gronkowski (R).The end of the season is brutal
It's always hard to know exactly how things are going to shake out for teams, especially when you are projecting late into a season, but the end of 2026 looks devastating. Penn State is a blue-blood program who was ranked No. 1 in the preseason in 2025. Indiana won the national championship and Oregon competed in the College Football Playoff - and returns star quarterback Dante Moore.
Of course, Indiana is losing Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza to the NFL, so there's no guaranteeing they are as good in the new year.
JOIN THE CONVERSATION:
Remember to join our HUSKIES on ROUNDTABLE community, which is FREE! You can post your own thoughts, in text or video form, and you can engage with our Roundtable staff, as well as other Washington fans. If prompted to download the Roundtable APP, that's free too!