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Times listed in Pacific. Remaining windows are announced in-season, generally the Monday 12 days before each game.
Washington Football Schedule 2026: Full Huskies Slate, Dates, and Key Games
Games That Will Decide Washington’s Season
| Oct 3 at USC | The first true road test, against a ranked Trojans team, immediately after four straight home games. A soft-landing September ends abruptly here. |
| Nov 7 vs Penn State | Matt Campbell’s Nittany Lions travel cross-country to Husky Stadium. The best home win available, and a resume game for both. |
| Nov 21 vs Indiana | The defending national champions close the home slate — the third year in a row Washington has hosted the reigning College Football Playoff champion. |
| Nov 28 at Oregon | The rivalry closes the regular season in Eugene against the No. 2 Ducks, who play Michigan State on a Friday the week prior. |
A Sunday Apple Cup
The rivalry with Washington State moved off Saturday to a 1 p.m. Sunday window on NBC — an unusual slot for a season opener, and a national stage for it.
Back-to-Back Fridays
Iowa visits on Friday Oct 9, then Washington flies to Purdue for another Friday night game on Oct 16 — a brutal travel turnaround before the bye.
Minnesota, After 49 Years
The Sept 26 Big Ten opener is the first Washington-Minnesota meeting since 1977, and the Gophers’ first trip to Seattle since 1976.
How the Schedule Sets Up
Four home games to open the season is as gentle a start as the Big Ten offers, and Washington should be 4-0 or 3-1 heading to Los Angeles. October is the grind: USC on the road, Iowa on a Friday, then a cross-country Friday night at Purdue on a short week. The bye lands afterward, and it’s needed. November is the resume month — at Nebraska, Penn State at home, at Michigan State, Indiana at home, then the finale in Eugene. Four of those five are against likely bowl teams, and three of the season’s biggest games all come in the final four weeks. For the postseason picture, here’s how the College Football Playoff works under the 12-team format. The nine-game Big Ten slate reflects the NCAA FBS shift toward deeper conference scheduling.
The Bottom Line
Seven home games, a Sunday Apple Cup on NBC, two Friday nights in a row in October, and a November that ends with Indiana at home and Oregon in Eugene — Washington’s 2026 schedule is friendly early and unforgiving late. Bookmark this page; times, networks, and results are updated throughout the season.