Washington State Visits Washington in One of the Weirdest Apple Cup Matchups Ever (GAME THREAD)

What a time to be alive, Coug fans. Our Washington State Cougars are in Seattle today for the Apple Cup, and area ski resorts aren’t even close to opening. I was wearing shorts just a few days ago, and I’m still watering and mowing my lawn. We haven’t even set our clocks back and the MLB season still has half a month to go before the playoffs.

What weird time.

It’s weird that we’re even playing this game.

It’s weird that it’s at a “neutral site” [rolls eyes].

It’s weird that it’s a non-conference game.

It’s weird that Pat Chun is the athletic director at UW.

But we trudge on, because this is WSU’s biggest game of the season, and not just because it’s the Apple Cup. Washington will likely be the Cougs’ toughest opponent, though Boise State may have something to say about that. We’ll learn sooner or later.

Washington ain’t played nobody, as the kids say. With wins over FCS Weber State and Eastern Michigan, a team picked to finish in the middle of the MAC, we don’t really know what kind of Huskies squad we’re getting. The Huskies have given up just 12 points in those two games combined.

UW lost just about everyone off of last year’s national runner-up but welcomed transfer quarterback Will Rogers to the team, formerly of Mississippi State and a Mike Leach quarterback.

But since it’s the Apple Cup and all the weirdness that goes with this year’s version, there may be some extra juice on WSU’s side of the field. For their part, Jake Dickert and his players are saying all the right things about this rivalry game. None of them are reaching Chris Jackson levels of pre-Apple Cup quotes, but it’s all still the right vibes.

The Cougs proved they can beat a Power 4 team last week. Washington ain’t Texas Tech, though. It all gets started this afternoon. Talk about it here, and Go Cougs.

When

12:30 p.m. PT

Where

Lumen Field in Seattle. Fun Fact: WSU played in the first ever football game at this stadium. You probably remember it as Will Derting’s introduction.

How to Watch

Hope you have Peacock! Paul Burmeister is on play-by-play and Colt McCoy is the color guy.

The Line

Washington, -5.5 and the O/U is 54.5