Huskies Trade Saturday Tradition for a National Sunday Spotlight in Season Opener

While most college football programs open their seasons on Saturday, September 5, the Washington Huskies will spend that day resting ahead of an unusual Sunday kickoff — the annual Apple Cup rivalry game against Washington State.

The scheduling quirk exists because the NFL season doesn’t begin until Wednesday, September 9, leaving Week One of the college slate to stretch from Thursday evening all the way through Monday. That open Sunday window has created rare real estate for college football on a day normally reserved for the pros.

The Apple Cup anchors a three-game nationally televised Sunday lineup, followed by Wisconsin–Notre Dame and Louisville–Ole Miss. Washington holds the 1:00 p.m. slot on NBC alone — a broadcast platform owned by Comcast (NASDAQ: CMCSA), whose shares closed at $26.49 in recent trading, down 0.64% from the prior close of $26.66, valuing the media and telecommunications giant at roughly $94.4 billion. For head coach Jedd Fisch, the standalone window is a marketing gift: the only football on television at that hour will feature his team.

“I thought it was awesome,” Fisch said of the schedule. “I’m all for it.” He told his players they would be the lone 1:00 p.m. game on NBC, noting that fall Sunday viewers are already hunting for football — and this year, they’ll find college instead. The coach added that when athletic director Pat Chun floated the idea of moving the game back a day, he “couldn’t say yes fast enough.”

The exposure opportunity comes with a demanding slate. Washington faces five teams ranked in the preseason top 25, offering repeated chances to impress national audiences. And with several teams ranked ahead of the Huskies squaring off against each other in high-profile matchups this weekend, a home win over the Cougars could position Washington to climb into the top 15.

For Washington State, the game carries added weight in the first season of the reconfigured Pac-12 era. The Cougars have no other ranked opponent on their schedule for the remainder of the year, making the Apple Cup their clearest shot at a statement victory.

What to watch

• Whether Washington can capitalize on its standalone Sunday NBC window and move into the top 15 with a win.
• Ratings for the Sunday college slate, as networks test football programming in an NFL-free opening weekend.
• Upcoming ranked matchups on Washington’s schedule against its five preseason top-25 opponents.
• Washington State’s path for the rest of the season with no further ranked opponents on the calendar.

Source: original release