Washington Football 2026 Schedule Outlook and Analysis

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There were a few hiccups last year, but for the most part, Washington was great in its second season in the Big Ten.

It got to nine wins with Ohio State, Oregon, and Michigan on the schedule. It pulled off a few nice victories, and now they’ll have to battle even harder.

It’s not that the teams they have to play are that much tougher, but it’s the timing. We break it all down as we analyze the 2026 Washington football schedule.

Breaking Down Washington’s 2026 Football Schedule

Nov 8, 2025; Madison, Wisconsin, USA; Washington Huskies head coach Jedd Fisch looks on during the first quarter against the Wisconsin Badgers at Camp Randall Stadium.© Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images

The Good

The Huskies don’t leave the Pacific Time Zone until the middle of the season. If they can own Seattle, they’ll have a whopper of an early record before going into winnable games against Purdue and Nebraska.

Nebraska might be nasty, but Indiana and Penn State have to come to Washington.

The Bad

Playing Indiana anywhere will be a problem, and there’s a shot the Huskies will be dealing with the two best teams in college football over the last two weeks, playing Oregon after dealing with the Hoosiers.

Four of the last six, and five of the last seven games, are away from home.

What Big Ten Teams Washington Will Miss

Illinois, Maryland, Michigan, Northwestern, Ohio State, Rutgers, UCLA, Wisconsin.

Yeah, you’d like to miss Indiana, but there’s no Ohio State or Michigan to deal with. Missing four teams that didn’t go bowling last year doesn’t help.

Washington’s Best and Worst Case Scenarios in 2026

Best Case: The Huskies come back from East Lansing 10-0

Everything goes right for Washington, including home wins over Iowa and Penn State, and road victories over USC and Nebraska, as the team gets better and better as the season goes on. And then comes the trip to Michigan State.

The Spartans will be far more dangerous, but Washington pulls this off, meaning it’s likely in the College Football Playoff no matter what happens against Indiana and Oregon.

Worst Case: Washington sputters too much

It can’t get past the road games at USC and Nebraska, gets tripped up by Iowa, and it’s humping along before Indiana comes to town.

The second half of the season starts to go wrong fast, and Indiana and Oregon make things far worse at the end of a disappointing run.

Washington Football 2026 Schedule

Sept 5 Washington State
Sept 12 Utah State
Sept 19 Eastern Washington
Sept 26 Minnesota
Oct 3 at USC
Oct 10 Iowa
Oct 17 at Purdue
Oct 24 OPEN DATE
Oct 31 at Nebraska
Nov 7 Penn State
Nov 14 at Michigan State
Nov 21 Indiana
Nov 28 at Oregon

Games That Will Decide Washington’s Season

1. Indiana, Nov. 21
Yeah, it’s the defending national champion, and yeah, it’ll be awesome again, but it’s also the home finale for the Huskies. This is the moment in the Jedd Fisch era when the program has to kick it all in.

2. at USC, Oct. 3
How good will the season be? After four straight home games, and with a home date against Iowa to follow, there’s a shot at a 7-0 start with a win in LA.

3. at Nebraska, Oct. 31
Considering the finishing kick to follow, the Huskies have to be sharp on the road coming off the open date to rest up.

This story was originally published by College Football News on Jan 28, 2026, where it first appeared in the College Football section. Add College Football News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

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