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For the first time since 1963, Iowa is heading to Seattle for a football game. 

The Hawkeyes will take on the Washington Huskies in a highly-anticipated Friday night showdown on Oct. 9 at Husky Stadium. Though it will be the first meeting in the Emerald City in 63 years, there's a bit of a history between these two teams that predates their two-year run as Big Ten foes. 

Prior to their 2024 meeting in Iowa City (Iowa won 40-16), Iowa and Washington faced off against each other three times in the late 20th century. All were bowl games, and two of them were Rose Bowls. The Huskies got the better of the Hawks in both Rose Bowl meetings in 1982 and 1991, but Iowa exacted revenge with a win in the 1995 Sun Bowl. 

Of the four West Coast Big Ten teams (Washington, Oregon, UCLA, USC), it's likely a safe bet to say that Iowa has the best history with Washington. 

But what will the 2026 matchup bring? Hawkeye fans and media members are excited to travel to Seattle for this game, but the truth is that we won't have a clear picture until we get closer to game day. 

That's going to be awhile, but what we can do is give you an August preview of the Huskies, so let's do just that. 

The Coach 

Jedd Fisch is entering his third season as Washington's head coach, and he's slowly building the Huskies back to national relevance. While UW did appear in the national championship game three years ago, Kalen DeBoer gutted the roster when he left for Alabama. 

Luckily for the Huskies, Fisch had a reputation for being a program builder. Arizona was a dumpster fire when he took over in 2021, but he had the Wildcats at 10-3 by his third season. That was enough to get him the job in Seattle, and it appears Fisch is on his way to doing that. 

Washington went 6-7 in his first season, but immediately turned things around and improved to 9-4 last year. The Huskies were ranked 17th in the preseason AP Poll, so there could be a chance they do even better in 2026. 

Key Returners 

Any discussion about Washington football can't start without quarterback Demond Williams Jr. 

The Chandler, Arizona native emerged as one of the nation's top quarterbacks as a sophomore last year, throwing for over 3,000 yards and 25 touchdowns. He was also a strong rusher, tallying 611 yards and six touchdowns. 

Williams almost transferred to LSU to play for Lane Kiffin, but Washington managed to get him back at the 11th hour. Williams' return boosted the morale in Seattle, and the Huskies are a dangerous team to play because of him. 

There's some question marks at the skill positions, but Williams does return three key offensive lineman – left guard John Mills, center Landon Hatchett, and right tackle Drew Azzopardi – which can only help him continue his rapid ascent to college football's elite. 

Washington ranked No. 12 nationally in scoring defense last year, and that seems to be the side of the ball people feel the most confident in right now. Ryan Walters flamed out as a head coach, but he is a fantastic defensive coordinator. He'll have a talented linebacker room led by Xe'ree Alexander (70 tackles last year) and leading tackler Alex McLaughlin (94 tackles last year) to maintain UW's elite defense. 

Key Newcomers 

After losing some of its top offensive weapons to the transfer portal/graduation, Washington had to make something happen in the portal. They did just that, adding Kennesaw State wide reciever Christian Moss and running backs Trey Cooley and Jayden Limar. 

Moss collected 689 yards and two touchdowns for an improved Owls team last year, but the running back situation is a whole new conversation. Cooley suffered a season-ending injury before playing a game for Troy, while Limar comes over from rival Oregon after not seeing a ton of action there. The Huskies are taking a bit of a risk with these young backs after losing the talented duo of Jonah Coleman and Adam Mohammed, but Fisch's potent offense (34.1 PPG in 2025) should help get them acclimated quickly. 

But if there's a newcomer that most people in Seattle have raved about, it's five-star offensive tackle Kodi Greene. The 6-foot-6, 315-pound Greene was ranked by 247Sports as the No. 27 player in the Class of 2026, and blew scouts away with his natural ability. 

Season Outlook 

While Washington has a nice corps of talent, analysts aren't sure if it will be able to bring the success Husky fans are hoping it will. There's simply too much unknown on the roster (particularly the offense) for win projections to go anywhere beyond eight wins. 

But that doesn't mean the Huskies will be bad, though. Fisch has built a good culture in Seattle and Iowa is going to have a tough time on its hands. 

You Can Win FREE Tickets To Iowa's Season Opener! 

HawkeyeRoundtable is giving away TWO tickets to Iowa's season opener against Northern Illinois on Sept. 5! 

This is easily the biggest giveaway we've ever done on this site, and it's a great opportunity for two lucky fans to experience the joy of attending a Hawkeye football game at Kinnick Stadium. 

Click here to automatically become a member to enter the contest! Additional contest details can be found in our community section, too! 

HawkeyeRoundtable publisher Brad Schultz has covered the Iowa Hawkeyes since 2023. To send him story ideas, scoops, or criticize his writing, reach him at bradschultz@roundtable.io

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