After a rollercoaster 2024 season that saw the Huskies stumble through growing pains under Jedd Fisch’s first year, expectations in 2025 are cautiously optimistic. Washington brings back a talented roster headlined by quarterback Demond Williams, while still adjusting to life in the Big Ten.
The schedule isn’t easy, early showdowns with Ohio State and Michigan loom large, but there’s also plenty of opportunity for signature wins and momentum-building stretches. With that in mind, here’s how I see each game playing out this fall.
vs. Colorado State: W 37-21 (1-0)
The Dawgs kick off the season with a win against one of the more respectable group of five opponents. A full preview on the Rams will be out later this week, but this is a Colorado State team that went 8-5 last season and returns many of their best players – including quarterback Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi.
Although Colorado State has yet to beat a Power Four opponent during the Jay Norvell era, they did come close in 2023 – when the Rams took rival Deion Sanders’s Colorado to overtime in an intense matchup.
Four touchdowns and three field goals seems like an appropriate offensive output for the Huskies in their season opener, but perhaps the defense gets out to a bit of a slow start, and thus I personally don’t have Washington covering the -22.5 spread.
vs. UC Davis: W 48-7 (2-0)
Not much needs to be said here, this matchup should be a walk in the park against an FCS opponent at home. However, the Aggies did finish as the No. 5 seed in the FCS a season ago, so the Huskies shouldn’t take them lightly – especially with the bad memories from their game against Montana in 2021.
Jedd Fisch should have his team fired up to dominate in this one, as this is a great opportunity to ramp up before a rivalry matchup against Wazzu and conference play after that.
@Washington St: W 41-24 (3-0)
Washington suffered a pretty embarrassing loss to its little brother in the Apple Cup last season, a game plagued by undisciplined penalties and some questionable coaching decisions.
The Huskies will be thirsty for revenge this time around, and with more experience with the team, Fisch can easily correct his past mistakes and march out of Pullman with a victory.
The Cougars are also a new-look team, with a brand new coaching staff and star quarterback John Mateer gone to Oklahoma. They may have the advantage of playing at home, but the lack of experience for Jimmy Rogers and company in this historic rivalry will be put to the test in an overwhelming way.
The Huskies will comfortably be 3-0 before welcoming the defending champs.
vs. Ohio State: L 10-35 (3-1)
Ohio State will be Washington’s first, and likely biggest, test of the season. The defending national champions are simply a juggernaut, and there will be no room for error for the Huskies on both sides of the ball.
It’s unfortunate that this matchup comes so early into the season, as I expect the Dawgs to get better throughout the year as they play more competitive opponents. This game does take place at Husky Stadium, so they got that going for them, but sadly, I think this is where Washington’s impressive home winning streak ends.