Washington
Wazzu keeps Washington in one place: 6 stories so far. The section currently leads with “Apple Cup Gets a Summer Sequel: Boeing Edition Set for August”, “August Apple Cup: Pullman Gets the Rivalry in Prime Palouse Heat”, and “WSU hoops heads to Everett for a November neutral-court game”. The Apple Cup is coming in August. August Apple Cup. The unofficial read for people who left Pullman and stayed Cougs. The list below is every Washington story on Wazzu, newest first.
Apple Cup Gets a Summer Sequel: Boeing Edition Set for August
The Apple Cup is coming in August. Not a typo. Not a rogue heatstroke hallucination. Washington State and Washington have agreed to move next year's rivalry game to the heart of Palouse summer, and the thing is called the "Boeing Edition." That is real, and it is happening. Pullman in August is a specific kind of oven. The wheat is gold. The sun does not quit. The Kibbie Dome does not have air conditioning that works like you think it does. This is not a polite September evening with a slight chill. This is sweat-through-your-crimson-polo heat. And now the Huskies get to feel it too. The move makes a certain kind of sense. Boeing gets its name on the rivalry. The game gets a standalone date away from the November cold and the conference clutter. But make no mistake: this is a trade. You swap the drama of a season-ending grudge match for the chaos of a preseason-feeling kickoff when the Palouse is at its most intense. We have covered this shift before. Our piece "August Apple Cup: Pullman Gets the Rivalry in Prime Palouse Heat" laid out what the schedule change means for the town and the tailgates. Worth a read if you want the full picture. For now, the take is simple: The Apple Cup is getting a sequel, and the setting is all Pullman. The Cougs get the heat. The Huskies get the bus ride. Go Cougs.
August Apple Cup: Pullman Gets the Rivalry in Prime Palouse Heat
August Apple Cup. Say it a few times. It'll grow on you, or it won't, but it's happening. The 2027 Apple Cup is moving to Aug. 28 in Pullman. That's the first time in 118 years this rivalry gets played in August. Prime Palouse heat. The move pushes the game up from its traditional mid-September slot. WSU and UW agreed to it, and the press release landed Monday. The Cougs get a bye week out of it in Week 4 of the season, which is a nice little scheduling cushion. The 2027 game is the fourth of a five-year extension the sides hammered out in 2023, back when the Pac-12 was still smoldering. The 2028 game in Seattle is the last one under contract. After that? Who knows. The Huskies have the all-time edge, 78-34-6, and they took this year's game 24-10 in Seattle. That stings. But an August kickoff in Pullman changes the whole feel. It's hot, it's harvest season, and the Palouse is doing what it does best. If you're making the trip, pack sunscreen and a cooler. For more on where this team is headed, check out our look at the Cougs chasing their first FBS win at SDSU. The road doesn't get easier, but it gets earlier. Go Cougs.
WSU hoops heads to Everett for a November neutral-court game
Everett is getting a real November treat. WSU hoops is bringing a neutral-court game to the city, and it's exactly the kind of matchup that makes you want to clear a Tuesday night. No home-court advantage, no familiar rafters, just basketball, plain and simple. Cougs in the stands will have to bring their own noise. This is a smart move. Pullman is home, but the program has alumni scattered everywhere. Everett is a good halfway point, a place where the Palouse feels close enough and the city feels far enough. Neutral-court games have a different energy. It's not hostile, but it's not cozy either. You have to earn every call. If you've been following the team through the early season, you already know the kind of intensity that's showing up. The roster is taking shape, and if you want to see how that work translates away from Beasley, this is the game to watch. For more on how the Cougs are building that identity, check out our coverage of fall ball and the early roster talk in "Riley and the roster speak, fall ball is next." It's good context for what you'll see in Everett. Mark the calendar. Bring a friend who forgot what Pullman feels like. And remember, when the ball goes up, it's just you, the Coug next to you, and the game. Go Cougs.
Korey Schroeder on Lipscomb, the Big Sky, and a Week Ahead
Korey Schroeder has been around the block enough to know that the Big Sky is not a league you sleep on. He told us as much this week, breaking down what Lipscomb brings to the table and what the week ahead looks like for a program that has earned the right to think about March before February is even over. Schroeder is direct about it: the margin for error is thin, and the Cougs have to be locked in from the jump. That is the kind of talk you want to hear from a coach who has seen both sides of the bracket. We have been watching this team all year, and the cross country squad gave us another reason to be proud. If you missed it, go back and read *WSU Cross Country Earns a Spot Among the Nation's Best*. That group does its work in the quiet mornings on the Palouse, and the recognition is earned. Schroeder is not interested in moral victories. Neither are we. Lipscomb is a real test, and the Big Sky is a grinder. The week ahead will tell us something about this group's ceiling. We will be watching. Go Cougs.
Cougs Stared Down the Dawgs and Didn't Flinch
The Dawgs came to town, and the Cougs didn't blink. That's the headline, and it's the truth. No drama, no panic, just a team that looked across the line at a rival and decided they weren't leaving without a fight. You don't need to read between the lines on this one. The Cougs stared down Washington and held their ground. This is the kind of game that reminds you why you stay up late on a school night, or refresh the app on a Saturday. It's not about a perfect season or a trophy case. It's about showing up, looking the other guys in the eye, and refusing to flinch. That's Pullman. That's the Coug way. If you want to see the same grit in a different setting, check out our piece on the golf team. We ran "Cougs grind through another round in Wisconsin, no fluff, just golf" earlier this week. Same attitude, different fairway. These teams don't quit. They just keep grinding. For now, enjoy this one. It's a good feeling. Go Cougs.
Your garden can help Pullman's butterflies, new report says
A new report says some of Pullman's butterflies are in trouble. Not all of them, but enough that it caught the attention of researchers who track these things. The good news is that your garden can help. Not a huge overhaul, just planting the right flowers, keeping a little wild space, maybe skipping the heavy pesticides. That's it. That's the kind of fix that actually works. This isn't some distant problem. These are the butterflies you see on a summer walk near campus or out past the golf course. The report doesn't name names for the declining species, but the point is clear: small changes in your own yard add up. Pullman is small enough that a few neighbors doing the right thing can make a real difference. It's also the kind of grounded, useful research Washington State does well. Speaking of that, if you want a reminder of how WSU shows up in real life, not just in a lab, check out "At the Fair, WSU Serves Up a Century of Washington Farm History." It's a good companion piece. Different topic, same pride in work that matters. For now, maybe let a little clover grow. Plant something native. The butterflies will thank you, and so will the next Coug who walks through your yard. Go Cougs.