The Apple Cup has not been the setting for an important college football game in a long time. However, when Washington and Washington State meet again on Friday, the Pac-12 North title will be on the line. The 2016 college football season has seen lots of traditional blue bloods at the top of the rankings, but in the Pac-12, things have been turned upside down.
Apple Cup 2016, Washington vs. WSU: Start time, live stream, TV schedule and 3 things to know
The Pac-12 North is on the line in Pullman.
Jennifer Buchanan-USA TODAY Sports
Washington’s shot at an undefeated season ended two weeks ago against USC, but they’re not out of the Playoff chase. If they can beat Washington State and then win the conference title game — preferably against USC, rather than Colorado — they could still make it into the field of four.
Washington State doesn’t have a shot at the Playoff, but that doesn’t make the prospect of a Pac-12 title any less appealing for them. It’s still been over a decade since the Cougars have won the conference title, and I’m sure they will be able to get up for the chance to snag glory for themselves while also denying it to their biggest rivals.
How to watch, stream and listen
TV: 3:30 p.m. ET, FOX
Radio: Washington | Washington State
Online streaming: FOX Sports GO
Spread: Washington is favored by six points.
Make friends: Get to SB Nation’s team blog chats for this game at UW Dawg Pound for Washington fans and CougCenter for Washington State fans.
Three big things to know
1. To put it into perspective just how rare it is for this game to have stakes like this, the last time either one of these teams won the Pac-12/10 was 2002. Washington’s last double-digit win season was 2001, and Washington State’s was 2003. It’s been a long time since both of these teams were good at the same time.
2. The weakest unit on the field will be Washington State’s defense, but even they are performing well by their standards. The Coug defense is currently ranked 76th in Defensive S&P+, which has been good enough to work with the No. 17 ranked offense. However, Washington’s offense and defense are ranked No. 6 and No. 11, respectively, so that gives you a view of the difference between the two teams.
3. Phillip Lindsay was able to rush for 144 yards and two touchdowns for Colorado last week in their win over Washington State, so expect Washington to give a heavy workload to Myles Gaskin. Gaskin is averaging over 6 yards per carry this year, but he's only gone over 20 carries in a game once this year. If Washington State's offense is cooking, Chris Petersen could lean heavily on Gaskin to slow things down.
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