The Apple Cup

Washington vs. Washington State

106 of their 118 meetings are on file: they first met in 1900, and the earliest on file is 1917; officially, Washington leads 78–⁠34–⁠6; as played, 70–⁠32–⁠4 in the games on file. Over the last 10 meetings it’s Washington 8–⁠2, and Washington has won the last 2. The winner takes home the Apple Cup Trophy, played for since 1963. Washington has held it since the 2025 game. The official count covers every meeting. Share

Official series: Washington leads 78–⁠34–⁠6
Washington wins on file: 70
Washington State wins on file: 32
Ties: 4
Earliest on file: 1917 first met 1900
Longest streak: 8 Washington
Current streak: 2 Washington
Last 10 meetings: Washington 8–⁠2
Most recent: 2026

The series at a glance

Every meeting by decade, colored by the winner
	’0	’1	’2	’3	’4	’5	’6	’7	’8	’9	W–L
1910s											1–⁠1
1920s											6–⁠3
1930s											4–⁠3–⁠3
1940s											6–⁠2–⁠1
1950s											5–⁠5
1960s											8–⁠2
1970s											8–⁠2
1980s											6–⁠4
1990s											7–⁠3
2000s											6–⁠4
2010s											9–⁠1
2020s											4–⁠2

Both ranked: 8 meetings: Washington 6, Washington State 2
Average margin: 13.3 points; 39 decided by one score (8 or fewer)
At Washington: 38–⁠15–⁠3 Washington’s record at home
At Washington State: 16–⁠32–⁠1 Washington State’s record at home
Neutral sites: 0–⁠1 Washington first
Shutouts: 21

Every meeting on file, as played. Ranks are the AP poll’s going in.

Apple Cup Trophy

Played for since: 1963
Held by: Washington since the 2025 game
Games for it on file: 63 Washington 45, Washington State 18

Who holds it comes from the games on file: the winner of the latest regular-season meeting since 1963 (bowl rematches aren’t played for it); a tie leaves it with the holder (the usual rule; the article doesn’t say). From Wikipedia’s list of rivalry games and the rivalry’s article (CC BY-SA). More on the Apple Cup Trophy.

Games that tell the story

Washington’s biggest win2000: Washington 51, Washington State 3by 48 points
Washington State’s biggest win2021: Washington State 40, Washington 13by 27 points
Upset1967: Washington State 9, Washington 7Washington State had a 18% chance, by our ratings before kickoff
Upset1926: Washington State 9, Washington 6Washington State had a 20% chance, by our ratings before kickoff
Upset1982: Washington State 24, Washington 20Washington State had a 21% chance, by our ratings before kickoff
Ranked showdown2018: Washington 28, Washington State 15No. 16 Washington at No. 7 Washington State
Ranked showdown2001: Washington 26, Washington State 14No. 9 Washington State at No. 16 Washington
Ranked showdown1936: Washington 40, Washington State 0No. 20 Washington State at No. 6 Washington

Coach against coach

Years	Washington	Series	Washington State
1923–⁠1925	Enoch Bagshaw	3–⁠0	Albert Exendine
1926–⁠1929	Enoch Bagshaw	2–⁠2	O.E. Hollingbery
1930–⁠1941	James Phelan	6–⁠3–⁠3	O.E. Hollingbery
1945–⁠1947	Ralph Welch	3–⁠1	Phil Sarboe
1953–⁠1955	John Cherberg	1–⁠2	Alton Kircher
1957–⁠1963	Jim Owens	5–⁠2	Jim Sutherland
1964–⁠1967	Jim Owens	3–⁠1	Bert Clark
1968–⁠1974	Jim Owens	4–⁠3	Jim Sweeney
1978–⁠1986	Don James	6–⁠3	Jim Walden
1989–⁠1992	Don James	3–⁠1	Mike Price
1993–⁠1998	Jim Lambright	4–⁠2	Mike Price
1999–⁠2002	Rick Neuheisel	4–⁠0	Mike Price
2005–⁠2007	Tyrone Willingham	1–⁠2	Bill Doba
2009–⁠2011	Steve Sarkisian	3–⁠0	Paul Wulff
2014–⁠2019	Chris Petersen	6–⁠0	Mike Leach

Head-coach pairings with three or more meetings on file, the series read from Washington’s side (Bagshaw 3–⁠0 against Exendine). A season split between coaches goes to the one credited with the game.

Both programs through the years

Our Elo rating at the end of each season, a measure of how strong a team was, not a forecast; 1500 is an average FBS team.

Stars of the series

Biggest days

Michael Penix Jr. Washington	25 of 43, 485 yards, 3 TD, 1 INT	2022 Passing
Chris Polk Washington	29 carries, 284 yards, 2 TD	2010 Rushing
Myles Gaskin Washington	25 carries, 192 yards, 4 TD	2017 Rushing
Jermaine Kearse Washington	6 catches, 178 yards, 2 TD	2010 Receiving

Biggest days: the week’s best individual games by our big-days rule, from box scores (2004 on).

From the newspapers

1917 · Daily capital journal, Salem, Oregon, Nov 30, 1917
1922 · The Seattle star, Seattle, Wash., Oct 30, 1922
1924 · The Seattle star, Seattle, Wash., Nov 28, 1924
1928 · Imperial Valley press, California, Nov 30, 1928

Public-domain newspapers from the Library of Congress’s Chronicling America, found through the American Stories dataset (Dell and Harvard, CC BY 4.0). The earliest meetings with a story on file; each game’s page has the full text.

On television

2025	CBS	1.6 million viewers
2026	NBC	5.1 million viewers

Viewers: Nielsen, as compiled by nschultz7’s ratings tracker.

Every game

Sep 6, 2026	17Washington 24, Washington State 10	at Washington
Sep 20, 2025	Washington 59, Washington State 24	at Washington State
Sep 14, 2024	Washington State 24, Washington 19	Lumen Field
Nov 25, 2023	4Washington 24, Washington State 21	at Washington
Nov 26, 2022	12Washington 51, Washington State 33	at Washington State
Nov 26, 2021	Washington State 40, Washington 13	at Washington
Nov 29, 2019	Washington 31, Washington State 13	at Washington
Nov 23, 2018	16Washington 28, 7Washington State 15	at Washington State
Nov 25, 2017	15Washington 41, 14Washington State 14	at Washington
Nov 25, 2016	6Washington 45, 23Washington State 17	at Washington State
Nov 27, 2015	Washington 45, 20Washington State 10	at Washington
Nov 29, 2014	Washington 31, Washington State 13	at Washington State
Nov 29, 2013	Washington 27, Washington State 17	at Washington
Nov 23, 2012	Washington State 31, Washington 28	at Washington State
Nov 26, 2011	Washington 38, Washington State 21	at Washington
Dec 4, 2010	Washington 35, Washington State 28	at Washington State
Nov 28, 2009	Washington 30, Washington State 0	at Washington
Nov 22, 2008	Washington State 16, Washington 13	at Washington State
Nov 24, 2007	Washington State 42, Washington 35	at Washington
Nov 18, 2006	Washington 35, Washington State 32	at Washington State
Nov 19, 2005	Washington State 26, Washington 22	at Washington
Nov 20, 2004	Washington State 28, Washington 25	at Washington State
Nov 22, 2003	Washington 27, 8Washington State 19	at Washington
Nov 23, 2002	Washington 29, 3Washington State 26	at Washington State
Nov 17, 2001	16Washington 26, 9Washington State 14	at Washington
Nov 18, 2000	6Washington 51, Washington State 3	at Washington State
Nov 20, 1999	Washington 24, Washington State 14	at Washington
Nov 21, 1998	Washington 16, Washington State 9	at Washington State
Nov 22, 1997	11Washington State 41, 17Washington 35	at Washington
Nov 23, 1996	12Washington 31, Washington State 24	at Washington State
Nov 18, 1995	22Washington 33, Washington State 30	at Washington
Nov 19, 1994	Washington State 23, 18Washington 6	at Washington State
Nov 20, 1993	Washington 26, Washington State 3	at Washington
Nov 21, 1992	Washington State 42, 5Washington 23	at Washington State
Nov 23, 1991	2Washington 56, Washington State 21	at Washington
Nov 17, 1990	10Washington 55, Washington State 10	at Washington State
Nov 18, 1989	Washington 20, Washington State 9	at Washington
Nov 19, 1988	19Washington State 32, Washington 31	at Washington State
Nov 21, 1987	Washington 34, Washington State 19	at Washington
Nov 22, 1986	12Washington 44, Washington State 23	at Washington State
Nov 23, 1985	Washington State 21, Washington 20	at Washington
Nov 17, 1984	8Washington 38, Washington State 29	at Washington State
Nov 19, 1983	Washington State 17, 15Washington 6	at Washington
Nov 20, 1982	Washington State 24, 5Washington 20	at Washington State
Nov 21, 1981	17Washington 23, 14Washington State 10	at Washington
Nov 22, 1980	16Washington 30, Washington State 23	at Washington State
Nov 17, 1979	16Washington 17, Washington State 7	at Washington
Nov 25, 1978	Washington 38, Washington State 8	at Washington State
Nov 19, 1977	19Washington 35, Washington State 15	at Washington
Nov 20, 1976	Washington 51, Washington State 32	at Washington State
Nov 22, 1975	Washington 28, Washington State 27	at Washington
Nov 23, 1974	Washington 24, Washington State 17	at Washington State
Nov 24, 1973	Washington State 52, Washington 26	at Washington
Nov 18, 1972	20Washington State 27, 17Washington 10	at Washington State
Nov 20, 1971	Washington 28, Washington State 20	at Washington
Nov 21, 1970	Washington 43, Washington State 25	at Washington State
Nov 22, 1969	Washington 30, Washington State 21	at Washington
Nov 23, 1968	Washington State 24, Washington 0	at Washington State
Nov 25, 1967	Washington State 9, Washington 7	at Washington
Nov 19, 1966	Washington 19, Washington State 7	at Washington State
Nov 20, 1965	Washington 27, Washington State 9	at Washington
Nov 21, 1964	Washington 14, Washington State 0	at Washington State
Nov 30, 1963	Washington 16, Washington State 0	at Washington
Nov 24, 1962	Washington 26, Washington State 21	at Washington State
Nov 25, 1961	Washington 21, Washington State 17	at Washington
Nov 19, 1960	5Washington 8, Washington State 7	at Washington State
Nov 21, 1959	14Washington 20, Washington State 0	at Washington
Nov 22, 1958	Washington State 18, Washington 14	at Washington State
Nov 23, 1957	Washington State 27, Washington 7	at Washington
Nov 24, 1956	Washington 40, Washington State 26	at Washington State
Nov 19, 1955	Washington 27, Washington State 7	at Washington
Nov 20, 1954	Washington State 26, Washington 7	at Washington State
Nov 21, 1953	Washington State 25, Washington 20	at Washington
Nov 29, 1952	Washington 33, Washington State 27	at Washington State
Nov 24, 1951	17Washington State 27, Washington 25	at Washington
Nov 25, 1950	18Washington 52, Washington State 21	at Washington State
Nov 19, 1949	Washington 34, Washington State 21	at Washington
Oct 16, 1948	Washington State 10, Washington 0	at Washington State
Nov 22, 1947	Washington 20, Washington State 0	at Washington
Oct 12, 1946	Washington 21, Washington State 7	at Washington State
Nov 24, 1945	Washington State 7, Washington 0	at Washington State
Oct 13, 1945	Washington 6, Washington State 0	at Washington
Nov 28, 1942	Washington 0, 15Washington State 0	at Washington
Oct 11, 1941	Washington 23, Washington State 13	at Washington State
Nov 30, 1940	12Washington 33, Washington State 9	at Washington
Oct 14, 1939	Washington State 6, Washington 0	at Washington State
Nov 26, 1938	Washington 26, Washington State 0	at Washington
Oct 16, 1937	Washington State 7, Washington 7	at Washington State
Nov 26, 1936	6Washington 40, 20Washington State 0	at Washington
Oct 19, 1935	Washington 21, Washington State 0	at Washington State
Nov 24, 1934	Washington 0, Washington State 0	at Washington
Nov 25, 1933	Washington State 17, Washington 6	at Washington State
Nov 12, 1932	Washington 0, Washington State 0	at Washington
Nov 14, 1931	Washington 12, Washington State 0	at Washington
Nov 15, 1930	Washington State 3, Washington 0	at Washington
Oct 19, 1929	Washington State 20, Washington 13	at Washington State
Nov 29, 1928	Washington 6, Washington State 0	at Washington
Oct 22, 1927	Washington 14, Washington State 0	at Washington
Oct 23, 1926	Washington State 9, Washington 6	at Washington
Oct 31, 1925	Washington 23, Washington State 0	at Washington State
Nov 22, 1924	Washington 14, Washington State 0	at Washington
Nov 24, 1923	Washington 24, Washington State 7	at Washington
Oct 28, 1922	Washington 16, Washington State 13	at Washington State
Nov 24, 1921	Washington State 14, Washington 0	at Washington
Nov 15, 1919	Washington 13, Washington State 7	at Washington State
Nov 29, 1917	Washington State 14, Washington 0	at Washington

Every game is listed as played on the field.