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Washington State Cougars

Pac-12Pullman, WAGesa Field

2026: 1–⁠6 (0–⁠3 Pac-12). Last: lost at Oregon State 48–⁠30. Next: Boise State, Saturday, Oct 24, 6 p.m. ET.

  1. L 10–⁠24at No. 17 Washington
  2. L 7–⁠34at Kansas State
  3. W 48–⁠7Duquesne
  4. L 24–⁠34Arizona
  5. L 6–⁠26Fresno State
  6. L 16–⁠17at Utah State
  7. L 30–⁠48at Oregon State
  8. Oct 24Boise State
  9. Oct 31at San Diego State
  10. Nov 14Colorado State
  11. Nov 21at Texas State
  • Outfitted by Nike

Washington State in the news

Washington State has played football since 1894 and is 517–⁠569–⁠38 in the 1,124 games on record here, which start in 1907. Their best finish in the final AP poll is No. 9, in 2003. They have won three Pac-12 Conference titles (the last in 2025) and two Pacific Coast Conference titles, counting shared titles. Since 1936, the NFL Draft has taken 107 players from here in its first seven rounds, 12 of them in the first round. The AFL draft also took two players from here. The College Football Hall of Fame holds 5 players and 4 coaches from Washington State. O.E. Hollingbery (1926–⁠1942) won more games here than any other coach: 93. The most-played rival is Washington: 118 meetings, Washington leads 78–⁠34–⁠6. This season, under Kirby Moore, they’re 1–⁠6.

Gesa Field in Pullman
Gesa FieldPhoto: Spicypepper999, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

On this date in 2013Washington State lost to No. 2 Oregon 62–⁠38 on the road.

Résumé

All-time record
514–⁠560–⁠38 official; 517–⁠569–⁠38 on file; how we count
Postseason
9–⁠11 bowls, title games, playoff
AP No. 1 finishes
0
Weeks at No. 1
0 of 154 ranked
Elo now
1434 106th of 138 FBS
Computer rankings
Massey No. 96 · Composite No. 118 in FBS, Oct 17; down 8 since Oct 11. From Massey Ratings
Best season by Elo
2003 rated 1724
Conference titles
5 last in 2025
Bowl record
8–⁠11 official, bowls only
Seasons
111 since 1907, 1,124 games

Identity

Fight song
Washington State University Fight Song
Student section
ZZU CRU

2026 season 1–⁠6

RosterFull 2026 season
DateOpponentResultElo
Sep 6at17WashingtonL 10–⁠2432%
Sep 12atKansas StateL 7–⁠3435%
Sep 19vsDuquesneW 48–⁠784%
Sep 26vsArizonaL 24–⁠3447%
Oct 3vsFresno StateL 6–⁠2646%
Oct 9atUtah StateL 16–⁠1746%
Oct 17atOregon StateL 30–⁠4834%
Oct 24vsBoise StatePreview27%
Oct 31atSan Diego StatePreview38%
Nov 14vsColorado StatePreview68%
Nov 21atTexas StatePreview27%

Elo: a pregame chance from scores alone.

This season, game by game

Washington State’s Elo through 2026: 1537 going into the opener, 1434 after the latest game.142514501475150015251550Elo 1537 going in; lost to Washington 24–10Elo 1520 going in; lost to Kansas State 34–7Elo 1498 going in; beat Duquesne 48–7Elo 1509 going in; lost to Arizona 34–24Elo 1487 going in; lost to Fresno State 26–6Elo 1459 going in; lost to Utah State 17–16Elo 1453 going in; lost to Oregon State 48–30Now: Elo 1434 after the latest game1434
WashingtonKansas StateDuquesneArizonaFresno StateUtah StateOregon StateNow
Elo going into each game, then after the latest. Filled dots: wins; open: losses. Dashed line: 1500, an average FBS team.

Future schedule

2027–⁠32
20273 games: 2 home, 1 away, non-conference only
20282 games: 1 home, 1 away, non-conference only
20292 games: 2 home, non-conference only
20302 games: 2 home, non-conference only
20313 games: 1 home, 2 away, non-conference only
20321 game: 1 away, non-conference only

Washington State’s announced games beyond the seasons on our schedule, as its Wikipedia article lists them (announced schedules as of May 18, 2026). Schedules change; a season shows only the games named so far, and many articles list non-conference games only. Future schedules: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA).

Players

The 2026 rosterRecord bookThe money

On the 2026 team

Program greats See all

Heisman finalists, College Football Hall of Famers, consensus All-Americans, national award winners and first-round picks, for what they did at Washington State.

Photos: Wikimedia Commons, free licenses; credits on each player’s page.

Around the program

Apparel
Nike · Official source
Mascot
Butch T. Cougar · Independently corroborated
Student section
ZZU CRU · Official source
Athletic director
Jon Haarlow · Official source
Offensive coordinator
Matt Miller · Single source
Defensive coordinator
Trent Bray · Official source

Found by several AI researchers searching the web, then kept only where the page loads and says so in words naming the program; every quote is checked again each time the data is rebuilt. Official source: the school’s own page. All of them.

The apparel deal

Nike, 2009 through June 2028. Extension signed in 2025. Nike partner since 2009.

  • Washington State Athletics, Aug 27, 2025: Nike partnership extended through June 2028, covering 17 programs
  • WSU News, Aug 27, 2025: Nike relationship since 2009, 10-year agreement in 2015, extension through June 2028

Apparel deals: Field Drip. Terms as the outlets reported them; checked Oct 3, 2026.

Program strength since 1907

Best seasons ever
Washington State end-of-season Elo from 1907 to 2026, best in 2003 at 1724.13001500170019001920194019601980200020202003 peak: Elo 1724
End-of-season Elo. Dashed line: 1500, an average FBS team.

More coverage

Found through the GDELT Project, which indexes news sites worldwide. Each link opens the story on the outlet’s own site; each picture is that outlet’s own preview of its story, shown from its site and credited to it.

Podcasts

Found through Podcast Index, the open podcast directory. Each link opens the episode’s page.

Head coaches

CoachYearsRecord
Kirby Moore20261–⁠6
Jimmy Rogers20256–⁠6
Jesse Bobbit20251–⁠0
Pete Kaligis20240–⁠1
Jake Dickert2021–⁠202423–⁠20
Nick Rolovich2020–⁠20215–⁠6
Mike Leach2012–⁠201955–⁠47
Paul Wulff2008–⁠20119–⁠40
Bill Doba2003–⁠200730–⁠29
Mike Price1989–⁠200283–⁠78
Dennis Erickson1987–⁠198812–⁠10–⁠1
Jim Walden1978–⁠198641–⁠55–⁠4
Warren Powers19776–⁠5
Jackie Sherrill19763–⁠8
Jim Sweeney1968–⁠197526–⁠59–⁠1
Bert Clark1964–⁠196715–⁠24–⁠1
Jim Sutherland1956–⁠196337–⁠39–⁠4
Alton Kircher1952–⁠195513–⁠25–⁠2
Forest Evashevski1950–⁠195111–⁠6–⁠2
Phil Sarboe1945–⁠194917–⁠26–⁠3
O.E. Hollingbery1926–⁠194293–⁠53–⁠14
Albert Exendine1923–⁠19256–⁠13–⁠4
Gus Welch1919–⁠192216–⁠10–⁠1
William Dietz1915–⁠19177–⁠2–⁠1
Willis Kienholz19090–⁠1
John Bender19071–⁠0

Most-played series

All rivalries
OpponentGamesWSU record
Washington11834–⁠78–⁠6 ‡
Oregon State10456–⁠45–⁠3
Oregon9537–⁠52–⁠6
California8430–⁠49–⁠5
USC7710–⁠62–⁠4 †
Idaho7464–⁠8–⁠2
Stanford7331–⁠41–⁠1
UCLA6320–⁠42–⁠1

Official records. † Without wins the NCAA vacated. ‡ The rivalry’s own count, where it differs from the games on file. Each series page gives both.

Rivals the program names: Washington, Idaho.

Every opponent (100)

Every program Washington State has played, A to Z, with Washington State’s record against it. Each links to the series, game by game.

Official records. † Without wins the NCAA vacated, or with forfeits counted. ‡ The rivalry’s own count, where it differs from the games on file.

Conference titles

5, counting shared titles
Pac-12 Conference 3
1997 (shared), 2002 (shared), 2025
Pacific Coast Conference 2
1917, 1930
Pac-12 North 1
2018 (tied)

As the program counts them in its Wikipedia article, shared titles included, and listed under each conference’s current name (a Western Conference title of the 1900s counts as a Big Ten title); season pages use the name the conference had that year. A title the article files under a conference the team wasn’t in that season is listed under the one it was. Division titles include years the team tied for its division.

Conferences

  1. Independent 1894–⁠1916
  2. Pacific Coast Conference 1917
  3. Independent 1918
  4. Pacific Coast Conference 1919–⁠1942 and 1945–⁠1958
  5. Independent 1959–⁠1961
  6. AAWU 1962–⁠1967
  7. Pac-8 1968–⁠1977
  8. Pac-10 1978–⁠2010
  9. Pac-12 since 2011
  • 1959Went independent from the Pacific Coast Conference. Source
  • 1962Joined the AAWU from independence. Source

Washington State’s football conferences by season, from CollegeFootballData.com’s memberships (renamed conferences keep the name of the time). The moves and their announcement dates from Wikipedia’s lists of NCAA Division I conference changes; the year is the first season in the new conference. Conference realignment: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA).

National award winners

All awards
2018Gardner Minshew QBUnitas Golden Arm
2017Luke Falk QBBurlsworth
2002Rien Long DTOutland
1997Mike Price coachEddie Robinson, Bobby Dodd Award

Consensus All-Americans 9

2017Cody O’Connell OL
2017Hercules Mata’afa DL
2016Cody O’Connell OL
2005Jerome Harrison RB
2002Rien Long DT
1989Jason Hanson K
1988Mike Utley OG
1984Dan Lynch OG
1984Rueben Mayes RB

Led the nation 10

2014Connor Halliday total offense per game (415.8)
1997Corey Alston yards per catch (23.8)
1988Timm Rosenbach passer rating (162.0)
1961Hugh Campbell receptions (53 catches)
1960Hugh Campbell receptions (66 catches), receiving yards (881 yds), receiving touchdowns (10 TD)
1957Bob Newman total offense (1,444 yds)
1957Jack Fanning receiving touchdowns (9 TD)
1956Bill Steiger receiving yards (607 yds)
1951Ed Barker receiving yards (864 yds), yards per catch (18.8)
1948Jerry Williams kickoff return average (29.9)

The NCAA’s official national leaders since 1937, from Wikipedia’s yearly leader lists.

Heisman runners-up and finalists

The votes
2018Gardner Minshew QB5th
1997Ryan Leaf QB3rd

Second to fifth in the vote, from each season’s Wikipedia article.

In the Hall of Fame

Every inductee
Players
5
Coaches
4
2020Jason Hanson K
2019Dennis Erickson coach here, 1987–⁠1988
2016Mike Utley OG
2012William Henry Dietz coach here, 1915–⁠1917
2008Rueben Mayes RB
2000Forest Evashevski coach here, 1950–⁠1951
1979Babe Hollingbery coach, career 1926–⁠1942
1975Glen “Turk” Edwards OT
1954Mel Hein C

In the draft

By college
NFL picks, rounds 1–⁠7
107 since 1936
First-round picks
12
AFL picks
2 1961–⁠62
2019Andre Dillard OTNo. 22, Philadelphia Eagles
2014Deone Bucannon SNo. 27, Arizona Cardinals
2003Marcus Trufant DBNo. 11, Seattle Seahawks
1998Ryan Leaf QBNo. 2, San Diego Chargers
1995Mark Fields LBNo. 13, New Orleans Saints
1993Drew Bledsoe QBNo. 1, New England Patriots
1990Steve Broussard RBNo. 20, Atlanta Falcons
1984Keith Millard DTNo. 13, Minnesota Vikings

Who came and went in the 2026 transfer portal, and every portal year.

The school

Washington State University
Enrollment
25,685 21,455 undergraduates, fall 2024
Where
Pullman, Washington
Public or private
Public Research 1
Founded
1959
Graduates’ median earnings
$68,905 10 years after starting

Enrollment, place and Carnegie research tier from the National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS, public domain). Earnings from the US Department of Education’s College Scorecard (CC BY 4.0): the median for students who received federal aid and were working, not in school. Founding year from Wikidata. Every school’s in the data.

Official accounts

Football
X @WSUCougarFBInstagram @wsucougarfbFacebook WashingtonStateFootball

Official accounts: the schools’ athletics websites: the ones wsucougars.com lists for its football program, as of Oct 12, 2026.

Old photographs

  • Idaho vs. Washington State College Football Game [01]
    Idaho vs. Washington State College Football Game [01]Photo: University of Idaho, Public Domain Mark 1.0, via Digital Public Library of America
  • Arrival of W.S.C. [Washington State College] Football Team and Rooters at the U.P. [Union Pacific] Depot October 19, 1911
    Arrival of W.S.C. [Washington State College] Football Team and Rooters at the U.P. [Union Pacific] Depot October 19, 1911Photo: University of Idaho, Public Domain Mark 1.0, via Digital Public Library of America
  • Running play, Idaho - Washington State College Game, October 17, 1913
    Running play, Idaho – Washington State College Game, October 17, 1913Photo: University of Idaho, Public Domain Mark 1.0, via Digital Public Library of America
  • 1903 football game between Idaho and Washington State College [03]
    1903 football game between Idaho and Washington State College [03]Photo: University of Idaho, Public Domain Mark 1.0, via Digital Public Library of America
  • 1903 football game between Idaho and Washington State College [06]
    1903 football game between Idaho and Washington State College [06]Photo: University of Idaho, Public Domain Mark 1.0, via Digital Public Library of America
  • 1908 football contest between Idaho and Washington State in Pullman
    1908 football contest between Idaho and Washington State in PullmanPhoto: University of Idaho, Public Domain Mark 1.0, via Digital Public Library of America

From libraries and archives found through the Digital Public Library of America, each under the rights statement its holder gives and credited to it. The records don’t give these a season; those they date are on their seasons’ pages.

On the newsreel

Universal Newsreel, National Archives (catalog record). Story titles and words as Universal’s release sheet gives them; the films themselves may still be under copyright, so we link to the record rather than show them.

Books

Books: Open Library (CC0), filed under the program’s Library of Congress subject heading; most-reissued first, each linked to its page there.

Season by season

National champions
SeasonRecordConf.AP preAP finalCoachEloSP+
20261–⁠60–⁠3Kirby Moore1434-11.1
20257–⁠61–⁠1Jimmy Rogers, Jesse Bobbit15553.8
20248–⁠50–⁠1Jake Dickert, Pete Kaligis15221.3
20235–⁠72–⁠7Jake Dickert14624.9
20227–⁠64–⁠5Jake Dickert15319.5
20217–⁠66–⁠3Nick Rolovich, Jake Dickert15636.7
20201–⁠31–⁠3Nick Rolovich14994.2
20196–⁠73–⁠623Mike Leach154811.1
201811–⁠27–⁠210Mike Leach168311.3
20179–⁠46–⁠324Mike Leach15858.6
20168–⁠57–⁠2Mike Leach16026.2
20159–⁠46–⁠3Mike Leach15694.2
20143–⁠92–⁠7Mike Leach1408-1.7
20136–⁠74–⁠5Mike Leach14578.2
20123–⁠91–⁠8Mike Leach1355-4.4
20114–⁠82–⁠7Paul Wulff1371-1.7
20102–⁠101–⁠8Paul Wulff1305-7.4
20091–⁠110–⁠9Paul Wulff1238-22.2
20082–⁠111–⁠8Paul Wulff1309-17.5
20075–⁠73–⁠6Bill Doba14963.2
20066–⁠64–⁠5Bill Doba15057.4
20054–⁠71–⁠7Bill Doba149813.0
20045–⁠63–⁠5Bill Doba1543-0.9
200310–⁠36–⁠29Bill Doba172417.3
200210–⁠37–⁠11110Mike Price169021.6
Every season back to 1907 (86 more)
SeasonRecordConf.AP preAP finalCoachEloSP+
200110–⁠26–⁠210Mike Price164116.6
20004–⁠72–⁠6Mike Price14435.0
19993–⁠91–⁠7Mike Price1392-5.7
19983–⁠80–⁠8Mike Price1423-12.1
199710–⁠27–⁠19Mike Price162419.7
19965–⁠63–⁠5Mike Price14621.5
19953–⁠82–⁠6Mike Price14560.8
19948–⁠45–⁠321Mike Price159714.9
19935–⁠63–⁠5Mike Price151410.7
19929–⁠35–⁠315Mike Price156812.2
19914–⁠73–⁠5Mike Price1458-0.5
19903–⁠82–⁠6Mike Price1419-5.3
19896–⁠53–⁠5Mike Price156614.2
19889–⁠35–⁠316Dennis Erickson159918.1
19873–⁠7–⁠11–⁠5–⁠1Dennis Erickson1403-1.4
19863–⁠7–⁠12–⁠6–⁠1Jim Walden14181.8
19854–⁠73–⁠5Jim Walden14956.9
19846–⁠54–⁠3Jim Walden15607.5
19837–⁠45–⁠3Jim Walden157111.3
19823–⁠7–⁠12–⁠4–⁠1Jim Walden1433-12.4
19818–⁠3–⁠15–⁠2–⁠1Jim Walden155914.5
19804–⁠73–⁠4Jim Walden1437-1.0
19793–⁠82–⁠6Jim Walden1350-4.7
19783–⁠7–⁠11–⁠7Jim Walden14020.4
19776–⁠53–⁠4Warren Powers148811.4
19763–⁠82–⁠5Jackie Sherrill1354-8.6
19753–⁠80–⁠7Jim Sweeney1358-10.3
19742–⁠91–⁠6Jim Sweeney1383-9.7
19735–⁠64–⁠3Jim Sweeney15245.1
19727–⁠44–⁠319Jim Sweeney15449.4
19714–⁠72–⁠5Jim Sweeney13960.0
19701–⁠100–⁠7Jim Sweeney1271-10.0
19691–⁠90–⁠7Jim Sweeney1318
19683–⁠6–⁠11–⁠3–⁠1Jim Sweeney1423
19672–⁠81–⁠5Bert Clark1369
19663–⁠71–⁠3Bert Clark1399
19657–⁠32–⁠1Bert Clark1522
19643–⁠6–⁠11–⁠2–⁠1Bert Clark1387
19633–⁠6–⁠11–⁠1Jim Sutherland1449
19625–⁠4–⁠11–⁠1Jim Sutherland1506
19613–⁠7Jim Sutherland1455
19604–⁠5–⁠1Jim Sutherland1551
19596–⁠4Jim Sutherland1604
19587–⁠36–⁠2Jim Sutherland1610
19576–⁠45–⁠3Jim Sutherland1513
19563–⁠6–⁠12–⁠5–⁠1Jim Sutherland1370
19551–⁠7–⁠21–⁠5–⁠1Alton Kircher1347
19544–⁠63–⁠4Alton Kircher1439
19534–⁠63–⁠4Alton Kircher1446
19524–⁠63–⁠415Alton Kircher1502
19517–⁠34–⁠318Forest Evashevski1559
19504–⁠3–⁠22–⁠3–⁠2Forest Evashevski1468
19493–⁠62–⁠6Phil Sarboe1400
19484–⁠5–⁠14–⁠3–⁠1Phil Sarboe1437
19473–⁠72–⁠5Phil Sarboe1369
19461–⁠6–⁠11–⁠5–⁠1Phil Sarboe1430
19456–⁠2–⁠16–⁠2–⁠1Phil Sarboe1577
19426–⁠2–⁠25–⁠1–⁠11017O.E. Hollingbery1568
19416–⁠45–⁠319O.E. Hollingbery1558
19404–⁠4–⁠23–⁠4–⁠219O.E. Hollingbery1468
19394–⁠53–⁠5O.E. Hollingbery1441
19382–⁠81–⁠7O.E. Hollingbery1413
19373–⁠3–⁠33–⁠3–⁠2O.E. Hollingbery1519
19366–⁠3–⁠16–⁠2–⁠1O.E. Hollingbery1536
19355–⁠3–⁠13–⁠2O.E. Hollingbery1525
19344–⁠3–⁠14–⁠0–⁠1O.E. Hollingbery1590
19335–⁠3–⁠13–⁠3–⁠1O.E. Hollingbery1585
19327–⁠1–⁠15–⁠1–⁠1O.E. Hollingbery1605
19316–⁠44–⁠3O.E. Hollingbery1570
19309–⁠16–⁠0O.E. Hollingbery1669
192910–⁠24–⁠2O.E. Hollingbery1609
19287–⁠34–⁠3O.E. Hollingbery1547
19273–⁠3–⁠21–⁠3–⁠1O.E. Hollingbery1519
19266–⁠14–⁠1O.E. Hollingbery1551
19253–⁠4–⁠12–⁠3Albert Exendine1438
19241–⁠5–⁠20–⁠4–⁠1Albert Exendine1403
19232–⁠4–⁠11–⁠3–⁠1Albert Exendine1412
19222–⁠51–⁠5Gus Welch1422
19214–⁠2–⁠12–⁠1–⁠1Gus Welch1537
19205–⁠11–⁠1Gus Welch1588
19195–⁠22–⁠2Gus Welch1587
19176–⁠0–⁠13–⁠0William Dietz1607
1916few games on file0–⁠2William Dietz1482
1915few games on file1–⁠0William Dietz1523
1909few games on file0–⁠1Willis Kienholz1497
1907few games on file1–⁠0John Bender1520

Officially 514–⁠560–⁠38 since 1894 (per Wikipedia, rechecked weekly); game by game here, 517–⁠569–⁠38 (+3 wins, +9 losses). Our file starts in 1907; the program began in 1894. Official totals drop vacated and forfeited wins.

No season on file for 1908, 1910–⁠14, 1918, 1943–⁠44: the program may not have played, or our source may be missing them.

Records are computed from every game on file at CollegeFootballData.com, whose coverage of the earliest seasons can be incomplete. Elo is this site’s own rating; see how it works on the records page.