This year’s 116th meeting between the University of Washington (UW) and Washington State University (WSU) football teams will bring some interesting changes.
First, the stadium is technically located at a neutral site: Lumen Field in Seattle, home of the NFL Seahawks. This way, the schools can share in the revenue.
As Christian Caple, UW Huskies insider for Seattle Sports, explained earlier this summer, the two universities will split ticket revenue for this game. He added that both universities need every dollar they can get. He also noted that WSU is in a tough financial situation as it faces an uncertain future, and that UW continues to struggle with budgetary issues as it joins the Big Ten and only receives half of the media rights revenue.
Second, this year’s Boeing Apple Cup will be the earliest UW-WSU football game on the calendar. Most Apple Cups have been played in November, but more than a handful have been played in October, the earliest being on Oct. 11, 1941. Until 1970, college football generally did not begin until the third Saturday in September or later. In 1949, the annual game was played as the last game of the regular season, with a few exceptions when it was the second-to-last game (2001, 2007, 2008, 2009).
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Third, it’s the first time in a long time that the game has struggled at the box office. According to information confirmed by Washington State to Cougfan.com, about 35,000 tickets were sold for the game, just over half of the stadium’s 68,740 seats. In June, Washington State’s early ticket sales were a paltry 1,700, which is in stark contrast to Washington’s strong 18,000 tickets sold during the same period. +After the initial sale, which was reserved for donors and fans of each institution, ticket availability was expanded to the general public. Consequently, fans of both camps can now purchase tickets on either side of the stadium, which could potentially result in a mix of Washington’s purple-clad supporters sitting behind Washington State’s bench.
A closer look at the history of the Apple Cup
The Huskies lead the series 76-33-6. The series began in 1900 when the teams were tied 5-5.
The UW-WSU game was not called the “Apple Cup” until 1963. Before that, the two teams played for the Governor’s Trophy from 1931 to 1962.
Background: Apple Cup and other UW football traditions at stake in conference discussions
The Huskies have never lost more than two games in a row against WSU, while UW has had nine streaks of three or more wins.
From 1955 to 1981, the Apple Cup was held in Seattle in odd-numbered years and in Spokane in even-numbered years, instead of Seattle and Pullman.
Until 1970, college football generally did not begin until the third Saturday in September or later. In 1949, the annual game was played on the last weekend of the regular season, with rare exceptions when it was the second-to-last game on the schedule (2001, 2007, 2008, 2009).
Bill Kaczaraba is a content editor at MyNorthwest. You can read his stories here. Follow Bill on X Here and send him an email here.
