1991 national championship
An undefeated, defense-led co-national title — the Don James peak
Program prestige
Zeitgeist staturePower Program IIone line from Power Program I
Washington – Oregon
None — unnamed rivalry 106 meetings since 1916 See the whole history →No fan reading for this rivalry yet this week. The heat trend and each side’s mood appear when fans start talking about it.
The last 5 · year-by-year
- L 2025 Loss 14-26
- L 2024 Loss 21-49
- W 2023 Win 34-31
- W 2023 Win 36-33
- W 2022 Win 37-34
Program outlook
Program outlook
Washington played for the national championship in January 2024. By the following fall, the coach was at Alabama, Michael Penix Jr. was in the NFL, and Jedd Fisch was handed a rebuild in a new conference. The 2026 question is whether 2023 was a blueprint or a closed window.
Since Oct 11: W 38-26 at Purdue; W 17-10 at Nebraska. 5-3 this season.
Read the full essay — 4 more paragraphs
The program Don James built from 1975 to 1992 — 'The Dawgfather,' 12-0 in 1991, a co-national title, a defense that defined the standard — established what Washington is supposed to be: a program that outperforms its geography, that makes the argument that altitude is a choice rather than a zip code. Husky Stadium on the shore of Lake Washington, fans arriving by boat, the Cascades visible beyond the south end zone — there is no setting like it in the sport. The stadium is not decoration. It is a statement.
The 2023 Kalen DeBoer season was the statement renewed: a run to the national championship game behind Heisman finalist Michael Penix Jr., a Pac-12 title, a fanbase that briefly exhaled. Then DeBoer left for Alabama, Penix went to the NFL, and the roster scattered into the program's first Big Ten season. Fisch went 6-7 in 2024. He then steadied to 9-4 in 2025 — quarterback Demond Williams Jr. running a top-20 scoring offense — and closed it with an LA Bowl win over Boise State. The direction is right. The distance back to 2023's altitude remains unmeasured.
The 2026 season is the first year where Fisch has a full roster of his own players in a conference he understands. The internal question the fanbase has been carrying since January 2024 is whether 2023 was a foundation Fisch can rebuild toward or a singular season the program can't recreate. The remaining Big Ten road games — Purdue, Nebraska, Michigan State and Oregon — are where the answer gets written.
The answer so far is a 3-3 start that has gone the wrong way. Washington beat Washington State (24-10), Utah State (16-14) and Eastern Washington (48-16), then lost three straight: 27-24 at home to Minnesota on September 27 as 12.5-point favorites, 25-21 at USC on October 3, and 41-24 at home to Iowa on October 10.
On the field
Edge-case-contender — a program that pairs Don James's defense-and-discipline heritage with the aerial offense Demond Williams Jr. runs in the Fisch system. Washington plays fast and throws early, using the scheme to create conflict rather than relying on talent advantages it doesn't always have. Husky Stadium is a genuine home-field asset; the program's road record in the Big Ten is the unresolved variable. The sailgate on Lake Washington before kickoff is the most distinctive gameday scene in the conference.
Washington has won 1 national title since 1936
1991
How titles are counted
The final AP poll from 1936 and the Coaches poll from 1950 through 2005, then the winner of the BCS and College Football Playoff title games. A program may claim others, named by selectors we do not count.
- 1991: Coaches poll
Washington has won 59% of its games since 1915 — 68% at home, 47% on the road.
691-453-32 all-time · 112 seasons · 1915–2026
Home
443-196-9
Away
224-233-22
Neutral
24-24-1
70%
1910s
66%
1920s
58%
1930s
48%
1940s
49%
1950s
53%
1960s
58%
1970s
71%
1980s
69%
1990s
41%
2000s
64%
2010s
67%
2020s
The CFP era
13 seasons inside the CFP era, no bids yet — the era the program is still trying to break into.
Trajectory · quality-score line · AP rank dotted · CFP bids marked · coach regimes ribboned
Program quality
AP rank (inverted)
CFP appearance
Swipe left for earlier seasons
Washington’s 2014–2026 record is 107-52.
Jedd Fisch
Jedd Fisch is in year 3. The methodology is taking shape.
Era Jedd Fisch · 2024–presentPrev: Kalen DeBoer (2022–2023)DC: Ryan WaltersPrev DC: Stephen Belichick (2024)
3
years · era
Washington and Oregon, meeting by meeting
Washington leads the series 56-46-4 (since 1916); in the last 10 meetings, Washington is 5-5
2025: Oregon won 26-14. After this game, Washington led 56-46-4.
Last 25 meetings: ▲ Washington won, ▼ Oregon won, by how much
Each step is one meeting: up when Washington wins, down when Oregon wins, flat for a tie. Counts every game in our records since 1916. Tap the line for any season.
Washington in History
- Saban retires; Alabama hires DeBoerCoach change · Jan 10, 2024
- Michigan beats Washington for the national title, and its coach calls it a glorious feelingGame · Jan 8, 2024
- Washington beats Oregon on a late touchdown pass, and Oregon's coach says the loss was on himGame · Oct 14, 2023
- Oregon and Washington go to the Big Ten, and the Pac-12 answers the same dayConference change · Aug 4, 2023
Moments in Washington history
- Washington 34, Oregon 31Pac-12 Championship · Dec 1, 2023
- California 20, Washington 19Sep 7, 2019
- Washington 37, Oregon 34Nov 12, 2022
On this date, Nov 4, 2017: Washington 38, Oregon 3
What this program never forgets
Most weeks vanish. These didn’t.
2023 title-game run
Washington reaches the national-championship game before falling to Michigan
Heartbreak
The 2024 exodus
DeBoer to Alabama, Penix to the NFL, the roster scattered into the Big Ten
Wound
Moment of the year · 2026
Won 17-10 at Nebraska
Week 9 of 2026. Won as a 7.5-point underdog — the result the market didn't see coming. It turned on one snap in Q4 — a 31-point win-probability swing.
2022–2026
Washington has sent 22 players to the NFL Draft since 2022 — 4 of them in the first round.
Strong. 4 first-round picks. Recruits with NFL ambitions notice.
22
picks · 4 in round 1
#8
Michael Penix Jr.
Quarterback · 2024 · 
Atlanta Falcons · #3/140 final season
Atlanta Falcons · #3/140 final season
#9
Rome Odunze
Wide Receiver · 2024 · 
Chicago Bears · #1/497 final season
Chicago Bears · #1/497 final season
#20
Troy Fautanu
Offensive Guard · 2024 · 
Pittsburgh Steelers
Pittsburgh Steelers
#20 all-time · 31 first-round picksthe talent factory →
More in this tab
Program facts
Program résumé
2Nat'l titles
17Conf. titles
2CFP apps
38Bowl apps
1889Founded
Ladder finish
Season standing · 2026 · 5-3 · AP #19
Season standing · 2026 · 5-3 · AP #19Washington is ranked 19th (AP) at 5-3.
Ranked in the AP/Coaches polls, 16-25. National relevance achieved.
Ranked (25-16)
Sub-FBSBuildingBowlRankedContenderPlayoff
Conference
Big Ten standing · 2026
14th in the Big Ten
Washington is 14th of 18 in the Big Ten at 2-3. The path to the title is steep — the focus is on bowl access and rivalry wins.
| # | Program | Record |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | UCLA | 5-0 |
| 2 | Indiana | 5-1 |
| 3 | Ohio State | 4-1 |
| 4 | USC | 4-2 |
| 5 | Illinois | 3-2 |
| 6 | Iowa | 3-2 |
| 7 | Minnesota | 3-2 |
| 8 | Northwestern | 3-2 |
| 9 | Oregon | 3-2 |
| 10 | Wisconsin | 3-2 |
| 11 | Michigan | 2-3 |
| 12 | Nebraska | 2-3 |
| 13 | Purdue | 2-3 |
| 14 | Washington | 2-3 |
| 15 | Penn State | 1-4 |
| 16 | Rutgers | 1-4 |
| 17 | Maryland | 0-5 |
| 18 | Michigan State | 0-5 |
Coaching history
Coaching history
- Hired Jedd Fisch
- Kalen DeBoer departs
- Hired Kalen DeBoer
- Hired Bob Gregory
- Jimmy Lake departs
- Bob Gregory departs
- Hired Jimmy Lake
- Chris Petersen departs
Coordinator lineage
Washington’s offense and defense, by coordinator
FBS-relative efficiency percentile per season (2014–2026), same population as the Coordinator Mirror board. Dashed vertical lines mark a coordinator change.
Offense2014–2026
2014–2016 · Jonathan Smith2017 · Jonathan Smith / Matt Lubick (co)2018 · Bush Hamdan / Matt Lubick (co)2019 · Bush Hamdan2020–2021 · John Donovan2022–2023 · Ryan Grubb2024 · Brennan Carroll2025 · Jimmie Dougherty
Defense2014–2026
2014–2015 · Pete Kwiatkowski (co)2016–2019 · Pete Kwiatkowski (co) / Jimmy Lake (co)2020 · Ikaika Malloe (co) / Pete Kwiatkowski2021 · Bob Gregory (interim) / Ikaika Malloe (co)2022–2023 · Chuck Morrell (co) / William Inge (co)2024 · Stephen Belichick2025–2026 · Ryan Walters
Elite (≥70th pct)AveragePoor (≤30th pct)
Gameday customs
Rituals
The rituals that anchor a Saturday in this program's world.
Husky Walk
since 2010s
more
Players walk from the team facility through a fan-lined route into Husky Stadium. Less codified than Auburn's Tiger Walk but distinct because the route passes the Lake Washington shoreline. The combination of stadium-on-water + walk-by-water makes the geography itself part of the ritual.
Husky Boats / Sailgate
since 1920 (stadium built waterfront); ritual codified post-1980s
more
Husky Stadium is the only major college football venue you can sail to. Hundreds of boats dock at the Husky Harbor on Lake Washington for tailgating. The 'Sailgate' fleet rivals Tennessee's Vol Navy in scale, exceeds it in scenic quality. The lake-stadium geography is a permanent recruiting advantage.
Bow Down to Washington (fight song)
since 1915
more
Written by Lester J. Wilson in 1915. 'Bow down to Washington / Bow down to Washington!' is the recognizable hook. The Husky Marching Band's brass arrangement is the modern standard. Sung with Husky paw-down hand sign (forming a 'W' with both hands). Predates most current college fight songs.
Husky Wave (sister tradition to Iowa Hawkeye Wave)
since 2017
more
After Iowa established the Hawkeye Wave to Stead Family Children's Hospital in 2017, Husky Stadium adopted a parallel tradition: fans turn from the field and wave to Seattle Children's Hospital, visible from upper deck on clear days. Quieter than Iowa's (smaller wave; longer geography) but emotionally identical.
Apple Cup Week (vs Washington State)
since 1900 · trophy game
more
Annual rivalry game vs Washington State. The trophy is a metal cup; the symbolism is academic-meets-agricultural Pac-Northwest. Even after Washington's move to the Big Ten and Washington State's stranding, the rivalry persists as non-conference. The 'Apple Cup' is calendar gravity for both fanbases.
Cultural identity
Canon appearances
2025 W
2024 L
2023 L
2023 W
2022 WReddit blowups
r/CFB moments
4.1k
[Postgame Thread] Montana Defeats Washington 13-7
2.6k
[Postgame Thread] Washington Defeats USC 52-42
All-time top community posts
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