Much to the delight of Jedd Fisch’s Washington, in the latest move, the Huskies have a chance to relive their Pac-12 glory. Last season, the Huskies switched from the Pac-12 to the Big Ten. “The Big Ten is a thriving conference,” UW President Ana Mari Cauce had said, “with strong athletic and academic traditions, and we are excited and confident about competing at the highest level on a national stage.” But now a non-conference matchup schedule has again led the Huskies to face off against their former conference opponent.

The Utah State Aggies will switch from the Mountain West Conference to the Pac-12 on July 1, 2026. And the schedules for the next season have already started being sketched out. The Aggies will require five non-conference games, and presently, in the latest update, they have written down three future matchups. One of them is with Washington. “Washington adds Utah State to 2026 football schedule,” FBS Schedules shared the news on X.

As for the matchup details, the Aggies will face off against the Huskies on September 12 in the 2026 season, per CV Daily’s Jason Walker’s tweet. “We are proud of our rich history with the Pac-12,” Cauce had said, and in the next season, they will go down the trenches against a program from their former conference. The Huskies will host Utah State on September 12 at Alaska Airlines Field at Husky Stadium in Seattle.

Zooming down to the historical streak between the two programs, both teams first met in 1904. Over all these decades, they have barely played three matchups, with the latest game held in 2015. The Huskies had defeated the Aggies, 31-17. A streak of 3-0, dominated by Washington. Next season, Jeed Fisch looks forward to continuing their domination. According to the latest information scooped out by CV Daily, the Huskies will pay the Aggies $1.5 million.

In addition to facing off against the Huskies, for the next two non-conference games, the Aggies have the Big Sky’s Idaho State and the Big 12’s Utah Utes. According to the NCAA rules, the Pac-12 needs eight teams by 2026 to be deemed eligible as a legitimate conference. For the 2025 season, they are down to Oregon State and Washington State. But by next season, the conference will bring the membership to nine. Aside from Utah State, Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, Gonzaga (doesn’t have a football program), San Diego State, and Texas State will join the conference on July 1, 2026.

Washington Huskies, 2023 championship winner and the Pac-12 glory

Over the years, Washington won 18 conference titles. In their last Pac-12 season, the Huskies were undefeated. Rolling out a perfect 12-0 record, defeating Oregon 34-31 in the 2023 Pac-12 Championship. The Huskies were oozing with happiness, but it was a sad occasion as well, for that was the last game the roster played in the Pac-12.

Former Washington head coach Kalen DeBoer told the media. “It is sad to see it happen and that be the last football game there,” Washington coach Kalen DeBoer said. “But I think the other part is just understanding how strong the conference was this year. Once a lucrative conference, boasting the likes of Oregon, Washington, UCLA, and USC, the most successful programs left for the Big 10, and the rest to the Big 12, last year. Pac-12 floated with just Oregon State and Washington State.

The reason? The conference couldn’t secure lucrative media rights compared to the other programs. So, most of the members bid farewell. Washington was one of them, and the Power 5 turned to Power 4. Washington, for their next season, their non-conference schedule comprises Washington State and Eastern Washington Eagles. On the Big Ten slate, they have Iowa, Minnesota, Penn State, Michigan State, Nebraska, Oregon, Purdue, and USC.