Football season has arrived at WSU. With the first game set to kick off this weekend, let’s break down the WSU schedule for the 2025 season.
Week 1: WSU vs Idaho Vandals, Saturday, Aug. 30th, 7:00 p.m.
WSU opens with Idaho, their weakest opponent in 2025. That does not mean the Vandals will go down without a fight. The cross-town rivalry will likely draw a large number of Idaho fans, which should lead to a crowded GESA Field.
The Vandals are ranked No. 12 in the preseason AP Poll for FCS schools. However, they have a first-year head coach in Thomas Ford Jr, and a first-year quarterback in Joshua Wood. Ford coached running backs at Idaho in 2022 and 2023 before making the move to Oregon State University, where he held the same position. Wood, who starred at Graham-Kapowsin High School in Washington State and won a Washington State 4A Championship, has been at Idaho for three years. Last year as a redshirt sophomore, he played in every game as a gadget quarterback, appearing on trick plays. He’s set to make his first collegiate start against the Cougars.
WSU has dominated Idaho historically, with a 72-17-3 record. They have won ten in a row, including their last matchup in 2022, a 24-17 WSU victory. Expect a close game, but WSU should pull this one out.
Week 2: WSU vs San Diego State Aztecs, Saturday, Sept. 6th, 7:15 p.m.
Last year, the Cougars pulled out a narrow win on the Aztecs’ turf in San Diego. It took 15 points in the fourth quarter, but the Cougars managed to win 29-26. Coming off a 3-9 season in 2024, the Aztecs are projected to finish eighth in the Mountain West this year. Former Michigan backup Jayden Denegal has taken over as the Aztecs’ starter for 2025, but expectations remain low. WSU should again be able to pull out the win for their homecoming game.
Week 3: Cougars @ North Texas, Saturday, Sept. 13th, 12:30 p.m.
Last season, North Texas ranked third nationally in total offense and fourth in total passing. However, they lost starting quarterback Chandler Morris to Virginia, so it will be up to a new batch of kids to prove North Texas can continue to be a powerful offense. This will be WSU’s first matchup with the Mean Green in program history.
Week 4: WSU vs Washington Huskies, Saturday, Sept. 20th, 4:30 p.m.
The Cougars host the Apple Cup this year after their thrilling win in Seattle last September. Washington brings back second-year head coach Jedd Fisch after a disappointing first season, which saw the Huskies go 0-5 on the road. The former Arizona head coach has notably struggled his whole career on the road, with a 7-16 record in road games. He only had a winning record once, in 2023, when the Wildcats were 4-2.
This year, the Huskies will be starting sophomore Demond Williams Jr at quarterback, who the Cougars got a look at in the second half of last year’s Apple Cup. Last year, Williams completed 78.1% of his passes for 944 yards and eight touchdowns while throwing just one interception. He had a passer rating of 176.8 and also added value with his legs. He rushed for 282 yards and two touchdowns, averaging 3.4 yards per carry. It’s worth noting that while Williams’ numbers look impressive, most of his playing time came in the second half of games in garbage-time minutes. He started two games, a loss at Oregon and a Sun Bowl loss against Louisville.
Week 5: Cougars @ Colorado State, Saturday, Sept. 27th, 4:30 p.m.
In a showdown with a future PAC-12 member school, the Cougars head south to Colorado State University, where they will take on the Rams. WSU destroyed the Rams in their last meeting, with a 50-24 win in 2023. That was a CSU team that finished the season 5-7. Last year, the Rams turned it around, finishing 8-5 and making the Arizona Bowl.
Colorado State returned their head coach, Jay Norvell, offensive coordinator, Matt Mumme, quarterback Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi and running back Justin Marshall. They have all the signs of a team that could be primed for a Mountain West title run. On the road, don’t be surprised if the Cougars struggle here.
Week 6: Bye
Week 7: Cougars @ No. 21 Mississippi, Saturday, Oct. 11th, 9:45 a.m.
The Cougars have a midday matchup at Ole Miss, the only ranked opponent they are scheduled to face in 2025. The Rebels finished 2024 ranked No. 11 by the AP Poll and had an outside chance at the College Football Playoff. Ultimately, they were left out in favor of Southern Methodist University for the 12th spot in the playoff, but they went on to defeat Duke 52-20 in the Gator Bowl.
Even without QB Jaxon Dart, who was drafted by the New York Giants in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft, the Rebels are dangerous. They’ve won at least ten games in three of the past four seasons and brought back the entire coaching staff. WSU will have its work cut out for itself in Mississippi.
Week 8: Cougars @ Virginia, Saturday, Oct. 18th, 3:30 p.m.
WSU stays on the road when it takes on Virginia in Week 8. The Cavaliers went 5-7 last year, but with transfer QB Chandler Morris coming in from North Texas, there is hope that Virginia could be an improved squad in 2025. This will be WSU’s first time playing Virginia in football. We’ll know more about these teams by the time Week 8 arrives, but it will probably be a competitive game between two revamped squads.
Week 9: WSU vs Toledo Rockets, Saturday, Oct. 25th, 12:30 p.m.
Another first-time opponent, Toledo is the preseason favorite to win the MAC conference this year. They are coming off an 8-5 record in 2025, notably the same record as WSU. Unlike WSU, Toledo brought back nearly their entire starting offense, and head coach Jason Candle is in his tenth year with the team. The Cougars have home-field advantage, but this game might be too close for comfort. Toledo is better than you might think.
Week 10: Cougars @ Oregon State, Saturday, Nov. 1st, TBD
In their first of two matchups against Oregon State, the Cougars head west to Corvallis. The two schools have historically been quite evenly matched, with the Cougars holding a slight lead overall. WSU is 57-48-3 against the Beavers. Their last showdown came in November of 2024, when the Beavers upset the Cougs on a last-second field goal to win 41-38.
Despite their poor finish to the season in 2024, the Beavers made efforts to improve their team this offseason, bringing in transfer QB Maalik Murphy, who excelled at Duke and will now look to make a name for himself at Oregon State. Don’t expect WSU to have an easy time against a rival school, especially in a difficult road environment.
Week 11: Bye
Week 12: WSU vs Louisiana Tech Bulldogs, Saturday, Nov. 15th, 7:00 p.m.
Last year, the Bulldogs went 5-8 and played in the Independence Bowl, where they lost 27-6 at the hands of Army. Louisiana Tech is projected to finish seventh in Conference USA by the CUSA media poll, indicating that expectations are not high for this squad. The weather in Pullman could play a factor by mid-November, and a team from the deep south might not be used to the cold. This should be one of WSU’s easiest games on the schedule.
Week 13: Cougars @ James Madison, Saturday, Nov. 22nd, TBD
Since moving to FBS in 2022, the Dukes have finished 8-3, 11-2 and 9-4 in the past three seasons. Bob Chesney, who led JMU to an 8-4 regular season record and a win in the Boca Raton Bowl, is back for his second season as head coach. They were ranked as high as No. 18 in 2023, and again look to be competitive in 2025. They added former UNLV quarterback Matthew Sluka, who is expected to start for them.
Week 15: WSU vs Oregon State Beavers, Saturday, Nov. 29th, 3:30 p.m.
These schools meet a second time in the final week of the season, where WSU will host the Beavers for the first time since 2023. Whichever team loses the first matchup will likely be out for revenge in round two, so look for this game to be a competitive one.
