Washington State mascot Butch T. Cougar rides a vehicle onto the field before a game against Idaho last year. (Young Kwak / Special to The Seattle Times)
Washington State mascot Butch T. Cougar rides a vehicle onto the field before a game against Idaho last year. (Young Kwak / Special to The Seattle Times)
PULLMAN — Washington State’s next football season will start on a Sunday.
The Cougars announced their 2026 football kickoff times and TV assignments on Wednesday, headlined by the news that the season-opening Apple Cup against rival Washington is set for 1 p.m. on Sept. 6, which is a Sunday. Originally set for the day prior, that game will be televised by NBC.
The following week, WSU will travel to take on Kansas State for those teams’ first-ever meeting, which will kick at 9 a.m. on Sept. 12. That contest will be aired on TNT/HBO Max.
Other notable kickoff times include WSU’s Sept. 19 home opener against Duquesne, slated for 12:30 p.m. on USA Network, plus the Cougars’ home matchup with former conference foe Arizona, which is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. on Sept. 26. CBS will carry that game.
In the debut season of the rebuilt Pac-12, WSU will start conference play with a home matchup against Fresno State, which will start at 6:30 p.m. on USA Network. In other conference games, WSU will host Boise State on Oct. 24, which is set for a 3 p.m. kickoff on USA Network. The Cougs also only have one game scheduled to start after 7 p.m., which is a home tilt with Colorado State, kicking off at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 14 on CBS Sports Network.
WSU also has one Friday game, which is Oct. 9 at Utah State, slated for 6 p.m. on the CW.
It’s the first season for new head coach Kirby Moore, whose Washington State team spent last month’s spring ball hosting a variety of position battles, including at QB, where Caden Pinnick, Owen Eshelman and Julian Dugger battled for starting duties. That is expected to drag into fall camp, as are position battles at offensive line, tight end and defensive tackle, where the Cougars’ depth could play a key role in their 2026 season.
Here is WSU’s 2026 football season in full. The only game without a kickoff time or TV assignment is WSU’s Nov. 28 flex game, which is expected to be a home game against Oregon State. But the conference could shuffle those games around in an effort to secure a spot in the College Football Playoff.
Sept. 6 at Washington, 1 p.m. on NBC.
Sept. 12 at Kansas State, 9 a.m. on TNT/HBO Max.
Sept. 19 vs. Duquesne, 12:30 p.m. on USA.
Sept. 26 vs. Arizona, 4:30 p.m. on CBS.
Oct. 3 vs. Fresno State, 6:30 p.m. on USA.
Oct. 9 at Utah State, 6 p.m. on the CW.
Oct. 17 at Oregon State, 3 p.m. on USA
Oct. 24 vs. Boise State, 3 p.m. on USA.
Oct. 31 at San Diego State, 4 p.m. on CBSSN.
Nov. 14 vs. Colorado State, 7:30 p.m. on CBSSN.
Nov. 21 at Texas State, 3 p.m. on USA.
Nov. 28 vs. Oregon State (tentatively), TBD.
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