Washington's Big Ten grind can wait a week — first they get to work out the kinks against a Big Sky team that finished under .500 a year ago.
Bush’s Picks
EWUWASH
EWUWASH
OverUnder
Best BetWashington
Washington is the overwhelming favorite here on talent alone, coming off a 9-4 season and an LA Bowl blowout, against an Eastern Washington team that finished 5-7 a year ago. This is about as safe a moneyline lean as the schedule offers all year — the only real question is margin, not outcome.
Eastern Washington
+11 returning starters, deep roster for FCS level
+Two preseason All-Americans in Jenkins and Perez
+McKee back after 62 points scored last season
−Finished 5-7 overall, 4-4 in Big Sky last year
−Massive size and depth gap vs. Big Ten competition
Washington
+Coming off 9-4 season, blew out Boise State 38-10
+Demond Williams Jr. back after resolving transfer drama
+Returns 4 starters on the offensive line
−Parker (Achilles), Manu and Rainey-Sale (ACL) still recovering
−Offseason portal standoff raises questions about Williams' footing
This one's about Demond Williams Jr. more than anything else. The dual-threat sophomore nearly walked away from Montlake in January before reversing course and re-committing after a tense standoff, and now he gets to open the marquee part of his season behind a line that returns 4 starters. A game like this against Eastern Washington is exactly the low-risk tune-up Jedd Fisch would design if he could: run the offense, get Williams comfortable, avoid live bullets.
Eastern Washington isn't just a body, either. The Eagles bring back 11 starters and a pair of Stats Perform preseason All-Americans in Jaylon Jenkins and defensive tackle Isaiah Perez, plus leading scorer Soren McKee, who accounted for 62 points last season. That's a program with real pieces — just not enough of them, and not the size, to hang with a Big Ten roster for 60 minutes.
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EWU Eastern Washington
WASH Washington
Washington enters this having smashed Boise State 38-10 in the LA Bowl to cap a 9-4 season, so there's momentum and no lingering hangover to worry about. The gap in level here is about as wide as it gets on this schedule, and it's the kind of spot where the line typically reflects a near-guaranteed outcome rather than a coin flip.
Eastern Washington Eagles
Washington Huskies
Sep 12?vs Utah State—
Sep 6?vs Washington State—
Recent form.
The concern for UW isn't Eastern Washington, it's health. Jayvon Parker is still working back from an Achilles injury that could sideline him for the early part of the season, while Jacob Manu and 2025's top signee Zaydrius Rainey-Sale are both continuing to recover from ACL tears. None of that changes the final score against an FCS opponent, but it's part of why Fisch will lean on this game to get bodies reps without needing anyone to play a full workload.
Eastern Washington Eagles
(0)
Fully healthy — no injuries on ESPN's report
Washington Huskies
(0)
Fully healthy — no injuries on ESPN's report
Injury report — info via ESPN.
Big picture, this is a get-right game before the schedule turns unforgiving. Eastern Washington has the pedigree to make some early series interesting, but Washington has the talent gap, the depth, and the motivation to shake off any rust before Big Ten play starts in earnest.
