Always Rivalry Week: Why is Washington vs. Washington State called ‘The Apple Cup’?

With more than 130 schools and more than 130 years of history, there’s a rivalry every week somewhere in college football. Some are titanic clashes, some are petty border disputes, but all of them mean the world to the rivals involved. This season, we’ll let you in on the triumphant, the heartbreaking, and the ridiculous from rivalries all over the country. Today: the (far-too-early) return of the Apple Cup.

The schools: Washington and Washington State. It’s a classic snobs-vs.-slobs, city-vs.-country, wine-vs.-beer kind of rivalry. Everyone involved believes their side is touched by the divine and the other side is a gaggle of lost heathens … which is exactly what you want out of any rivalry.

The history: The University of Washington first faced the “Agricultural College, Experiment Station and School of Science of the State of Washington” on the football field in 1900. Soon afterward, the Agricultural College shortened its unwieldy name to Washington State — which in turn was shortened still further to “Wazzu” — and the schools began their century-plus-long rivalry. UW and Wazzu have met almost every year since 1900, except when world wars and the occasional pandemic intervened. It’s served as a gateway to the Rose Bowl on multiple occasions for both teams.

The series: Washington leads the series, 76-33-6. The Huskies have won the last two, nine of the last 10 and 12 of the last 14 in the series. Washington is roughly a 4.5-point favorite this year.

Former Washington head coach Kalen DeBoer holds up the Apple Cup Trophy after the Huskies beat Washington State last November. (Photo by Jesse Beals/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

The trophy: The Apple Cup Trophy, which features a two-handled cup and engraved scores of the rivalry’s history on a wooden base, resides at whichever university last…

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Author : Yahoo Sports

Publish date : 2024-09-14 19:34:36

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