As Washington caps off its non-conference schedule against Eastern Washington, the daunting journey of Big Ten play is slowly emerging over the horizon. The Huskies open up their conference schedule at home against the Minnesota Golden Gophers, who currently sit at 1-1 heading into a Week Three matchup against Akron.
On Monday, it was announced that the two teams will kick things off from Husky Stadium at 8:00 p.m. PT on Fox, making for the year's first "Big Ten After Dark" matchup. While late-night kickoffs are nothing new in Seattle, the start time could play an underrated factor in the contest, as Minnesota has not played in a game this late since the conference welcomed four West Coast programs in Washington, Oregon, UCLA, and USC.
To add
to the opening of conference play, Washington's social media team revealed that the Huskies will debut their "Unleash the Dawgs" uniform next Saturday. The new Adidas kit was released in August, featuring an all-black look with matte Black helmets and the "Dawgs" nickname scripted across the front of the jersey.
Last season, Washington played in the late slot twice, both non-conference games against Colorado State and UC Davis, respectively. Thus far, all of their games have been played around midday, with the Apple Cup being a 1:00 pm start and Utah State kicking off at 12:30, while the Huskies are slated to face Eastern at 4:15.
Not only does Jedd Fisch's team get the benefit of playing in its native time zone, but it also get the comfort of playing in the confines of Husky Stadium, where Washington is 21-2 since 2023. As for their opposition, coach PJ Fleck has struggled to find victories on the road as of late, after going 0-5 in Big Ten road games in 2025.
While it will certainly be a late night for the Golden Gophers, the matchup proves to be a busy night for Seattle sports, as the Sounders and Mariners also host games earlier that evening. Either way, the Huskies couldn't get much more of a home-field advantage, welcoming a team from over 1,500 miles away while playing a game that will start at 10:00 p.m. CT.
Posting a 2-0 record in "Blackout" games since Fisch's arrival on Montlake, the Huskies will once again aim to claim a Big Ten victory with the help of some late-night West Coast weather and a fan base that has helped shape one of the most difficult places to win in college football.
This article originally appeared on Huskies Wire: Washington Announces Blackout Game for Week 4 Against Minnesota
