The last two times the Washington Huskies received an invite to play in the Las Vegas Bowl, it has been against Boise State.
This year, the bowl game will feature a school from the SEC and one from the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, and Oregon State or Washington State, which changes the stakes somewhat, given it could mean a marquee matchup similar to the 2022 Alamo Bowl against Texas.
On3's Brett McMurphy revealed a handful of his early-season bowl projections, which had UW slotted to face Oklahoma in the 2026 Las Vegas Bowl, the fourth non-College Football Playoff Big Ten bowl selection behind the Alamo Bowl, Citrus Bowl, and ReliaQuest Bowl.
College Football Bowl Projections via @Brett_McMurphy📍 View: https://t.co/cDxAbRQyvE pic.twitter.com/6NF2ZyPZDn
— On3 (@On3) September 14, 2026
Should McMurphy's prognostication come true, it would mark the fourth time the two schools have faced off, dating back to the 1984 season when UW defeated Oklahoma 28-17 in the Orange Bowl. Since then, the Sooners beat the Huskies in a pair of regular-season matchups in 2006—a 37-20 OU victory in Norman—and 2008—a 55-14 rout at Husky Stadium—with some familiarity between the two teams' 2026 rosters.
Former Washington State quarterback John Mateer, who threw for 245 yards and a touchdown while rushing for another two touchdowns in a 24-19 victory for the Cougars in 2024 at Lumen Field, did his damage against ex-UW defensive coordinator Steve Belichick.
Veteran UW offensive lineman Geirean Hatchett spent the 2024 season in Norman and was projected as a starter for then-third-year coach Brent Venables before an injury against Temple forced him to miss the remainder of the season.
In Jedd Fisch's first two seasons in Seattle, the Huskies have split two bowl games. Louisville defeated UW 35-34 in a late comeback attempt to claim the Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl in 2024. Last December, the Huskies defeated Boise State 38-10 in the Bucked Up LA Bowl for a 9-win season, setting up high expectations coming into 2026 for a potential College Football Playoff berth.
This article originally appeared on Huskies Wire: On3 projects Washington football to make Las Vegas Bowl
