Washington State 2023 football schedule includes home games against Wisconsin, Deion Sanders' Colorado; road games at Washington, UCLA, Oregon

Jan. 19—PULLMAN — This fall, Washington State's football team will host a Power Five opponent in nonconference play for the first time in 25 years.

The Cougars' schedule, released Wednesday by the Pac-12 Conference, features an early season game against Wisconsin of the Big Ten Conference. The Sept. 9 game will mark WSU's first contest against a nonconference Power Five team at Gesa Field since Illinois came to town in 1998.

The WSU/Wisconsin game is the second leg of a home-and-home series between the programs. Second-year Cougars coach Jake Dickert, a Wisconsin native, will seek his second straight win over his childhood team. WSU upset the Badgers 17-14 in Madison last season.

After warming up with three nonconference games, WSU will plunge into a Pac-12 schedule that includes just one home game against a team that posted a winning record last year (Oregon State), plus an intriguing game against the Deion Sanders-led Colorado Buffaloes. The Cougars face Pac-12 notables UCLA, Oregon and Washington on the road.

"The Pac-12 Conference will be one of the toughest, deepest and most talented conferences in all of college football," WSU athletic director Pat Chun said in a school release. "Combine this to a home schedule that welcomes Wisconsin, the first Big Ten opponent to come to Pullman in 25 years, 2023 will prove to be an incredible opportunity for our football program."

The Cougars open their season and nonconference schedule Sept. 2 at Colorado State. WSU defeated the Rams, from the Mountain West Conference, 38-7 in Pullman last year. The Cougars wrap up the nonconference portion of their schedule at home Sept. 16 against FCS program Northern Colorado.

Pac-12 play opens Sept. 23, when Oregon State visits . The Beavers, en route to their third 10-win season in program history, handled WSU 24-10 in Corvallis last October, snapping the Cougars' eight-win streak in the series.

The Cougars take an early bye week on Sept. 30, then play games in eight consecutive weeks. They travel to UCLA after the bye. It'll be the Cougars' first appearance at the Rose Bowl since 2015, and the final Pac-12 meeting between WSU and the Bruins, who are leaving the conference to join the Big Ten in 2024.

Former WSU quarterback Jayden de Laura and his Arizona Wildcats come to Pullman on Oct. 14. The Cougars recorded four interceptions against de Laura and sprinted to a 31-20 win at Arizona late last season.

WSU closes October with back-to-back road games, against Oregon on Oct. 21 and versus Arizona State on Oct. 28. The Cougars lost a shootout against the Ducks 44-41 last September in Pullman. Oregon is returning quarterback Bo Nix and the Ducks are expected to be a Pac-12 contender again in 2023. The Cougars rolled to a 28-18 victory over the Sun Devils in November. ASU brought in a new staff this offseason, plucking defensive coordinator Brian Ward out of WSU.

Stanford travels to WSU on Nov. 4. The Cougars are looking to extend their winning streak against the Cardinal to seven games. WSU routed Stanford 52-14 last November, a result that sparked a three-game winning streak .

WSU will meet Cal in Berkeley on Nov. 11. The Cougars clubbed the Golden Bears 28-9 last season during a rebuilding year for Cal.

Perhaps the two most interesting games on WSU's Pac-12 schedule are the final two games. WSU will entertain Colorado and new coach Sanders on Nov. 17. Sanders, the Pro Football Hall of Famer, is assembling an impressive roster in Boulder.

The Cougars head west for their rivalry matchup with Washington on Nov. 25. WSU's most recent visit to Seattle, in November 2021, resulted in the Cougars' first Apple Cup victory on the road since 2007. WSU, overwhelmed by UW's high-powered offense, lost the traveling trophy on Nov. 26. The Huskies won 51-33 in Pullman. UW, which ended the season ranked No. 8 — highest among Pac-12 teams on the AP Top 25 poll — is set to return several pieces from its 2022 outfit, including star quarterback Michael Penix Jr.

Kickoff times and broadcast partners haven't been revealed.

WSU's schedule appears more favorable than in 2022. The Cougars played five of the Pac-12's top-six teams last year, and lost all five. WSU will dodge games against conference heavyweights Utah and USC next year.

WSU endured a grueling stretch of three consecutive games against some of the Pac-12's top teams last October, but the Cougars' 2023 schedule is a bit more forgiving, with challenging games spaced apart. Back-to-back road games at Oregon and ASU likely comprise WSU's toughest stretch.

The Cougars will be replacing about half of their starting lineup in 2023 after losing several players to graduation and the NCAA transfer portal. Key returners include quarterback Cameron Ward, running back Nakia Watson, cornerback Chau Smith-Wade and edge rushers Brennan Jackson and Ron Stone Jr. WSU made use of the transfer portal to restock depleted position groups — receivers and linebackers — and made a couple of additions to shore up an offensive line that had a troubling 2022.

WSU's staff will include four new assistant coaches, including two first-year coordinators in OC Ben Arbuckle, from Western Kentucky, and DC Jeff Schmedding, a Spokane native who most recently led the defense at Auburn.