Lindsey Wasson, Associated Press

Mileage varies when Weber State football takes on FBS opponents.

WSU’s last three games against non-power-conference FBS opponents have gone pretty well: a 28-point win at Utah State, and six-point losses each at San Diego State and Nevada.

Power-conference opponents, however, are a different story. Aside from Weber leading Cal through three quarters in 2017, power-FBS opponents usually bag a margin of victory of 3-4 touchdowns and Weber State bags several hundred thousand dollars to fund football and department-wide operations.

Such is the case Saturday when the Wildcats take on their first-ever Big Ten (yes, Big Ten) opponent in a late-night kick at Washington. The Huskies are coming off a national runner-up season and are sending WSU $700,000 for its troubles.

The Wildcats are aware of the challenge.

ISAAC FISHER, Special to the Standard-Examiner

“The expectation is to start fast and physical, be 100% from the start and not play a slow game,” senior defensive tackle Zeke Birch said. “We’re obviously playing a really, really good team and we’re preparing like that.

“We’re just dialing it up in practice, speeding it up so we can be ready for that.”

Weber State went 6-5 last year and is ranked No. 22 in the STATS FCS Top 25 entering the season. WSU has seven seniors on the roster, and 27 sophomores and freshmen listed on the depth chart, between offense and defense.

Sophomore quarterback Richie Muñoz takes the helm after five games as a starter last season, and welcomes back junior Damon Bankston to the backfield. Bankston rushed for 263 yards and five touchdowns on 7.5 yards per carry through two games last season before being slowed and eventually sidelined with a leg injury.

Bankston leads a group of running backs expected to be one of the stronger units on the team along with the defensive line, which is the most experienced group for WSU. The Wildcats are young and unproven at offensive line, receiver, linebacker and secondary.

Rogelio V. Solis, Associated Press

Safeties coach and co-defensive coordinator Joe Dale says his team prepares for tough opponents the same way it prepares for anything: set an expectation for how Weber State players take the field and run to the ball from rep to rep, series to series.

Captains play a key role in that, he says, and feels this year’s group of Damon Bankston, Garrett Beck, Steven Bryant, Jayleen Record and Jalon Rock are prepared to lead.

“They have a great feel for the tone of the team and are great locker room guys,” Dale said. “They speak up when they need to but don’t overdo it, don’t belittle anybody. They lead the right way and it starts with themselves and their example. You’ll see them before you hear them.”

MEET THE HUSKIES

A lot has changed since Washington started 14-0 last season, then lost to Michigan in the CFP national championship game.

The Huskies are now in the Big Ten Conference, joining Oregon, UCLA and USC as defectors from the Pac-12 who paired up with the previously Midwestern league. Washington went 25-3 in two seasons under head coach Kalen DeBoer, who was hired at Alabama to replace the retiring Nick Saban.

In comes Jedd Fisch, the longtime NFL assistant whose three-year turnaround at the University of Arizona ended in 2023 with the Wildcats going 10-3 overall, 7-2 in the Pac-12, winning the Alamo Bowl and finishing ranked No. 11.

Fisch’s coordinators are sons of Hall of Fame coaches: Steve Belichick on defense and Brennan Carroll on offense. Former Weber State defensive coordinator Jason Kaufusi is also on staff, following Fisch from Arizona as the defensive line coach and run game coordinator.

Washington’s roster has few returners from 2023, either through graduation or transfer.

Perhaps the biggest name to know is at quarterback, where Fisch hauled in the most experienced signal-caller possible with the addition of Will Rogers. The 6-foot-2 right-hander is Mississippi State’s all-time leader in passing yards (12,315) and touchdowns (94).

“There’s no change in our day-to-day preparation,” Dale says, “but there’s excitement for the opportunity for our guys to compete against someone like that. If we’re not on note, those numbers will keep growing.”

ODDS & PREDICTIONS

Jeff Sagarin ranks Washington at No. 38 and Weber State at No. 129 in all of Division I (FBS and FCS). Including accounting for home-field advantage, his formula favors Washington by 25 points.

ESPN’s Bill Connelly ranks Weber State at FCS No. 21 in his preseason analysis. His formula predicts a Washington win of 42-17 at 95% probability.

D Ratings predicts a Washington victory of 42-19 at 92% probability.

WEATHER

The sun sets on a warm, sunny day (high of 84) in Seattle at 7:50 p.m. local time. The temperature at kickoff is a forecasted 75 degrees with clear skies, dipping slightly to 69 degrees by game’s end.

TV & RADIO

TV coverage comes via Big Ten Network, with Jeff Levering, Jake Butt, Lincoln Kennedy and Brooke Fletcher calling the broadcast.

In a struggle familiar to college football fans in the west, Comcast/Xfinity customers probably won’t find Big Ten Network on any package available to them. YouTube TV lists BTN on its base plan, which may be available to new subscribers via trial period.

Carl Arky and Jerry Graybeal have Weber State’s radio call, available in Utah on 103.1 FM and online at 1031thewave.com.

ALL-TIME SERIES

This is the first meeting between Washington and Weber State — the Huskies’ first game as a member of the Big Ten and the Wildcats’ first time playing a Big Ten opponent.

The Wildcats have previously played six games against teams from the now-defunct Pac-12, with three losses to Utah and a loss apiece to Arizona State, Cal and Oregon State.

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