The Apple Cup as a nonconference game in September?Times have changed.With Washington moving into the Big Ten and Washington State one of two remaining teams in the Pacific-12 Conference, the rivals — both off to 2-0 starts — will meet Saturday afternoon at Lumen Field, home of the NFL’s Seattle Seahawks.”I would love to say you practice the same way no matter who we’re playing,” said Washington coach Jedd Fisch, who will be involved in his first Apple Cup. “But when you do have a rivalry game, your practices are a little more amped up. The competitive nature is a little more amped up. The energy on the field is a little higher.”The schools, who are playing in different conferences for the first time since 1962, last fall agreed to a five-year extension of the rivalry, which Washington leads 73-32-6.The next four seasons will feature games alternating at each school’s home field.”We’ll continue to make sure our guys understand the importance of the game without making the game (mean) so much that you lose the discipline, that you lose your preparation,” Fisch said.The coach said he’s looking forward to the rivalry game, as it will provide a level of intensity rarely found in nonconference play, and hopes it continues for years to come.
