the 2018 season was one of the greatest in washington state history. despite being predicted to finish fifth place in the pac-12 north division by the pac-12 media poll, the cougars won a school record-tying ten games, the first time they had won that many in the regular season since the rose bowl year of 2002. they also surged as high as seventh in major polling and went into the apple cup with a chance to clinch the pac-12 north title and a shot at the rose bowl, but lost 28–15 to rival washington in the snow in pullman, a sixth consecutive loss to the huskies. the cougars were invited to the alamo bowl in san antonio to play the iowa state cyclones. they won 28–26 for a school record 11th win.