DAVIS, Calif. -- UC Davis football will take on Pac-12 Conference member Washington for its 2025 season opener, the two institutions announced Tuesday. This will mark the first-ever meeting between the two teams, who each captured their respective conference championships in 2018.
The game is slotted for September 6, 2025, at Husky Stadium.
The Aggies won the Big Sky Conference title last fall, posting a 10-3 record and earning the program's first appearance in the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision playoffs. The Huskies also enjoyed a 10-3 ledger in 2018, and won their second league title under head coach Chris Petersen in the past three years.
Additionally, both programs are currently mentored by UC Davis alumni with coaching connections to each other. Hawkins played for the Aggies under Jim Sochor from 1981-82, then served on his alma mater's staff from 1983 through 1985. Petersen starred at quarterback for UC Davis from 1985-86, then remained on the Aggie coaching staff until 1991.
Hawkins and Petersen were then reunited in 2001, when the former took the helm at Boise State. Petersen, who previously served as an assistant under another Aggie alumnus, Oregon's Mike Bellotti, joined Hawkins as the offensive coordinator for the Broncos. Petersen then replaced Hawkins as Boise State's head coach in 2005, when Hawkins was named as Colorado's head coach. However, the two UC Davis greats have never faced each other, neither has head nor assistant coaches.
UC Davis has played Pac-10 or Pac-12 Conference teams six times in its Division I or D-I reclassification era: Stanford (2005, 2014, 2018), Cal (2010), Arizona State (2011) and Oregon (2016). The Aggies will also face Cal to start the 2019 season on August 31, and recently announced an upcoming meeting at USC on September 4, 2021.
ABOUT UC DAVIS: Providing a small-town community feel while providing a world-class academic experience, UC Davis is home to more than 37,000 students and centrally located between San Francisco, Lake Tahoe, and the Napa Valley. The No. 5-ranked public university in the nation according to the Wall Street Journal, and among the top 10 public universities nationwide according to U.S. News and World Report, UC Davis offers nearly 100 graduate programs and more than 100 academic majors across four colleges and six professional schools, ranking among the world and nation's best in numerous disciplines, including veterinary science, agriculture, and plant and animal programs.
AGGIE EVO: Established in 2017-18, the Aggie EVO System is UC Davis Athletics' investment in the primary mission of preparing student-athletes for a successful "launch" after graduation. Thanks to a collaboration of alumni, university resources, corporate partners, coaches and Student-Athlete Outcomes staff, all Aggies are guided over four years to acquire the skills, knowledge, opportunities and tools to better know and navigate the "World of Work" after graduating from UC Davis. Follow the Aggie EVO system on Twitter and Instagram at @AggieEVO.
MARYA WELCH INITIATIVE: Named after the former physical education instructor, coach and Dean of Women who founded women's sports on the campus 25 years before the passage of Title IX, the Marya Welch Initiative for Women's Athletics provides comprehensive support for UC Davis' 16 women's athletics programs. Through the support of the Marya Welch Initiative and its group members, student-athletes are provided the best possible opportunity to succeed inside the classroom, and in competition, through special project gifts and by increasing visibility and participation at women's events throughout the year. All gifts to the Marya Welch Initiative are matched 1:1, doubling the impact on our women's programs. Visit this site for more information.
