Husky news on a Cougar blog? Say it ain't so. Pay attention and listen up because this affects all of us.
It appears all systems are go for the Husky Stadium renovation now, forcing UW to move their home games to Qwest Field during the duration of construction. As a result, Washington will play their 2012 home games at Qwest Field. The unexpected curveball in all of this: The 2011 Apple Cup, a Washington home game, will also be played at the Seahawks' home field.
Seattle Times reporter Bob Condotta noted the venue change on his blog this evening.
The 2011 Apple Cup is set for Nov. 19. The last UW home game before that is Oct. 29 against Oregon, so moving the Apple Cup allows for a three-week jump on the renovation.
Washington athletic director Scott Woodward said the move of the Apple Cup will save the school roughly $3 million in labor and other costs.
Although it is a home game for Washington, they will not control the distribution of tickets. Washington State will still get the same allotted visitor tickets they receive for Apple Cups at Husky Stadium, but First And Goal will control the distribution of the rest of the tickets. This means the game will not be included in Washington season ticket package, though, as Condotta mentions, UW season ticket holders will get first crack at Apple Cup tickers.
Instead of playing a series of Apple Cups at Qwest as proposed last year -- which was so famously shot-down -- we'll get one go of it in 2011. Buy up tickets and make the most of it.
Keep in mind with the Pac-10 scheduling still up in the air for next year, this is all subject to change. We have no idea what schedules will look like or when the Apple Cup will be, but it's more than likely that this game will be at Qwest Field as it stands right now. The funding still must be secured for the renovation to move forward, but they're at a point where everything is moving along fast, allowing UW to create tentative plans.