Western Washington University in Bellingham.
Western Washington University in Bellingham. JIM FELICIANO/SHUTTERSTOCK

Ah, autumn. Tis the season of moody weather, crunchy leaves, and complaining about pumpkin spice lattes. In case you've forgotten or simply blocked it out of your memory, autumn also means the kick-off of college application season. (Aka: That time of year when you think about getting a head-start on your application essays, but instead consume your weight in Cheetos while watching Adventure Time.)

According to the U.S. News & World Report's annual, occasionally flawed list of college rankings, Washington is home to five of the top 20 of the best regional universities in the Western United States. The publication defines a regional universities as institutions that offer "a full range of undergraduate programs and some master's programs but few doctoral programs." (This means heavy-hitters such as the University of Washington and Washington State University were not included in this round up.)

U.S. News & World Report graded these regional universities on a scale out of 100. Here's who made the cut in Washington:

#4: Gonzaga University in Spokane, 86/100

#8: Seattle University, 75/100

#11: Whitworth University in Spokane, 71/100

#15: Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma, 66/100

#18: Western Washington University in Bellingham, 61/100

For the folks desperate to root for someone in the Apple Cup, you can take solace in knowing that the Huskies and Cougars both made it onto the publication's national list of best universities. UW clocked in at #54 while WSU fell behind at #143.

This post has been updated.