Truck Driver U. got 62, by the way.

Let me know, I’m buying!

We’re up to #56 in this hot new take. They claim to feed All the data to their unbiased model. After the big win on Saturday, they have us within 12 spots of #44 UW.

Seem legit? or Still too high?

https://www.collegefootballpoll.com/rankings/

WSU’s week of wins, Washington’s rotten play call and more | Analysis​

Jon Wilner

Sep. 15, 2024 at 9:07 am
Instant reaction to developments on and off the field …

1. WSU’s big wins​

If there has been a better 60 hours in the history of Washington State athletics, we are unaware.

Thursday morning: Pac-12 expansion secures a home for the Cougars after 13 months adrift in the realignment game.

Saturday afternoon: One of the sweetest of Apple Cups, in which the Cougars outplayed Washington, out-coached Washington, out-smarted Washington, out-quarterbacked Washington and celebrated a 24-19 victory at Lumen Field.

In fact, let’s expand the timeframe to eight and include WSU’s beatdown of Texas Tech on Sept. 7 in what, at the time, seemed like an audition.

It seems like months ago, but as recently as last weekend, Washington State and Oregon State formed a two-team conference with a murky future.

Each matchup with a power conference opponent — Texas Tech from the Big 12 and Washington from the Big Ten — felt like a chance for the Cougars to prove they belonged.

But Thursday morning brought security, in the form of a four-school raid of the Mountain West. With the Pac-12 set to endure, the pressure for WSU (and Oregon State) to impress seemed to dissipate.

Then came a narrow victory over their rival — over the school that took a leading role in the collapse of the Pac-12 on Aug. 4, 2023. The Cougars were tougher, more physical, more creative and more resilient.

“Just a helluva win,” coach Jake Dickert said. “I’m really proud for Cougs everywhere. To come on this neutral field — it’s just awesome.”

Would they trade an Apple Cup win for membership in the Power Four? Sure. They would trade 10 Apple Cup wins for membership in the Power Four. But in the real world, the Cougars were left to make the best of a brutal situation.

After a plethora of twists and turns over the course of 13 months, they produced a momentous week.

As a result, the Cougars are 2-0 against Power Four opponents, 3-0 overall and halfway to becoming bowl eligible with nine games remaining.

Above all, they wanted to be relevant this season. So far, so good.

2. Rotten Apple​

The Cougars did not win the Apple Cup by themselves. They had plenty of help from Washington, which looked exactly like a team that has a new coach, overhauled starting lineup and one-way ticket to the middle of the Big Ten standings.

The Huskies committed 16 penalties and had two offsides penalties that allowed WSU to run out the clock in the final minute.

But before that undisciplined debacle, Washington had a chance to take the lead with first-and-goal from the 9-yard line with two minutes remaining. That eventually became fourth-and-goal from the 1.

On the biggest play of the season to date, they ran a lemon: A slow-developing quarterback option to the short side of the field in which Will Rogers pitched to tailback Jonah Coleman too close to the sideline for Coleman to make positive yardage.

At least give one of your primary playmakers, Coleman and receiver Giles Jackson, a fair chance to win the game.

“That’s on me. I made a bad call,” coach Jedd Fisch told reporters after the game. “We didn’t execute the call. We lost the game, so I’ll take that.”

This figured to be a tough assignment for the Huskies given their retooled new roster and WSU’s massive motivational edge.

This also figured to be a difficult season for the Huskies given the roster situation and the competition in the Big Ten.

That said, the performance Saturday was below an acceptable standard.

Losing 42-13 Indiana in their debut lol

Pac-12, Mountain West ‘too far apart’ as negotiations over 2025 scheduling partnership break down​

Jon Wilner
Sep. 1, 2024 at 9:25 pm
The Sunday deadline for the Pac-12 and Mountain West to extend their football scheduling partnership came and went without a deal.

Don’t expect them to revisit talks at a later date, either.

An agreement for the 2025 season “isn’t happening at all,” according to a source familiar with the discussions. The sides are simply “too far apart.”

Instead, Washington State and Oregon State are exploring other options to complete their 2025 schedules.

However, the source cautioned that the lack of a deal with the Mountain West did not indicate a partnership with the ACC or Big 12 — or any other league, for that matter — was imminent.

Nor does the breakdown in talks rule out the possibility of a longer-term merger, in some form, between the Pac-12 and the Mountain West.

“Don’t rule out something for 2026 and beyond,” the source added.

Washington State and Oregon State are operating as a two-team conference for the 2024-25 seasons, based on the NCAA’s two-year grace period for conferences depleted by realignment. By the summer of 2026, the Cougars and Beavers must join another conference or rebuild the Pac-12 to at least eight schools.

The scheduling partnership with the Mountain West provides both WSU and OSU with six games (three home, three away) for the 2024 season.

In exchange for the competition, the Pac-12 schools will pay the Mountain West approximately $15 million, which includes an administrative fee, participation fee and scheduling fee (for each game in Pullman and Corvallis).

The contract does not include a fee structure for the 2025 season. The payments would have been negotiated all over again, the source said.

But the financial piece wasn’t the only hurdle. Extending the agreement into 2025 didn’t fit smoothly within the Pac-12’s long-haul strategic plan, which leans heavily into remaining as flexible as possible — in case of additional realignment — and preserving the cash to act on any opportunities.

As part of their settlement with the 10 departed schools, Washington State and Oregon State are withholding a total of $65 million in campus distributions. That cash could be used to pay all, or a portion of the poaching penalty.

Additionally, the Cougars and Beavers have more than $150 million in assets at their disposal (over the course of several years) from the Pac-12’s postseason football and basketball contracts.

“There will be some of those funds set aside that, as different scenarios emerge, we do have some resources available to us for our strategic priorities moving forward and whatever we might need to do to support our conference affiliation strategy,” Pac-12 commissioner Teresa Gould said recently on ‘Canzano and Wilner: The Podcast.’

For next season, the Cougars and Beavers are exploring a plethora of options and need a total of 12 games (combined) to fill out their schedules.

At this point, WSU has six opponents lined up for next season: North Texas, San Diego State, Idaho, Washington, Virginia and Oregon State.

The Beavers also have six under contract: Cal, Fresno State, Houston, Texas Tech and Oregon, plus Washington State.

Jon Wilner: jwilner@bayareanewsgroup.com

Thought maybe we could leave the trainwreck thread behind and start a new one. I'll be glued to the sett tomorrow (Tuesday) as I'm sure much of the nation will. This will be a good one. Trumpe, etc. whining loudly about the ABC moderators. C'mon - it's the answers that matter not who is asking the questions.

Harris has to do what Biden couldn't. Goad Trump into losing it on stage, call out his lies calmly and specifically, and avoid an alphabet soup of statistics and figures. And above all stay calm. Don't be afraid to cackle a bit at his lies.

Trump? Staying coherent and on tpoic would be a key strategy. Not lying might be another. Don't count on either of these.

Oh and I will remain glued to the set for the subsequent Reichart-Ferguson gubernatorial debate. I think Reichart has the best chance to pull off a win since the fist Rossi-Gregoire train robbery election. I'm voting for Reichart BTW.

Don’t call it the Apple Cup

GFC

Got this from another board

Hold my beer Mateer

Whip the entitled ones.

Thanks to Vet Tix, I will be going to this game. Even had I not gotten tickets through them, I would most likely still go. Do I like the new normal? Eff to the M-f'n NO! But I live one 40 min train ride to the stadium and I love the Cougs regardless of what's happening right now so, I will be there for them.

The Undaunted - 31

The Conspirators - 20

You saw it throughout the game and especially at the end. Losers!!!

Cougar Love is Loud!

Huck the Fuskies!!!

I love Mateer too!

I can’t be negative of this path. I understand wanting to be in a “power conference”, but the pressure was to either bid us down to 1/2 shares or in the case of the ACC, wait for implosion and then have WSU and OSU apply along with many of the schools we just picked up in a downward bidding war. This gave us the option to go in handcuffed as the bitch across the country or try and make something out of our unique situation.



Taking the four we did now secures a handful of the biggest markets available along with highly competitive programs with the option to chase others. This conference will be the group that plays the highest level of football that plays most/all games weekly in the western footprint. Now they have the freedom to add Stan and Cal if they return. UNLV if they decouple from UNR. They can also go secure UTSA with its blooming medical campus and growing football program. TX St is there as well. Tulane in Nola market.



Instead of waiting around we are now in the driver seat and can build something without being seen as the last opinion and littlest member. And whatever is made of this conference, it now exists as an option for a western pod for any conference trying to build or expand one. In the current landscape of relegation and future conference implosions, this is giving us the chance to build something decent as we see fit instead of being a whipping boy for an eastern conference. It’s not perfect but it’s better than taking it up the *ss a signing away our ability to be a full member 2000 miles away in many respects.

Yeah, that's right. The trial is being moved to Ada County ASAP.

You guys are going to hate on me, but I've got to say it.

For all of those who cut the cord....you did this to yourselves!

For tomorrow's game, we are unable to Record, and Skip the Commercials, because with Peacock, (or any streaming platform), there is no Cloud and DVR storage interface. The advertisers and ad execs must love this process and platform!

When was the last time I watched a game, and literally had to sit through all the commercials?

I personally can't remember the last time I had to sit and watch commercial, (unless I was at a watch party). Brutal.

Thanks for everyone who cut the cord....and I'm sure you're paying almost the same with all your "A La Carte" streaming channels.

Yes, we've had Peacock for several years, but there is no DVR or Cloud. Must watch the game live.

Thanks a million!

Tulane, Memphis, Rice (Houston), North Texas (Dallas) all seem like they could be attractive from a media standpoint.

The Mountain West Conference is likely done.

Anyone see tonight’s Bills-Dolphins game? Tua left again with another concussion…didn’t even seem like that much of a hit this time.

I know he’s still in his 20s, but he needs to hang it up.

ASU is playing AT Texas Tech on youtube (for free) via the Food & Travel channel.

Including me, there are 12k people watching.

Good. Fck em

I will admit I have been an instigator of some of these f-ing political threads. Ok, as of now, no more.

Can we just get back to talking about our Cougs, and get away from this crap? I am embarrassed to be a fellow Coug to some of you. You sure as F aren't anything like the guys (and gals) I knew when I was at WSU. Or since.

I will make it my mission to get in contact with Rivals and try to fix this spam shit. Let's just get back to talking about our Cougs.

We won't have to face CSU/ Fresno (possibly AF) in bowl games any more.