AP Poll
- Thread starter Coug-Vandal
- Start date
I know a lot of people don't care for Wilner, but since this thread relates to performance, here's a fill-in:
The Best of the West offers fans a candid assessment of the top teams in the western third of the country — a collection of schools now scattered across five conferences: the ACC, Big 12, Big Ten, Pac-12 and Mountain West.
The rankings will be published weekly on the Hotline throughout the regular season.
(All times Pacific)
Result: won at Purdue 35-0
Next up: vs Illinois (12:30 p.m. on CBS)
Comment: Because readers might come across my AP top-25 ballot and have questions, know that Georgia, not Oregon, is my No. 1 team this week. The difference in schedule strength is massive, cannot be ignored and offsets the difference in records. The Bulldogs (6-1) have played three high-level games away from home (Texas, Alabama and Clemson) and won two of them, whereas Oregon’s only equivalent matchup was at home (Ohio State). The best team the Ducks (7-0) have played on the road thus far is either Oregon State or UCLA.
Result: beat Oklahoma State 38-35
Next up: at UCF (12:30 p.m. on ESPN)
Comment: Are the Cougars a team of destiny on the 40th anniversary of their only national title? We aren’t prepared to go there, yet. But after the great escape against Oklahoma State, that time is fast approaching.
Result: did not play
Next up: at UNLV (Friday at 7:30 p.m. on CBSSN)
Comment: In our view, the Broncos are better off with the extra week to prepare and a trip to Las Vegas than they would have been in UNLV’s situation — as the home team on Friday but with a short week of preparation. The extra rest means more than the game location, especially for a team that already played Oregon on the road.
Result: beat Hawaii 42-10
Next up: at San Diego State (7:30 p.m. on CBS Sports Network)
Comment: The cold, hard reality behind WSU’s incredibly slim College Football Playoff hopes — they are no greater than 10 percent — is that the Cougars need Washington to collect a few good wins in the Big Ten. That’s right. They should be rooting for the Huskies.
Result: won at Arizona 34-7
Next up: vs. Cincinnati (7:15 p.m. on ESPN)
Comment: Were the Buffaloes that good or was Arizona that bad? Yes.
Result: won at Oregon State 33-25
Next up: vs. Boise State (Friday at 7:30 p.m. on CBSSN)
Comment: It’s good to be UNLV coach Barry Odom. It’s better to be Barry Odom’s agent, because the commission on Odom’s next contract (with the Rebels or elsewhere) will be quite large but won’t include all the pressure of actually having to coach.
Result: lost at Cincinnati 24-14
Next up: idle
Comment: We are circling Nov. 9 as the date Arizona State becomes bowl-eligible because playing UCF at home is the easiest hurdle to clear of the five remaining. But if quarterback Sam Leavitt returns later than sooner, the Sun Devils could lose all five. Such is life on the knife’s edge.
Result: lost at Maryland 29-28
Next up: vs. Rutgers (Friday at 8 p.m. on Fox)
Comment: To merely become bowl-eligible, the Trojans must win three of five against a manageable finishing schedule: Rutgers (home), Washington (road), Nebraska (home), UCLA (road) and Notre Dame (home). It’s hardly a lock, but we see three wins (or more) as the most likely scenario.
Result: did not play
Next up: at Indiana (9 a.m. on Big Ten Network)
Comment: An extremely difficult assignment in Bloomington appears more favorable with the news that Indiana quarterback Kurtis Rourke likely won’t play because of a thumb injury, per an ESPN report. The Huskies could use the break considering their November lineup of opponents.
Result: beat Wyoming 24-14
Next up: at Fresno State (5 p.m. on truTV)
Comment: Too high for the Spartans? Not if you have seen the teams below them play recently. It’s not a pretty sight.
Result: lost to Colorado 34-7
Next up: vs. West Virginia (4 p.m. on FS1)
Comment: Not only is Noah Fifita not playing like the Noah Fifita we expected to see, he isn’t playing as well as Jayden de Laura was last year when he got Noah Fifita-ed by Noah Fifita. And if that’s confusing, our apologies. After watching Arizona’s offense, we have a pounding headache that’s making it difficult to think clearly.
Result: lost to TCU 13-7
Next up: at Houston (4 p.m. on ESPN+)
Comment: Every week that results in the Utes dropping down the Best of the West rankings makes us more convinced they will win the Holy War and spoil BYU’s dream season. It’s all setting up perfectly, to the point that we wonder if it is a setup. (Just kidding.)
Result: lost to NC State 24-23
Next up: vs. Oregon State (1 p.m. on ESPN2)
Comment: It’s not easy to lose four games by a combined nine points unless you’re trying to do it — and even then, we aren’t sure the laws of football physics would allow it. The Bears might have joined a conference on the opposite coast, but their season is unfolding in an alternate universe.
Result: lost to UNLV 33-25
Next up: at Cal (1 p.m. on ESPN2)
Comment: It says plenty about the state of the program when the Beavers lose at home to a Mountain West opponent and the only surprising element is that they were in position to force overtime. The stretch run is tough. We expect OSU to be home for the holidays.
Result: won at Rutgers 35-32
Next up: idle
Comment: That was the UCLA team we expected to see all along — a team that’s reasonably competent on both sides of the ball but finishes closer to the bottom of the Big Ten than the top because of a rugged schedule. It just took seven games for the Bruins to get there.
Jon Wilner
Best of the West: WSU, Colorado and UNLV rise after wins
Jon WilnerOct. 20, 2024 at 9:36 amThe Best of the West offers fans a candid assessment of the top teams in the western third of the country — a collection of schools now scattered across five conferences: the ACC, Big 12, Big Ten, Pac-12 and Mountain West.
The rankings will be published weekly on the Hotline throughout the regular season.
(All times Pacific)
1. Oregon (7-0/4-0 Big Ten
Last week: 1Result: won at Purdue 35-0
Next up: vs Illinois (12:30 p.m. on CBS)
Comment: Because readers might come across my AP top-25 ballot and have questions, know that Georgia, not Oregon, is my No. 1 team this week. The difference in schedule strength is massive, cannot be ignored and offsets the difference in records. The Bulldogs (6-1) have played three high-level games away from home (Texas, Alabama and Clemson) and won two of them, whereas Oregon’s only equivalent matchup was at home (Ohio State). The best team the Ducks (7-0) have played on the road thus far is either Oregon State or UCLA.
2. Brigham Young (7-0/4-0 Big 12)
Last week: 2Result: beat Oklahoma State 38-35
Next up: at UCF (12:30 p.m. on ESPN)
Comment: Are the Cougars a team of destiny on the 40th anniversary of their only national title? We aren’t prepared to go there, yet. But after the great escape against Oklahoma State, that time is fast approaching.
3. Boise State (5-1/2-0 Mountain West)
Last week: 3Result: did not play
Next up: at UNLV (Friday at 7:30 p.m. on CBSSN)
Comment: In our view, the Broncos are better off with the extra week to prepare and a trip to Las Vegas than they would have been in UNLV’s situation — as the home team on Friday but with a short week of preparation. The extra rest means more than the game location, especially for a team that already played Oregon on the road.
4. Washington State (6-1)
Last week: 5Result: beat Hawaii 42-10
Next up: at San Diego State (7:30 p.m. on CBS Sports Network)
Comment: The cold, hard reality behind WSU’s incredibly slim College Football Playoff hopes — they are no greater than 10 percent — is that the Cougars need Washington to collect a few good wins in the Big Ten. That’s right. They should be rooting for the Huskies.
5. Colorado (5-2/3-1 Big 12)
Last week: 7Result: won at Arizona 34-7
Next up: vs. Cincinnati (7:15 p.m. on ESPN)
Comment: Were the Buffaloes that good or was Arizona that bad? Yes.
6. UNLV (6-1/2-0 Mountain West)
Last week: 9Result: won at Oregon State 33-25
Next up: vs. Boise State (Friday at 7:30 p.m. on CBSSN)
Comment: It’s good to be UNLV coach Barry Odom. It’s better to be Barry Odom’s agent, because the commission on Odom’s next contract (with the Rebels or elsewhere) will be quite large but won’t include all the pressure of actually having to coach.
7. Arizona State (5-2/2-2 Big 12)
Last week: 4Result: lost at Cincinnati 24-14
Next up: idle
Comment: We are circling Nov. 9 as the date Arizona State becomes bowl-eligible because playing UCF at home is the easiest hurdle to clear of the five remaining. But if quarterback Sam Leavitt returns later than sooner, the Sun Devils could lose all five. Such is life on the knife’s edge.
8. USC (3-4/1-4 Big Ten)
Last week: 6Result: lost at Maryland 29-28
Next up: vs. Rutgers (Friday at 8 p.m. on Fox)
Comment: To merely become bowl-eligible, the Trojans must win three of five against a manageable finishing schedule: Rutgers (home), Washington (road), Nebraska (home), UCLA (road) and Notre Dame (home). It’s hardly a lock, but we see three wins (or more) as the most likely scenario.
9. Washington (4-3/2-2 Big Ten)
Last week: 8Result: did not play
Next up: at Indiana (9 a.m. on Big Ten Network)
Comment: An extremely difficult assignment in Bloomington appears more favorable with the news that Indiana quarterback Kurtis Rourke likely won’t play because of a thumb injury, per an ESPN report. The Huskies could use the break considering their November lineup of opponents.
10. San Jose State (5-2/3-1 Mountain West)
Last week: 15Result: beat Wyoming 24-14
Next up: at Fresno State (5 p.m. on truTV)
Comment: Too high for the Spartans? Not if you have seen the teams below them play recently. It’s not a pretty sight.
11. Arizona (3-4/1-3 Big 12)
Last week: 10Result: lost to Colorado 34-7
Next up: vs. West Virginia (4 p.m. on FS1)
Comment: Not only is Noah Fifita not playing like the Noah Fifita we expected to see, he isn’t playing as well as Jayden de Laura was last year when he got Noah Fifita-ed by Noah Fifita. And if that’s confusing, our apologies. After watching Arizona’s offense, we have a pounding headache that’s making it difficult to think clearly.
12. Utah (4-3/1-3 Big 12)
Last week: 11Result: lost to TCU 13-7
Next up: at Houston (4 p.m. on ESPN+)
Comment: Every week that results in the Utes dropping down the Best of the West rankings makes us more convinced they will win the Holy War and spoil BYU’s dream season. It’s all setting up perfectly, to the point that we wonder if it is a setup. (Just kidding.)
13. Cal (3-4/0-4 ACC)
Last week: 12Result: lost to NC State 24-23
Next up: vs. Oregon State (1 p.m. on ESPN2)
Comment: It’s not easy to lose four games by a combined nine points unless you’re trying to do it — and even then, we aren’t sure the laws of football physics would allow it. The Bears might have joined a conference on the opposite coast, but their season is unfolding in an alternate universe.
14. Oregon State (4-3)
Last week: 13Result: lost to UNLV 33-25
Next up: at Cal (1 p.m. on ESPN2)
Comment: It says plenty about the state of the program when the Beavers lose at home to a Mountain West opponent and the only surprising element is that they were in position to force overtime. The stretch run is tough. We expect OSU to be home for the holidays.
15. UCLA (2-5/1-4 Big Ten)
Last week: Not rankedResult: won at Rutgers 35-32
Next up: idle
Comment: That was the UCLA team we expected to see all along — a team that’s reasonably competent on both sides of the ball but finishes closer to the bottom of the Big Ten than the top because of a rugged schedule. It just took seven games for the Bruins to get there.
Jon Wilner
Plus it was announced that GameDay will be in Indiana on Saturday, who is 7-0. The very first College GameDay for Indiana.
The majority of posters on this board will not, or ever root for the Huskies. If they do upset Indiana, (Hoosier trap game) it would obviously help us.
If UW winning an incremental game or two really was the thing to get WSU in the playoff, sure, I'd root for them. So many things have to line up for that to be determinative, though, that I'm just going to stick with the default of hoping UW gets boatraced by Indiana with a backup QB.
Even though it would be cool to say that we made the inaugural college football playoff and I will take the opportunity if it comes...I'd prefer to see us finish 11-1 and play in the Alamo Bowl or Las Vegas Bowl. If we make the playoff, we would have to play one of the following: Texas, Georgia, Ohio State, Alabama, Tennessee or Penn State. Although I think it's ridiculous for our fans to imply that we have a sh!t team this year....we absolutely do not belong on the field with those teams listed above and getting crushed in the first round of the CFP would be used against us in the future....because that's how things go for us.
I'd much rather take on a Big 12 team or a mid-level SEC team than pretend that we have an elite team and watch us get pummeled.
I'd much rather take on a Big 12 team or a mid-level SEC team than pretend that we have an elite team and watch us get pummeled.
For what it's worth ESPN's far too early bowl forecast has us playing Kansas St in the Alamo Bowl.
I understand where you're coming from, but the PR buzz surrounding a playoff appearance would be monumentally more impactful to our program than an Alamo Bowl visit vs. Kansas State amidst a flurry of players opting out.
I don't care if we pull a TCU and get walloped to the tune of 60-21 in the playoff, it would be an amazing accomplishment less than a year after getting left out of the P4 shuffle. With that said, we have virtually no shot at the playoff. Too many teams have to lose. Boise State and UNLV play each other this Friday. The winner of that game won't likely lose again in the regular season, and if they lost in the MWC, they'd still likely be ranked ahead of us. Same with Army and Navy. Both of them have games with Notre Dame, and even if they both lose, the winner of the Army/Navy game will have only one loss and be ranked ahead of us.
11-1 would certainly be the best WSU team in Modern history.
Considering the fact there is no way-back machine in College Football 🏈 modern history is all that matters from here,
The national rhetoric of WSU “deserving to be in the conversation” with its 49 new players, marching through each week with another win, with an imperfect team, that is both fun and exciting to watch, will be epic.
Most certainly, one for the WSU Memory books 📚
I agree that it would be an amazing accomplishment and we would make the best of it.....but just knowing how the media treats us....if we were to get crushed in the first round, the only thing that we would read/see would be how we stole a spot from a more deserving team from the SEC or B1G. It still might be worth it but I'd be just as happy with an Alamo Bowl win over KSU.
As recently as last week, some assholes in the media still had us picked for the Independence Bowl. The media disrespect is real.
The general attitude of the posts in this thread are partly why we got left behind. We have overall good fans but live in a small world bubble. Me giving $10 wont make a difference mindset. Even those of us who do give do so with some weird expectations. I am rooting for UW for every game other than the apple cup. We all should be. It is what is best for our university and team. Hoping for a meaningless Alamo bowl vs a shot at a history making achievement for our school is astounding to me. I lived in SEC country for a long time. They know down there that you root for your team, then conference then your rivals whether you beat them or not. That is what legitimate fanbases do. We consistently seem to feed into a woe is me mentality while at the same time having expectations that others respect us. It is insane at times.
You don't seem to really understand Fuw.
They aren't just arrogant pricks who always try to treat us like a Division 2 Scout Team when on the social life...
They are/were evil enough to fight our medical school.
Be a Cougar Atheiest all you want.
Fuskies = satan
You're not wrong, and again, I don't disagree with you, but I also question whether (or how much) media treatment matters to WSU moving forward. We're now competing for recruits against Oregon State, Boise State, Fresno, SDSU, Utah State, Colorado State, UNLV, etc. More importantly, we're competing for love within our fan base.
I've gone to all of our home games this season, and while the vibe has been different through my eyes, I had an epiphany after the Hawaii game. The vast majority of our fans are behaving the way they always have. Rowdy pregame tailgates, a lot of drinking, and happiness when we win, Greek row was buzzing last night. I don't think the average Coug fan cares as much about who we play than I originally had thought. Beating Hawaii had the same stadium feel that beating Cal, Arizona, ASU, Oregon State, Stanford, etc. had.
I guess my point is that for most of our fans, the playoff would signal to them that we're a top-12 team. Go Cougs man! We're elite! It wouldn't feel that way to me, but I care about this crap and follow things far more closely than most people who trek to Pullman to see us play do. If we can string together a run of 8-10 win seasons in our new conference, I think we'll be in the same place we've always been. Not an elite program, but certainly capable of beating most of the schools out West.
I think that's the case with all of the programs on the West coast other than Oregon, USC, UW, and Utah. The level of care out West is pretty surface about all sports (professional and collegiate) compared to 2/3 of the Nation.
Good points. The boost for our fanbase will probably outweigh the negativity of the press. And of course, there's always the chance that we get overlooked and give someone one hell of a fight and maybe even win. We obviously embrace the CFP chance if we get it.
Can't really overstate the difference between being ranked and not ranked for WSU. The difference in exposure is like 100X, and with the way the sport is changing literally week to week, being in the national conversation (other than for waving a flag) is huge. If the Rudy plan goes through this summer being ranked at the end of the season could nudge us over the line, depending on where they draw the line...
With everything I just said, and I still mean it, I also share your opinion. Frankly, I don't think we're *that* good this season. We could matchup with some playoff at large teams, but our offensive line and secondary will get worked by a top SEC or B!G team. I mean, if we had to travel to Georgia or Tennessee or Ohio State it would be ugly. Facing off against Miami would sure be fun though.
Good is a relative word. We are good this season. We should have been good last season, but we underperformed. We started losing and weren't mentally good enough to stop the tidal wave. This season we are not great. We are good enough to make a bowl, and we would have been good enough had the Pac 12 not blown up. What place would we have finished? Who knows? No, we would not have finished first (Oregon), but we would have finished in the top half of the conference. To me, for WSU that is a good team.
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I think that is what we Coug fans have done for many years. I know I did, with the exception of rooting for the mutts to lose every single game they play in every single sport in which they compete!!! If we need the mutts to win in order for us to attain something I root for them to lose. It will just be our (the WSU team) fault that we didn't take care of our own business well enough, so we will have to accept what we end up with.
Right now we still root for our conference, it just only has two teams at the moment. Soon wee will have several new and different teams to root for when they play OOC games. And now we root even harder against the mutts for two reasons. #1 is just the fact that they are the miserable, lousy montlake mutts and that is just the way of life! #2 is that they were one of the teams that ****ed over our beloved university without caring one teeny, tiny little bit what the consequences to us would be. So their entire university, from top to bottom can go directly to Hell as far as I am concerned, and they do NOT get to collect $200 on their way there.
And that is all I have to say about that. At least for right now.
What's crazy is that Pitt achieved that score with 83 yards of total offense in the first half...total!!!
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