Barring a dramatic turnaround in the portal season, we're heading into the offseason with perhaps the worst defense in the conference in 2023. We gave up 700 yards to UW in the Apple Cup, and face a schedule in 2023 that includes UW with Penix back, Oregon, Oregon State, UCLA, Arizona, Colorado with Deion, and a revamped Wisconsin program that just raided North Carolina's potent offensive coordinator and o-line coach. Will we be favored in any of those games? Not likely.
Is 2023 the beginning of the end? Do we sputter to a 3-9 season with Dickert and Morris, hang onto them for "one more year" in 2024 and fall too far behind the rest of the programs in our league to compete? Is there another Mike Leach miracle hire out there? Maybe not.
This could be it, folks. I see major storm clouds on the horizon. It's been fun.
In all seriousness, WSU had faced these serious challenges before. Just of a different kind. How about never playing your rival UW in Pullman from 57 to 82. How about not playing UCLA or USC in Pullman from 50's to the 80's. How about sharing your practice field with intramurals and by October 10th the field is so torn up the team had to head to martin stadium literally practicing every day on concrete. You know how many knees were blown because of that?
We had four coaches in four years. Probably the only team that can relate is Oregon, but they have such a brand doesn't matter who is selling it. Helfrich, Taggart, Mario C and now Lanning. The money and marketing will always be there.
We were in the state with one of the top two teams in the conference year in and year out. A school hell bent on burying us. Once we beat them in 82 and 83, Lude was not going to allow us to get our money and exposure if he could help it.
It 1990 we had a home and home with BYU. Because we were so desperate for money we sold back our home game to BYU.
Back in the day school started in late September and they played Sept home games in Spokane. The season was a third over by the time the students got back in town, played maybe three home games in Pullman so how do fans make a connection. Somehow we did.
Scheduling- 79 away Ohio State and Syracuse. 80 Tennessee, 81 Colorado, 82 CU, Minnesota, Tennessee, 83 Michigan, 84 Tenn, Ohio State, 85 Ohio State and Utah.
Facilities- you know what a facilities upgrade was? This is the absolute truth. During July on the coaches time off, they would go to the local hardware store, Rima Paint and hardware. They would pick up a couple of gallons of paint and paint their own office. Think about that. They didn't even have a maintenance person who would paint it for them. Back then there offices were in the bowels of Bohler, with no exterior windows from their offices.
WSU was always threatened with removal from the Pac 8/10. Once Walden had us play for the rose Bowl in 81 that talk died down. I sort of think of WSU like I think of the wheat farmers. They roll up their sleeves, maybe wake up during the tough times at 4 vs 430 and get to work. I have always envisioned that for WSU.
Portal rules will change. TV will make it so. As will the Ad's . Individually they can't stop themselves, but at some point they will institute a rule if a coach leaves the players can too, but they have to sit out a year if they join the coach.
NIL will change. Maybe something more equitable for all the athletes.
