His ratings start out with a heavy backwards looking bias. They don't factor in that UW has been gutted.
Massey's, always goes by only just what happened the last season. So if a team goes to the National Championsip, and then loses all their coaches, whole team transfers out, grads, goes to NFL, all new coaches, all new mostly 1.5 star mix of transfers, HS recruits, Top 2,3 QB's, RB's, WR's, etc, out for half the season or more, etc, and likely to only win about 4,5,6,7 games, etc, Massey's still says that team is a TOP, BEST team.
Realistically, logistically, WSU is ABOUT the 3rd or 4th best team, if it was in MWC. Only BSU, Fresno St, are clearly better.
WSU has 2 good QB's that both are at least starter level QB's in the MWC. The RB Corp is solid. The WR's are good, but don't look it yet, because still learning the offense, lack of chemistry with offense, QB's, etc, but once they develop chemistry, synergy with the offense, QB's, etc, watch out in good way.
Only problem on offense is O Line, that newer, less experienced, doesn't run block as well as they pass block, and new O line coach.
But Dickert, Arbuckle, can, and probably will scheme, game plan, adapt, compensate, play call, play, etc, around any O Line problems. Plus it's not like the MWC, has defensive lines at the level of USC, Oregon, UCLA, etc.
And WSU's defensive line is good, ok, and altho lost some great secondary, Linebacker players, WSU got some AWESOME replacements, transfers, and have a very deep secondary.
And altho depth at linebacker is BAD, the starting Linebackers are very good, and the offense can help give the defense some rest, and Schmedding is a solid defensive coordinator.
WSU probably either loses close games vs BSU, Fresno St, or Splits vs BSU, Fresno St. WSU probably 51% to win a close game vs a GUTTED UW on the RD. If the game was at WSU, it would probably be comparable to the 40 point win at UW, about 2,3 seasons ago.
Texas Tech is about 50/50 to win.
WSU will probably win 1 game they shouldn't, and probably lose 1 game they shouldn't, in addition to losses to BSU, maybe Fresno St, maybe Texas Tech, maybe UW.
That means that WSU either goes 6-6, at very worst, 7-5 at below average, 8-4 at average, 9-3 at above average, 10-2 at best.
Out of that, 8-4, 9-3, 7-5 are more likely. About 8.5 wins is what the line should be in Vegas
Now that's probably the most realistic, but Massey probably only has WSU at about 5.5, 6, 6.5 wins, because of last year's 5-7, not taking all the injuries, and WSU playing in one of the toughest PAC 12 seasons(about 7,8 PAC 12 teams were ranked in the top 25 that season), etc.
And not taking into account that MWC's Champ, had about 4 losses, and was about 9-4.
So Massey's is probably not as realistic as other ranking services.
But that said, it's probably too early for rankings, given the transfer portal, etc.
