Even though the season won't kick off until early September, I thought it would be fun to take a look around the conference for a quick preview of the other eleven teams -- in no particular order. We'll get more in depth during the week before the Cardinal plays each team, but for now we've got a quick overview of how the team looks at this point as seen through the eyes of a blogger who knows that team best. Enjoy.
Washington State Cougars (Pac-12 North)
Head Coach: Paul Wulff (5-32)
2010: (2-10, 1-8, 10th)
Lost to Stanford, 38-28
Washington State has been at or near the bottom of the conference for the past three years -- all under head coach Paul Wulff -- with a cumulative record of 2-25 in league play. Normally that would cause an athletic director to start flipping through his rolodex in search of a replacement, but there is optimism on the Palouse. The Cougars only won a single conference game last season, but they definitely showed signs of life as they battled several teams before losing close decisions.
Their game against Stanford in late October ended up as a loss, but the Cougars showed their offensive talent as their young wide receivers had their way with the Stanford secondary. This season quarterback Jeff Tuel will likely push the 3,000 yard mark and could develop into one of the top signal callers in the Pac-12. Whether or not this translates into added wins for the team is still to be determined.
To help me figure all this out, I called on GMC's old friend, Lucas Nurmi of the WSU Football Blog. Lucas obviously knows a lot more about the Cougs than I do, so I'll stop talking now.
GoMightyCard: What are fans excited about for this season?
Lucas Nurmi: Fans are really excited to watch a team that improved greatly from 2009 to 2010 hopefully take the next step by turning the corner and returning to respectability. Starting with the Stanford game last season, this young team really started showing signs of improvement. The thing a lot of us are excited about is the experienced QB who will be under center for us, who could be one of the most underrated guys in the country. He will have a bevy of wide receivers to throw to, led by senior Jared Karstetter and sophomore sensation Marquess Wilson. Just ask the 2010 Stanford DBs how big of a load our aerial attack was.
GMC: What are the biggest concerns facing the team?
LN: The biggest concern for me has to be the OL and DL play. The last three seasons combined, our OL has given up more than 150 sacks! How many did the Trees give up in 2010, six? We return four starters along the OL and a center who technically isn't a returning starter, but has multiple starts in his career. Couple the experience with one of the most respected OL coaches on the west coast in Steve Morton, and I don't think it is unrealistic to expect this unit to drastically reduce the number of sacks they give up and increase the YPC by our RBs. The DL is extremely youthful beyond three of the starters. Junior Travis Long will be coming off one end while juco transfer and Spring Ball play maker Ian Knight will come from the other side. At DT, I actually expect Anthony Laurenzi to do some big things, while redshirt freshman Toni Pole is expected to be the other starter. Backing those four up is Brandon Rankin who started in 2010, and a lot of underclassmen. If these guys can keep opposing OL out of the second and third level on every snap, I think our defense should improve greatly!
GMC: What's the best-case scenario for the team?
LN: Best case scenario to me would be a 5-0 start, coupled with an upset of either Oregon or Stanford, wins vs Oregon State and Cal, plus an Apple Cup win. A 5-0 start truly isn't out of the realm of possibility when you look at our schedule (Idaho State, UNLV, @SDSU, @Colorado, @UCLA). Not to mention, we play Oregon State, Cal and UW at neutral sites this year, and Cal and UW we only lost to last year by seven points each and as you may know, we clobbered the Beavs in Corvallis. The biggest thing for this group of players is that they have never started the season on a winning foot. The past five season openers, beginning with 2006, went like this: @Auburn, @Wisconsin, Oklahoma St, Stanford, @Oklahoma St. If we start out 5-0, I would be shocked if Bill Moos didn't extend Paul Wulff the following Monday.
GMC: What's the worst-case scenario for the team?
LN: Worst case scenario would have us starting 1-4 heading into the Stanford game. I don't see Wulff remaining our coach for the Stanford game if this is the case. While I still think we could steal a conference game down the stretch, a 2-10 or 3-9 season would pretty much be the nail in the coffin for this regime, not to mention the toll it would take on our 2012 recruiting class!
GMC: Realistically, how do you expect the season to pan out?
LN: Realistically, I believe this group will win between five and seven games. This team has come a long way from the blow-out in Palo Alto in 2008, and a lot of us are excited for what this group should be able to accomplish in 2011. Like I mentioned above, the soft start to the schedule coupled with three conference games being played at neutral sites should get this team in the mix for a bowl game in 2011.
Previously previewed:
