As you might have noticed this morning -- or not noticed, if you don't pay attention to these sorts of things -- SB Nation has made a handful of awesome changes to our site. So, to kick off this morning before getting to the links, I want to alert you to what's out there, and how you can use it.
- If you look in the upper right corner of the screen, you'll see the box has been streamlined a bit. There you can find easy links to our Facebook page, Twitter account and RSS feed. If you have a Facebook account, please "Like" our page if you haven't done so already. If you have a Twitter account, please go to our page and "Follow" us. If you use RSS feeds, add us to your list.
And if you have no idea what those things are or do, I'm going to write a guide to CougCenter and social media soon, because I realize some people don't use it because they simply don't understand it. You might actually find that you like what some of it has to offer. - The "Tweet" and "Like" buttons on each individual post have been reconfigured. On the main page, they still appear at the bottom of each post. But when you go to the post's page (where you comment), they are now at the top. If you read something you like on CougCenter and you own a Twitter and/or Facebook account, we'd be much obliged if you'd click either "Tweet" or "Like" (or both!) on the post. This spreads the word to people in your social circle -- by either sending it out via Twitter or adding it to your News Feed in Facebook -- who might not know we're out here.
- You might not know this, but the Cougs have their own team pages on SB Nation. You can find football here and basketball here. (If you did know that, note that the URL has changed.) These pages compile everything WSU related across the SB Nation network, from SB Nation Seattle to any of the other team sites who might have written something about the Cougs. Each player on both teams also has their own individual page, with every piece of news across the network that's related to them. You can find those from the drop down menu (for example, here is Jeff Tuel's.)
- Last, but definitely not least. Brian is doing some amazing work over at the SB Nation Seattle site. One of the cool things he does every week is set up a StoryStream on that week's game for the Cougs. The StoryStreams have a neat feature: Their own RSS feeds. So, if you want all of the latest news on the WSU/USC game, all you have to do is go here and then find where it says "You can subscribe via RSS. StoryStream™ updates arrive live as news unfolds" and click on the link to add that stream to your RSS reader. You can do that for any of the StoryStreams you find around SB Nation. It's a really cool feature when following a story you expect to develop over a week or month. (Like, say ... conference realignment?)
- Last thing, since this has nothing to do with CougCenter. Do you have a fantasy football team and can't ever get enough info? Then visit this page. If you are in a Yahoo! fantasy league, we can do you even one better: The Roster Reader will allow you to link up your team and SBNation.com to give you customized headlines on your players. Pretty cool, I think.
That's about it. On to the links! For those of you who obsess about recruiting, you'll be interested in some of Bishop Sankey's comments. (h/t to Grippi for that one.)
WSU News
USC game was milestone for WSU's Tuel - Spokesman.com - Sept. 22, 2010
So how has Tuel changed since that night in Los Angeles? To determine that, let’s begin in that first huddle. "He was a little shocked in L.A. against USC," remembers receiver Daniel Blackledge. "He was a little jittery (in the huddle), but after those first couple plays, he kind of settled in."
WSU in high spirits at practice - SportsLink - Spokesman.com - Sept. 22, 2010
Defensive tackle Bernard Wolfgramm practiced for the second consecutive day and actually took part in team drills. That was a positive, Wulff said, as was Wolfgramm’s ability to get through back-to-back practices. Wolfgramm ran with the twos as Justin Clayton remained with the starters.
WSU Football Friday on Thursday, USC Edition - WSU Football Blog
The boys weigh in with picks and predictions.
WSU football: Cougars still wary of USC secondary | Moscow-Pullman Daily News Blogs
If WSU offensive coordinator Todd Sturdy thinks there’s a vulnerable spot in USC’s secondary, he’s not letting on.
Heavily recruited Sankey has shot at GSL mark - Spokesman.com - Sept. 23, 2010
(Sankey) calls his commitment a "soft verbal." He plans on taking the five visits allowed by the NCAA. WSU, Minnesota and Washington will be among the schools he visits. The other two spots will come from Arizona State, Hawaii, Vanderbilt, Northwestern, Army, Air Force Academy, Ohio, Michigan State and Bowling Green. "I just feel like I’d be selling myself short if I don’t see what’s out there," Sankey said. "I want to try to confirm that WSU is the best fit for me."
WSU Claims Cougar Cup Title - WASHINGTON STATE OFFICIAL ATHLETIC SITE
The Washington State University women's golf team won its first tournament in more than two years, holding off 42nd-ranked Washington to claim the Cougar Cup title at the Palouse Ridge Golf Club, Wednesday.
Pac-10 News
Stanford football: Character, cruelty - Pac-10 Blog - ESPN
When asked this week if he has created a "ruthless," "merciless" team, Harbaugh laughed -- or was it a cackle? -- and called those "big words." "They take great pride in being strong and being a tough football team," he allowed.
Surprise! The Huskies are bad again - Jim Moore, SeattlePI.com
Personally, I can't wait for (Locker) to leave Washington so I can get back to thoroughly enjoying Husky defeats, especially one like Saturday's that reaffirmed three undeniable truths: The Dawgs are a long way from being Pac-10 title contenders, and an even longer way from being a prominent team on the national college-football scene; Husky fans have once again shown an overly inflated perception of their team and were no doubt snookered by Coach Sark as much as I was; (and) to sick Cougs like me, the Husky postgame show on KJR following blowout losses is the most entertaining hour of radio ever.
Pac-10 predictions: Week 4 - Pac-10 Blog - ESPN
USC 45, Washington State 20: Much like UCLA at Texas, the Cougars will fight well into the third quarter before USC's talent takes over in a flurry of big plays.
What to watch in the Pac-10: Week 4 - Pac-10 Blog - ESPN
Cougs O-line vs. USC D-line: The Washington State offensive line has struggled, giving up 10 sacks in the first three games and failing to consistently open holes. USC"s front-seven is talented, particularly the defensive line, though the numbers haven't always supported that. If Cougars quarterback Jeff Tuel gets time, he can make plays. If USC is all over him, this will be another blowout defeat in Pullman.
Pac-10 picks I Vince Grippi - Spokesman.com - Sept. 23, 2010
Picking winners is easy, as evidenced by another near perfect record last week. Trying to outwit the guys who set the lines is quite a bit harder, as evidenced by my less-than-perfect record last week.
Ombudsman Don Ohlmeyer: ESPN pays penance for 'The Decision' - ESPN Mid-Manifest Destiny: Yes, Nevada And Colin Kaepernick, You Have Our Attention - SBNation.com Shaking Up The College Football Rankings: Alabama, South Carolina On Upset Alert - SBNation.com Other Stuff We Like
For all the wonder and amazement of this age of instant information, the ease of Internet publishing can occasionally turn that blessing into a curse, resulting in the instant availability of inaccurate, incomplete or inadvertent information. Such was the case recently when an ESPNLosAngeles.com story chronicling a party LeBron James and friends had hosted in Las Vegas mistakenly found its way onto the Internet before the editing process was finalized.
A weekly examination of the lesser luminaries of Division I-A. This week: Nevada and QB Colin Kaepernick burst on the scene, TCU bests the Big 12, and Houston's just all kinds of busted.
With most of the cupcakes off the platter, the college football schedules are starting to get a bit tougher. Which BCS contenders need to be on guard against an upset this weekend?