Pac-12 media day attendees set

Depending on how much you like to listen to players and coaches spout cliches and answer similar questions over and over, Pac-12 media days could be your favorite, or least-favorite thing. While they can be dull, they signal the start of football season and WSU will be represented by an interesting trio.

Mike Leach can be the star of media days with the gathered group of reporters throwing as many off-the-wall questions at Leach as possible. That can create an amusing time, or a reporter can mistake Leach for Mike Price again. Joining leach will be senior quarterback Connor Halliday and junior linebacker Darryl Monroe. It would be difficult for WSU to send a stronger interview duo as Halliday and Monroe are both excellent with the media. Whether they will drop a Peoples' eyebrow like Travis Long did two years ago, remains to be seen.

Here is the complete media days lineup, via the ESPN Pac-12 blog. Media days will be held July 23-24.

ARIZONA - Coach Rich Rodriguez, Austin Hill (WR), Jared Tevis (S)

ARIZONA STATE - Coach Todd Graham, Taylor Kelly (QB), Jamil Douglas (OL)

CALIFORNIA - Coach Sonny Dykes, Jared Goff (QB), Stefan McClure (CB)

COLORADO - Coach Mike MacIntyre, Nelson Spruce (WR), Juda Parker (DT)

OREGON - Coach Mark Helfrich, Marcus Mariota (QB), Derrick Malone (LB)

OREGON STATE - Coach Mike Riley, Sean Mannion (QB), Michael Doctor (LB)

STANFORD - Coach David Shaw, Kevin Hogan (QB), Jordan Richards (DB)

UCLA - Coach Jim Mora, Brett Hundley (QB), Eric Kendricks (LB)

USC - Coach Steve Sarkisian, Cody Kessler (QB), Leonard Williams (DE)

UTAH - Coach Kyle Whittingham, Dres Anderson (WR), Nate Orchard (DE)

WASHINGTON - Coach Chris Petersen, Ben Riva (OT), Hau'oli Kikaha (OLB)

WASHINGTON STATE - Coach Mike Leach, Connor Halliday (QB), Darryl Monroe (LB)

Football:

Some Pac-12 football betting lines, if you simply can't wait . . . | Pac-12 Confidential | Seattle Times
* Doesn’t seem to me that either Washington or Washington State gets much respect in these numbers. Washington is an underdog at Arizona, and a 20-point ‘dog going to Eugene to try to break a decade-long losing streak to the Ducks. Oregon is favored by 23 in Pullman. Seems like a ton to me (especially since Mike Leach doesn’t put his backup quarterback in the game when it’s out of reach).

Pac-12 Media Days lineup - ESPN
WASHINGTON STATE - Coach Mike Leach, Connor Halliday (QB), Darryl Monroe (LB)

Can UConn football avoid blowouts in 2014? - The UConn Blog
In 2013, Washington State made its first bowl game in a decade under Mike Leach but the seeds were planted during a 3-9 campaign in 2012. The win-loss number wasn’t pretty but if you followed the Cougars that season – or if you were a recruit they were targeting – you saw vast improvement. They lost to eventual Rose Bowl champs Stanford by 7 on the road. The lost to eventual Pac-12 South champion UCLA by 8 at home. It came to fruition with a Thanksgiving weekend victory over archrival Washington.

Women's basketball:

Brian Holsinger Promoted to Associate Head Coach - Washington State University Official Athletic Site
Washington State women’s basketball head coach June Daugherty announced the promotion of Brian Holsinger to associate head coach Wednesday.

Women's soccer:

Pac-12 Networks Women's Soccer Schedule Announced - Washington State University Official Athletic Site
The Washington State University women’s soccer team is slated to make nine television appearances on the Pac-12 Networks in 2014.