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As we inch towards the middle of July, the news media, odds makers, and sports information departments are stepping up their efforts to prime fan interest for the coming season. Here's a look at some WSU related items that were featured in Friday's headlines:
CONNOR HALLIDAY
Connor Halliday was named to the College Football Performance Awards (CFPA) watch list for the 2014 season. The watch list consists of 40 quarterbacks from around the nation. Halliday is one of seven Pac-12 quarterbacks to make the list.
Halliday Named To CFPA Quarterback Watch List - Washington State University Official Athletic Site
Connor Halliday has been named to the 2014 College Football Performance Awards (CFPA) Quarterback Trophy watch list.
According to Jacob Thorpe,, Halliday is currently away from Pullman serving as a counselor at the Manning Passing Academy. The academy is being conducted on the campus of Nicholls State University in Thibadoux, Louisiana.
#WSU QB Connor Halliday has been named to the CFPA QB trophy watch list. Halliday is currently acting as a counselor at the Manning camp.
— Jacob Thorpe (@JacobThorpeSR) July 11, 2014
The Manning Academy which is overseen by Peyton and Eli Manning and their father Archie, is in its 19th year of operation. The four-day camp attracts a number of well-known football figures to work with skill position players between the 8th and 12th grades. .
THE LIKABLE TONI POLE
WSU fans don't have a hard time liking and rooting for Toni Pole. According to ESPN's Kyle Bonugura, fans of other schools should also like and root for Pole. Bonugura listed five Pac-12 players that fans from all schools should take a rooting interest in. One of those players is Pole. Bonugura mentions several ways that Pole has been an active volunteer and member of the Pullman, including singing the national anthem before a few women's basketball games. Bongura also describes the importance of Pole's interception in the 2012 Apple Cup as an enduring image in Cougar football history. Other players named to the list include Arizona State's Taylor Kelly, Oregon's Marcus Mariota, Stanford's Ty Montgomery, and Cal's Stefan McClure.
Five Pac-12 players to root for - Pac-12 Blog - ESPN
There is no shortage of players who will excite on the field in the Pac-12 this season, but it's not all about on-field performance.
DARRY MONROE GETS TO KNOW BRANDON EVERS
Apparently, Darryl Monroe is considering a career in communications. Earlier this week, Monroe applied his on-camera talents to interview incoming freshman and fellow linebacker Greg Hoyd. In the video below, Monroe can be seen in the plush seats of the fourth-floor conference room in the new Football Operations Building interviewing another freshman Brandon Evers, a 3-star offensive line recruit from Enterprise High School in Redding, CA .
MORE PRESEASON PREDICTIONS
With the football season approaching, sports wagering analysts are cranking out previews of what smart wagerers should expect from each team in the coming season. Jimmy Boyd from Boyd's Bets did his preview of WSU, and he is rather bullish on the Cougs for the 2014 season. The current over/under win total for WSU is at 5.5 games. Boyd recommends taking the over figuring the Cougs will win seven games this season, good for third place in the Pac-12 North. The odds that WSU wins the national championship are at 400 to 1.