It's game week for Cougar Football

Good morning, Cougar fans. Sunday's dawn means we've made it. We won't have to endure another Saturday without college football for months. No more art galleries. No more farmer's markets. No more searching through a guide of 300 channels and finding nothing to watch. No more.

Although these next few days may seem interminable, and the concentration level at work could quite well be the lowest it's ever been, nothing can change the fact that our long drought is over. The best part? For the first time in the Mike Leach era, I can say with absolute certainty that one week from today, Mike Leach will be 1-0 as WSU's coach for the first time.*

*Wildfire smoke permitting

Saturday was somewhat barren on the Cougar Athletics news front, even for the football team. The team held a brief practice inside the bubble, so there isn't a whole lot to discuss. On the preview front, Paul Myerberg recently published his Pac-12 preview in USA Today. Myerberg is one of the most thorough college football writers out there, but unfortunately he didn't preview every FBS team, which he had been doing for years. Still, he wrote extensively about the Pac-12 as a whole. Like most other writers, he isn't high on WSU in 2015, pegging them at 84th in his rankings, above Oregon State and Colorado.

One thing in our favor? Well, at least Paul Wulff isn't the answer to the trivia question. One thing not in our favor? Well, don't bother to look at where USA Today thinks Mel Hein attended college. Myerberg did lay out his best case and worst case scenario for each team, but stopped short of predicting records. Here's what he had to say about WSU:

Washington State

Best case: As in Berkeley, the Cougars are able to unite offensive potency with a stronger defense; this leads to eight wins and a validation of Mike Leach's vision for the program.

Worst case: Another three-win seasons raises a few eyebrows.

I know we're all hoping the best case is closer to reality than the worst case. The good news? Next Saturday we begin the journey toward finding the answer. The season is upon us. Go Cougs.

Football

WSU QB Luke Falk has full head of steam heading into opener - Spokesman.com - Aug. 29, 2015
For the quarterbacks who propel Washington State’s Air Raid offense, record passing numbers are simply an occupational byproduct.

Videos: Five Questions with Graham Harrell and Ken Wilson | The Spokesman-Review
The Washington State Cougars held a short, indoor practice on Saturday so there isn't much to report. But assistant coaches Graham Harrell and Ken Wilson were good enough to speak afterwards, so we've got some fun videos of their interviews.

2015 Pac-12 football preview capsules | The News Tribune
Can first-year coordinator Alex Grinch revamp a unit that allowed opponents to gain 6.2 yards per play and 8.3 yards per pass attempt in 2014? WSU’s progression on that side of the ball will determine whether the Cougars make their second bowl appearance under Leach.

Pac-12 betting preview: Conference might be poised to be football’s best - Las Vegas Sun News
The folks in Vegas are less than enthused about this year's version of Cougar Football.

Volleyball

Volleyball Takes 3-0 Win over ETSU - Washington State University Official Athletic Site
Kyra Holt and McKenna Woodford combined for 31 kills to lead the Washington State volleyball team (2-1) to a 25-18, 25-22, 25-21 win over East Tennessee State (0-2).

Beer

Only You Can Prevent Seasonal Creep | CraftBeer.com
The best example of seasonal creep came from the TuneIn radio app. While it was still advertising Sam Adams Summer Ale, all of my local stores had purged Summer Ale in favor of Sam Adams Oktoberfest. This was in early August. Anyway, I feign apoplexy when I see fall/winter seasonals in stores while I'm sweating through my clothes, but I also leap at the chance to drink Southern Tier Pumking as soon as it comes out. That would make me part of the problem.

Non-Sports

Is Amazon Creating a Cultural Monopoly? - The New Yorker
Vauhini Vara on Authors United’s complaint to the Justice Department that Amazon.com is a monopoly and a monopsony that disadvantages consumers.