Thoughts on College Gameday’s appearance in Pullman

If anyone ever created a list of bye week power rankings, WSU’s Week Seven bye week would be atop the list, yes? To get things started, the Washington Huskies ventured into Autzen Stadium to face the Oregon Ducks. Following a back-and-forth affair, the game rested on left foot of Husky kicker Peyton Henry. Henry’s short kick sailed wide, the game went to overtime, and you know the rest.

So as the Cougs sat in front of their television sets, the Pac-12 North race tightened, as there are no longer any unbeaten teams. Along with the team, most Cougar fans were likely celebrating some schadenfreude. That errant kick and subsequent Oregon win would have far bigger ramifications for the Cougars, however.

In what is almost certainly a direct result of the outcome in Eugene, ESPN made it official a few hours later, announcing that College Gameday will make its long sought-after inaugural trip to our lovely little college town on the Palouse.

And there was much rejoicing. This really is a special thing. After 15 freaking years of waiting, after all the bad-to-awful-to-”we’re plumbing the depths of ineptitude” football, after all the trips Ol’ Crimson made to other college football venues, after the precious few times when Gameday could have come but didn’t, the wait is finally over.

The funniest part is that is took a huge assist from the guys in purple to make it happen. No matter. With the way they’ve started this season, the Cougs have certainly earned this one. There has been much debate in the past over whether the show should come to Pullman even if WSU wasn’t going to be involved in an important game. Well, that’s been put to rest. Not only is this a huge event, the game that will accompany it also has major implications in the conference race.

Other random thoughts:

• Something tells me that Lee Corso isn’t thrilled with what will be a ghastly wakeup time.
• I haven’t the first idea where the set will be but it would be pretty hilarious if it somehow featured that hideous heart sculpture.
• How many students will leave the bars, then just power through another couple hours to be on the set at 5am?
• Speaking of the students - the show runs from 6-9am. Will they all leave at 730?
• Almost as fun as being there will be watching the social media reaction as the show unfolds.
• Can’t wait to see the signs. That said, please no Husky-related crap. Make this event about WSU. Along with that, if anyone starts an “eff the Huskies” chant, that person should be banned from Pullman for life.
• Early weather forecast is sunny and 67 degrees. I mean...

All that said, Saturday is going to be amazing. It will feature a three-hour WSU/Pullman love fest, along with a nationally-televised game in which WSU can earn a place atop the Pac-12 North. Pullman, Washington and WSU Cougar football, for one day at least, will be the center of the college football universe. Can’t wait.

Football

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Life in Germany

Austria, actually. To take advantage of last weekend’s holiday, the family headed to Austria for a few days. A tradition among Austrian dairy farmers is decorating their cattle when they return from a summer of grazing in the mountains. It’s actually a neat thing to watch, as you can tell how much pride the farmers take in decorating and parading their precious cows. The abundant amount of available schnapps didn’t hurt, either. If you’ve ever wondered where the saying “until the cows come home” originated, well, here ya go.

Beer

Best beer I had this week: After we watched the cows poop all over the street, we ventured over to the beautiful city of Innsbruck. Among the purchases was Coffeelicious Special, courtesy of Polish brewery Piwne Podziemie. I hadn’t had a stout in a while, and this was very good.

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Non-Sports

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