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Good morning, Coug fans. Your Washington State Cougars are in Palo Alto today to take on the 24th-ranked Stanford Cardinal in a game that is ripe for a letdown. Of course, the Cougs were in a similar position last year coming off an upset of USC. The Cougs then went on the road to Eugene and came home with a 33-10 victory. I know the letdown narrative fills space and air time, but they still have to play the game.
As Jesse pointed out this week, the Cougs will have to deal with Stanford’s vertical game, assuming its run game is still in the dumps, despite boasting Bryce Love. The Cougs bottled up Stanford’s run game last year for the most part, save for that one long Love touchdown.
The Cougs are bringing the nation’s top passing offense to Palo Alto with Gardner Minshew II leading the way. Stanford’s passing defense ranks 98th in the nation (The Oregon Ducks are 97th, for comparison’s sake). This clearly isn’t the same Stanford team from the past few seasons, but it’s still Stanford and it also boasts a win over Oregon.
But, as Jeff pointed out yesterday, Stanford’s red zone defense is its bright spot. WSU’s red zone offense is quite good, so something has to give.
A win today keeps WSU in the College Football Playoff discussion, which is fun despite the long odds. The first CFP rankings come out next Tuesday, for those keeping score at home.
The betting line hasn’t moved much on this game, but as someone who is awful at predicting things, I’m still saying the Cougs win by 14 or more. Let’s do this.
Three Bold Predictions
Speaking of being awful at predicting things....
- WSU overcomes exactly a 10-point deficit to win by 14 or more.
- Jamire Calvin reintroduces himself with two touchdown catches and 75 or more yards receiving.
- WSU will commit ZERO pass interference penalties. I said these are BOLD predictions!
Here are Calvin’s stats from the past three games:
- Oregon: one catch, eight yards
- Oregon State: one catch, three yards
- Utah: one catch, eight yards
Here are Calvin’s stats from the four games prior to Utah:
- USC: seven catches, 63 yards
- Eastern Washington: six catches, 70 yards
- San Jose State: four catches, 36 yards
- Wyoming: five catches, 82 yards
Calvin hasn’t caught a touchdown pass but that’s not the main thing. His production has dropped big time since the USC game. Why? I don’t know.
Jamire, my man: This is your reintroduction, in your home state. Let’s make it happen.
Football
With historic weekend in rearview mirror, Washington State guarding against letdown versus Stanford | The Spokesman-Review
There’s been plenty of talk this week about hangovers – not all of it necessarily pertaining to what students may have been feeling the morning after a watershed day for the Washington State campus and the Cougar football program.
Mike Leach is still winning, but can he ever win big? | Yardbarker.com
The most unbridled fun I’ve ever had watching a college football game may have come 10 years ago, when a young wide receiver named Michael Crabtree caught a pass and tiptoed along the sideline for a last-second touchdown to lead Texas Tech to a paradigm-altering victory over Texas.
College Sports: Mike Leach is once again calling for major expansion of College Football Playoff | SportsDay
Mike Leach is once again calling for major changes to the College Football Playoff.
Stanford will be tested by Washington State quarterback Minshew – East Bay Times
No. 14 Cougars and No. 24 Cardinal are in a tight battle with No. 15 Washington atop the Pac-12 North.
Stanford vs Washington State preview: Pac 12 North is wild | SI.com
Stanford and Washington State are set for a key battle in the wild and ever-changing Pac-12 North, which has more ranked teams than any division in the country.
Two minute drill: Keys to victory for Washington State against Stanford | The Spokesman-Review
The keys to a potential Washington State victory Saturday against Stanford at Stanford Stadium.
Pac-12 Shenanigans
This makes you think:
Canzano: Mike Leach’s texts raise a question, did Pac-12 instant-replay break down in 2015? | OregonLive.com
Did the Pac-12 steer the outcome of the 2015 WSU-Stanford game?
College Football
College Football Playoff rankings: How Week 9 will impact | SI.com
How the College Football Playoff committee treats the outcome of Saturday’s SEC clash, undefeated UCF on a bye and other teams will reveal a lot.
College football Week 9 game picks | ESPN.com
Who will win the rivalry showdown between No. 9 Florida and No. 7 Georgia? Our experts pick that game, plus Iowa-Penn State, Texas-Oklahoma State and Washington State-Stanford.
College football schedule, games 2018: What to watch in Week 9, TV channels, kickoff times - CBSSports.com
Don’t confuse Week 9 for a lazy Saturday, there are still a lot of important games.
Volleyball
COUGS WIN!! Washington State downs Colorado in four sets on the road to extend the winning streak out to four!#GoCougs #RiseAgain pic.twitter.com/0HaCREdVRh
— Cougar Volleyball (@wsuvolleyball) October 27, 2018