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Good Saturday morning, Coug fans. It’s the time of year where any kind of football news gets the attention of you and me, and this week was no different. A quarterback commit and four kickoff times will do that.
ESPN had one of those typical offseason pieces on the toughest three-game stretches for teams across the county. WSU isn’t among the ten teams ESPN deemed as having the toughest three-game stretch, but it does show up as being part of a tough three-game stretch....twice!
The first is Cal at home against UW, in Pullman against our Cougs and at USC. The second is USC, which plays at Stanford, at Texas and at home on a Friday night against WSU. Those three games are in weeks two, three and four, so we’ll probably know if USC’s already slim playoff hopes can cling to life.
WSU doesn’t really have any three-game eye openers, but if I had to choose one, I’d go with Oct. 20 - Nov. 3: At home against Oregon, at Stanford and then home against Cal.
Oregon is a sexy pick this year, and Stanford is still Stanford (and Bryce Love). We saw how much trouble Cal gave WSU last season, too. This year’s schedule is more balanced than last year, so it doesn’t exactly lend itself to finding overly tough stretches.
Depending on how good Arizona is, you could argue that the stretch of at Colorado, and home against Arizona and UW is a candidate. but then again there’s a bye between Arizona and UW. (Edit: Incorrect!)
And lastly, dare I say the stretch of being at home against EWU, at USC the following Friday night and at home against Utah? That might end up being the most important stretch.
OK, what say you?
Football
Oklahoma State Cowboys, Tennessee Volunteers among teams with brutal three-game stretches
Oftentimes that brutal stretch in the middle can be the difference between a successful or disappointing season.
Pac-12 conference title odds 2018: Washington the favorite, but provides little value - CBSSports.com
Washington State is +1400
Basketball
Q&A: Robert Franks says belief in Ernie Kent, improvement led to his decision to return to Washington State basketball
'My top takeaway was the physicality at the next level'
Whatever happened to....Dan Spitz
Remember Dan Spitz? He was a defensive lineman-turned-offensive lineman out of Spokane’s Mead High School. Nowadays he finds himself participating in UFC matches:
Mead grad and former WSU football player Dan Spitz is fighting tonight at #UFCUtica. Spitz is on the main card, which begins at 7 o’clock on FS1. He won his last fight in just 24 seconds, so be ready. (H/T @MikeMav22) pic.twitter.com/5R2CImFjRt
— Darnay Tripp (@DarnayTripp) June 1, 2018
As you can see, his last fight ended in victory after just 24 seconds. Last night, however, didn’t go so well:
Walt Harris with a Big Ticket finish!!#UFCUtica @TheBigTicket205 pic.twitter.com/tiC42tqyvo
— UFC (@ufc) June 2, 2018
Spitz lost by TKO at the end of the second round.