Hot Cougar Action: Bill Moos already looking ahead to Year 3 of the Mike Leach era?

Don't expect any bowl game proclamations or hype videos from WSU this offseason. A year after expectations ran wild, Bill Moos has already begun pumping the breaks on expectations for the upcoming football season.

''I don't think I would forecast that we are assured of six wins this year,'' Moos said via Tim Booth. ''We've got a tough schedule. We've got to open on the road at Auburn and then at USC, but we'll be better. I don't know if the scoreboard will show it. We're setting the foundations for what I believe will be a very strong program. Year 3 is when I believe it will show.''

While that quote is a stark contrast from the plan to spend the holidays somewhere warm comments last season, it isn't unexpected. From Moos' comments on Monday, last year's building of wild and outrageous expectations was a plan to jump start interest in the fan base.

''I'll take the blame for getting the feverish pitch of our fan base. We needed that,'' Moos said. ''We had tremendous apathy and it worked. Largest donor base we've ever had, most money we've ever raised. ... The guy is a great football coach, he's not the Wizard of Oz. ''

On the one hand, he's right. On the other hand, however, Moos is essentially admitting he hired Mike Leach, proclaimed how awesome he was and how awesome WSU football was going to be right away, got a bunch of people to donate money then said hey just kidding we're going to suck for two more years ... then we'll be awesome.

I guess football operation buildings don't build themselves.

Football:

You should read Booth's entire piece, or Christian Caple's as Moos discussed a few other topics. Here are the cliff notes.

• An indoor practice facility is next on the list of planned upgrades followed by improvements for the baseball and soccer facilities followed down the road by improvements to Beasley Coliseum.
• Moos on Marquess Wilson, via Booth one more time.

''Very neat kid and a very talented kid,'' Moos said. ''But I believe had been pampered with the previous staff and didn't want to toe the line effort-wise in practice or games and so he benched him and then you get the attitude stuff and all of that.''

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Moos tells sports media WSU isn't done building - Spokesman.com - May 6, 2013
YAKIMA – Bill Moos said he wanted to build when he accepted Washington State’s athletic director job in February of 2010.

Moos says hopes WSU rises in Year 3 - Yahoo! Sports
YAKIMA, Wash. (AP) -- Washington State athletic director Bill Moos believes Mike Leach's third season will be when the Cougars start winning. The Cougars may have finished with a dismal 3-9 record, but Moos' secondary goal of invigorating the Cougars' apathetic fan base was accomplished by all the hype that came with his decision to hire Leach, even with the losing record.

Pacific Takes Pac-12 Power Rankings: Post-Spring - Pacific Takes
6. Washington State - The Cougars could be a sleeper if Connor Halliday and their fleet of talented, young receivers can start rolling in Mike Leach's offense.

Baseball

Make it 11 losses in the last 13 games for WSU after a 7-5 loss to Portland on Monday.

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Cougars Come up Short in Portland - The Washington State University Official Athletic Site
PORTLAND, Ore. - Portland scored five times in the bottom of the fifth inning and posted a 7-5 victory over visiting Washington State in nonconference baseball, Monday.

Home runs by Jeff Melby and Ben Grubb lift Portland to 7-5 victory against Washington State | OregonLive.com
Portland's Jeff Melby hit a two-run home run in the bottom of the first inning and Ben Grubb drilled a three-run blast in the fifth as the Pilots topped the Washington State Cougars 7-5 in a non-conference baseball game Monday afternoon at Joe Etzel Field.

Basketball

Cougs to Meet in NBA Conference Semifinals - The Washington State University Official Athletic Site
SAN ANTONIO, Texas - Former Washington State University men's basketball standouts Aron Baynes and Klay Thompson will share a court once again as their respective teams, the San Antonio Spurs and Golden State Warriors, faceoff in the NBA Western Conference Semifinals in a best-of-seven series that begins Monday at San Antonio's AT&T Center.