Cougar Football Saturday, Oregon edition

Being a 40-point underdog really does take the win out of the sails of a college football Saturday. Sure the game isn't over and anything can happen on any given day, but it's hard to have a good feeling about this one.

To make matters worse, WSU's other athletic programs didn't get the weekend off to a very good start with the volleyball team, soccer team and swimming team all losing on Friday. If the results on the football field go like many expect, this will definitely not be a highlight weekend for the athletic department.

Despite the point spread, fans tend to get more optimistic as the week goes along, so this seems like a good time to gauge the pulse.

Football:

Taking control | Sports | The Register-Guard | Eugene, Oregon
PULLMAN — Opposing defenses have spent decades trying to figure out how to stop Mike Leach’s high-octane, no-huddle, pass-happy offense. In most cases, defenses have experienced little success and considerable frustration.

Cougars Receive Midseason Accolades - Washington State University Official Athletic Site
Five Washington State football players received Midseason All-Pac-12 accolades from Phil Steele Magazine earlier this week. Senior safety Deone Bucannon was also named a Midseason All-American by SportsIllustrated.com.

GameDay: Why Washington State will beat Oregon | Emerald Media
When the email first arrived asking for someone to make the case as to why Washington State would beat Oregon on Saturday, I dismissed it as an impossible task. Right now, we are not sure what to make of this Cougar football team. Some weeks the team looks markedly better than the 2012 squad and other weeks they erupt into a giant dumpster fire.

GameDay: How Oregon and Washington State stack up | Emerald Media
The Oregon Ducks are headed home after two weeks on the road and face the third-best passing offense in the Pac-12 in the Washington State Cougars.

No. 2 Ducks back home to face WSU Cougars - KPTV - FOX 12
The Washington State Cougars are at least outwardly undaunted even though they're more than five-touchdown underdogs to second-ranked Oregon

Photos: Oregon Ducks vs. Washington State Cougars through the years | OregonLive.com
Check out our photo gallery of the Ducks and Cougars matchups over the past 20 years and post your favorite photo in the comment thread.

WSU Athletics:

Cougar Soccer Loses to Beavers - Washington State University Official Athletic Site
Oregon State received a goal in the 17th minute from Erin Uchacz and made it stand up for a 1-0 victory at Washington State in Pac-12 women’s soccer, Friday.

Volleyball Loses to No. 7 Stanford - Washington State University Official Athletic Site
The Washington State volleyball team (2-5 Pac-12, 15-5 overall) lost to No. 7 Stanford (6-1 Pac-12, 13-3 overall) 25-17, 25-15, 25-21, Friday night before 1,123 fans at Bohler Gym.

WSU Swimming Falls at Home - Washington State University Official Athletic Site
In its first home meet of the season Friday, the Washington State swimming team fell to USC by a final score of 146-116 at Gibb Pool.