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It’s Apple Cup week!!!!!!
Can’t you feel the excitement?????
There are always a lot of complex emotions wrapped up in this game, but this year they’re amplified by the end of the Pac-12 conference, Washington’s role in that, and the announcement this week that the Apple Cup will continue for the foreseeable future.
Washington is playing to keep their CFP hopes alive, while the Cougs are playing for bowl eligibility. There are a lot of reasons to think that WSU can play well enough to win — and that UW could play poorly enough to lose — but … we have a lot of recent history in this game to suggest that it won’t be close.
That said … beating Colorado in the fashion in which the Cougs did might give us a little more hope than we otherwise might have for a road game against a top 5 team.
How are you feeling about it?
Other topics of discussion:
* Beer: Jeff — Fresh Catch (Block 15); Craig — A Deal With The Devil (Anchorage)
* Men’s basketball: The Cougs split a pair of games, losing to Mississippi St. then beating Rhode Island. We learned a lot in these two games, the vast majority of it positive!
* Women’s basketball: The Cougs are still undefeated. Now they’re in Cancun, Mexico, for a tournament.
* Volleyball: Winning in five sets against ASU wasn’t exactly how it was planned, but a win is a win and now WSU sets its sights on Washington on Friday.
Podcast music by Randy England. You can find more of his work on Instagram.
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Wins have been hard to come by these days for WSU, but the Cougs got a huge one on Tuesday when a judge ruled that Washington State and Oregon State — alone — will govern the Pac-whatever out of this phase and into the next one.
Craig watched the whole thing, and we’ve got lots of thoughts on what the decision means for the future of WSU, and the conference as a whole. How are you feeling about it?
Other topics of discussion:
* Football: Everything still sucks. Maybe they can beat Colorado on Friday?
* Beer: Jeff — Fresh Hop Lateral A (Single Hill); Craig — Chamomile tea. (For real.)
* Men’s basketball: Off to a 2-0 start, the Cougs face a big measuring stick contest against Mississippi State on Saturday morning.
* Women’s basketball: The Cougs are 4-0 after their busy early schedule, but … should we be a little bit worried about Charlisse Leger-Walker?
* Volleyball: The Cougs needed a big win, and they got one over USC last weekend.
Podcast music by Randy England. You can find more of his work on Instagram.
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As you all are extremely well aware, the last month of WSU sports hasn’t exactly been a whole lot of fun.
Enter basketball!
The men’s and women’s teams tipped off their seasons on Monday, and each of them delivered a resounding victory in Beasley Coliseum: The 24th-ranked women first defeating Cal Poly (78-61), then the men dispatching Idaho (84-59).
Look, nobody is saying that either of these outcomes guarantee enormous things for either team — both contests certainly had that “first-game vibe” that everyone is familiar with, and both opponents were decidedly overmatched.
We’re just saying that it was incredibly nice to start our weeks by enjoying a couple of Cougar victories on a Monday evening with nothing bad happening in the time between that and when we recorded.
Other topics of discussion:
* Beer: Jeff — Fresh Hop Fiend (Stoup); Craig — Vanilla Deth (Revolution).
* Football: Everything sucks.
* Soccer: They lost to Washington to end the season. Jeff was there. It was dreadful.
* Volleyball: Things are looking up(?) after sweeping Cal. There’s still a big chance to finish the season strong.
* NIL: Jake Dickert said something that riled people up. Maybe it riled you up. It did not rile us up.
Podcast music by Randy England. You can find more of his work on Instagram.
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How on earth did things get this bad?
From ranked No. 13 in the AP poll to the wrong end of a four-game skid that threatens bowl eligibility, things are very bad with WSU’s football team. And when we look around Pullman, things aren’t much better — volleyball has dropped three of four in a fashion that we didn’t even imagine was possible, and soccer has just one win in its last six.
In the last two weeks, the Big Three fall sports have combined for one win — ONE! — in 10 combined games.
It’s the kind of thing that makes you wonder if maybe the problems run deeper than the things that normally plague college teams. Like … maybe it has something to do with the state (or lack thereof) of the Cougs’ conference affiliation going forward?
Other topics of discussion:
* Football: Recapping ASU and previewing Stanford. How on earth are the Cougs double-digit favorites over anyone in the conference at this point?
* Beer: Jeff — Hearts & Bines (Varietal); Craig — Juicy Bits (Weldworks).
* Basketball! The women and men each tip off their seasons on Monday. What’s in store?
Podcast music by Randy England. You can find more of his work on Instagram.
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Well, that could hardly have gone worse!
No. 13 WSU football traveled to Los Angeles and lost to UCLA. No. 4 volleyball hosted No. 3 Stanford and lost. Soccer went to Tempe and got pummeled by Arizona State, 5-1.
And yet, even in the wake of these disappointing results, we find ourselves encouraged by many aspects of the performances turned in, particularly as it pertains to football and volleyball.
Craig’s got the week off, so let’s discuss all this and more — with special guest Zane Murfitt!
Other topics of discussion:
* Beer. Jeff: Fresh Hop Gorgeous IPA (Rueben’s Brews). Zane: Johnny Utah (Georgetown).
* Volleyball dropped a heartbreaker to No. 3 Stanford.
* WSU soccer started its weekend with a nice comeback win over Arizona, but then crashed hard on Sunday.
Podcast music by Randy England. You can find more of his work on Instagram.
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WSU football has soared to No. 13 in the AP poll after beating then-No. 14 Oregon State 38-35, followed by watching the Beavers easily hand then-No. 10 Utah a humbling 21-7 defeat the next week.
Just how good have the Cougars been in this opening four-game stretch? They currently rank sixth in ESPN.com’s “resumé” metric, sitting one spot ahead of Georgia, the defending national champs and No. 1 team in the AP poll.
In short, WSU has been about as good as a team who has played their schedule can be.
But now they head out on the road for a stiff test at UCLA, where the Bruins have entered some sort of a bizarro world: A Chip Kelley-coached team that is defense forward. UCLA is a 3.5-point favorite in most places, so the game figures to be tight. We break it down.
Other topics of discussion:
* Pat McAfee is an asshole, and College Gameday’s attitude toward WSU right now is repulsive.
* Volleyball is up to No. 4(!!) in the rankings. After what should be a tune-up against Cal on Friday, the main event awaits on Sunday: No. 3 Stanford in Bohler Gym. As near as we can tell, it’s the lowest combined ranking for any WSU game … ever.
* Beer. Jeff: Boss Pour (Abnormal). Craig: Flowers of the Sky (Bizarre).
* WSU soccer hit the skids against some really talented teams. Cause for concern or just a run of bad luck against highly ranked opponents?
Podcast music by Randy England. You can find more of his work on Instagram.
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This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit podcastvseveryone.substack.com -
If you haven’t been paying attention to WSU volleyball, it’s time for you to start. Because folks, this is not an exaggeration: We have a legitimate national championship contender on our hands in Pullman.
It’s tough to properly contextualize what Jen Greeny’s squad accomplished in three matches over the span of eight days.
Beating a top 10 team at home, as they did the night before the Cougs’ epic football win over Wisconsin by dispatching No . 8 BYU? It’s rare, but they’ve done that sort of thing before.
Beating a top 20 team on the road, as they did last Wednesday at No. 18 Baylor? They’ve done that too, but again … not real often.
Beating another top 10 team — this time on the road! — as they did last Friday at No. 6 (and defending national champ) Texas?
And dropping only three sets combined between the three matches?
This is something else altogether. About the closest analogue we could come up with was the 1997 football team that spent most of its season inside the top 10 and only had its national championship hopes derailed by a close road loss to Arizona State. And while this team isn’t quite getting the attention that one did (for reasons that we all understand), they’re on that same level.
This is worthy of celebration. So that’s where we start on this week’s podcast.
Other topics of discussion:
* Of note: Volleyball’s next match is Thursday when they host Washington. If you can’t get to Pullman, the game will be on Pac-12 Network at 7 p.m. PT.
* No, the Cougs didn’t #Drop70 against Northern Colorado, but they definitely had their way with the FCS Bears, who were overmatched from the jump. Nine touchdowns on the first nine drives of the game shows the mentality that Jake Dickert has cultivated on his squad.
* Oregon State comes to town on Saturday in a rare matchup of Top 25 teams in the series. The Beavers also are favored. Let’s break down what the Cougs will need to do to emerge with a Pac-2 title.
* Beer. Jeff: Dr. Lupulin (Revision). Craig: Happy Hops IPA (Russian River).
* Soccer picked up another win! This time over Seattle U. Now they’ve got a huge matchup on Friday, hosting No. 2 Stanford. Can these Cougs do their part on the Cougs Vs. Everybody revenge tour?
Podcast music by Randy England. You can find more of his work on Instagram.
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This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit podcastvseveryone.substack.com -
A week ago, we wondered what the weekend might bring, not just in terms of the outcome of the football game against the Big Ten’s Wisconsin Badgers — visiting Pullman for the first (and almost certainly last) time — but in terms of how everyone would be feeling.
As it turned out, everyone was feeling pretty damned good from start to finish. Let’s celebrate together.
Other topics of discussion:
* Predicting the score of Northern Colorado/WSU just for the hell of it.
* Beer. Jeff: Attempted Murder (Bombastic Brewing). Craig: Spotted Cow (New Glarus Brewing).
* Volleyball secured what could be a season-defining win after beating top-10 BYU 3-1 to propel themselves to No. 11 in the nation.
* Soccer suffered its first defeat of the season, a 1-0 loss to Saint Mary’s last Thursday, but the Cougs rebounded on Sunday to pick up a solid win against Kansas. Are the scoring issues startimg to become a thing again?
Podcast music by Randy England. You can find more of his work on Instagram.
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit podcastvseveryone.substack.com -
WSU started off the football season with a bang, smacking around Colorado State in Fort Collins in the return trip of a home and home series with the Rams. It sure looks like the Cougs are in about as good of a position as they can be heading into this weekend’s massive matchup with Wisconsin in Pullman. If the old adage — the biggest improvement happens between week 1 and 2 — holds true, this weekend could be very, very fun.
We also all know the situation. It’s been 25 years since a power conference team visited Pullman, and it will likely never happen again. How front of mind will that be as we commiserate pregame? How much will that dominate the conversation on the broadcast? Will it overshadow the actual game, as it did last Saturday when CBS Sports Network decided to talk about it, more or less nonstop?
Other topics of discussion:
* Beer. Jeff: Spruce Budd (Fort George). Craig: (Machine House and Lowercase collab).
* Soccer — now ranked 14th or 15, depending on which poll you like — continues to roll, beating San Diego State to remain perfect on the year at 5-0-0.
* Volleyball — now ranked 17th — is also home this weekend, hosting its own tournament that culminates with a huge matchup with top 10 BYU on Friday.
Podcast music by Randy England. You can find more of his work on Instagram.
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit podcastvseveryone.substack.com -
It’s been a loooooong time since we’ve recorded an episode — 133 days to be exact. With football’s season opener on tap this Saturday, we figured it was time to get back on the horse. And we do talk about football … but not before we get pretty mad about the conference situation. I guess it was a little cathartic?
Anyway, come get mad all over again with us before we put that to bed and focus on what we hope is a happy Saturday. Both of us predict a WSU win, but we differ in the manner in which we think it will go down.
Other topics of discussion:
* Beer. Jeff: Roger’s Pilsner (Georgetown). Craig: London Lager (Machine House and Lowercase collab).
* Soccer is off to a STRONG start, scoring lots of goals.
* Volleyball is also flying, with only one loss so far — on the road to No. 4 Louisville.
Podcast music by Randy England. You can find more of his work on Instagram.
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit podcastvseveryone.substack.com -
The end of WSU’s basketball season was a real bummer, but we got a bit of very good news just in time to record a new episode: The commitment of transfer Jaylen Wells from Sonoma State.
Wells is a 6-foot-7 wing who, as a sophomore, lit up the California Collegiate Athletic Association to the tune of 22.1 points and 8.7 rebounds per game, being named the conference player of the year as well as a third team Division II All-American. Going back to the D-II well might seem concerning when you’re trying to reload, but there are reasons to be optimistic about this signing.
Other topics of discussion:
* Why we pay so very little attention to spring football practices.
* The end of the WSU women’s basketball season and what next year might hold for the Cougs.
* What the increased national attention on women’s basketball means for the game overall.
* Beer. Jeff: Frenz IPA (Bale Breaker and Georgetown collaboration). Craig: Barrel-Aged Speedway Stout (Alesmith).
* Baseball’s roller coaster season, which sets up for a strong finish.
Podcast music by Randy England. You can find more of his work on Instagram.
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Good morning. Go Cougs!
As you read this, the Cougs are in Philadelphia, preparing to open up the 2023 NCAA Tournament on Saturday against Florida Gulf Coast. That deserves a deep-dive preview on the matchup.
WSU, seeded 5th, would seemingly be a prohibitive favorite against the No. 12 seed Eagles. But FGCU is actually quite terrifying as an opponent — the Eagles have won 30 games and pretty much destroyed everything in their path for a couple of months.
Now, that’s against the Atlantic Sun Conference, not the Pac-12. But it’s impressive enough that DraftKings has set the line as a pick ‘em. No other 5 seed is less than a 4.5-point favorite.
What makes the Eagles so dangerous? Like a lot of mid-/low-majors, they’re undersized. But they shoot a lot of 3s — and shoot them very well! They also generate a ton of turnovers on defense. These are high-variance strategies that can lead to unexpected outcomes against a supposedly superior opponent.
There are weaknesses, though. In fact, the two quality opponents the Eagles played this season — Stanford (1 seed in the tournament) and Duke (3 seed) — shut them down and beat them by 24 and 23 points, respectively. The Cougs might not be as good as those two, but they’re a heck of a lot more like those two than they are like the also-rans in the ASun that FGCU routinely beat up.
Chasing the Eagles off the 3-point line, offensive rebounding, and securing the ball on offense seem to be the big keys for us. We also took a look at WSU’s probable second round opponent, Villanova. Dive deeper into it with us on this episode!
Then, we turn our attention to the NIT, where the men’s season came to an end with a loss to Eastern Washington. We break down what we saw happen and where the Cougs go from here as they embark on their offseason.
And finally, we wrap up by talking about the baseball team, which is off to an incredible start after winning its first Pac-12 series of the season at No. 15 Oregon State. Poll voters are impressed, too, putting WSU in the top 25 for the first time in over a decade.
Podcast music by Randy England. You can find more of his work on Instagram.
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The WSU women's basketball team has done what once was thought to be impossible: Win a Pac-12 championship with a 65-61 win over UCLA in Las Vegas. Let's celebrate. Then, let's turn our attention to the men, who beat UW handily and are heading into their own conference tournament riding a six-game win streak.
Podcast music by Randy England. You can find more of his work on Instagram.
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Wins against Stanford and Cal have given the WSU men five wins "on the trot," as we say in soccer -- and it's propelled the Cougs into sixth place, with an eye on potentially securing the No. 5 seed in the Pac-12 tournament -- and maybe another appearance in the NIT. But they'll need a victory over Washington in the season finale first. And we make some time to appreciate Mouhamed Gueye.
Then we celebrate the women accomplishing yet another first this season -- beating UCLA at Pauley Pavilion. We also save some time for complaining about the officiating in the loss to USC, though. Plus, just a little baseball talk.
Music by Randy England. You can find more of his work on Instagram.
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The Cougs welcomed the Washington Huskies (and former teammate Noah Williams!) to Pullman over the weekend, and they emerged with yet another victory over their rivals -- their fifth in the last seven meetings. The offense was ugly, but was it bad? Jeff talks it over with CougCenter's Bryce Hendricks since Craig is still in Costa Rica.
Plus, we have thoughts on Noah's return before turning our attention to this weekend, as Oregon State and Oregon come to town. And finally, should we be concerned about the trajectory of the women's team? They're also playing the Oregons this weekend, and it has potentially big implications for their postseason fate.
Music by Randy England. You can find more of his work on Instagram.
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When Noah Williams announced last April that he was transferring away from Washington State after three years in Pullman, it wasn’t exactly a shock.
When Williams announced less than a week later that he was heading back to his hometown to play for the Washington Huskies, it was ... a bit more surprising.
Now, Williams returns to town for the first time since making the move as the Huskies clash with the Cougs on Saturday in Pullman.
The move to Seattle definitely hasn’t gone as Williams envisioned. An injury in his first game that caused him to miss nearly two months. Inconsistent play since returning. Getting benched last weekend at UCLA for a “coach’s decision.” Scoring two points and committing four fouls in 18 minutes on Sunday in a six-point loss to USC.
But if there’s one thing we know about Williams, it’s that he lives for moments like this: Taking the court against a team that he’ll be desperate to prove wrong. He did it for years against the team he now plays for, famously shouting “THIS IS MY CITY” when the Cougs beat the Huskies in Seattle in his freshman season. The environment is sure to be hostile at Beasley Coliseum. Chants of WA-ZZU RE-JECT are likely to reign down from the student section.
For his part, WSU coach Kyle Smith is being diplomatic about it — speaking on his coach’s show this week, Smith credited Williams for his accountability during his departure, but you also don’t have to read too far between the lines to conclude that Williams had been a destructive force in the locker room and might have been asked to leave, anyway.
Oh, and by the way: Both teams really need a victory, having lost nine of their last 11 games combined.
It sets up a fascinating dynamic. How are you feeling about Williams’ return? How should he be received? What should we expect? We’ve got thoughts.
Music by Randy England. You can find more of his work on Instagram.
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It was a killer weekend for WSU basketball, where the Cougs won three of four against the Arizona schools, capped by the women knocking off the ranked Wildcats in Tucson. It was the first time the Cougar women have won two games against ranked opponents on the road -- just another feather in Kamie Ethridge's cap.
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We were hoping for a split on the road for men's basketball, but the mountain trip proved perilous -- as usual -- and the Cougs returned to Pullman without a victory. What does it mean for the rest of the season? Then, we talk women's hoops' equally rough weekend. How will the NCAA committee weight the absence of Charlisse Leger-Walker?
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The Cougars pulled off a stunning win over No. 5 Arizona on Saturday, but perhaps we shouldn't have been super surprised: WSU clearly had been turning a corner, and the win over the Wildcats was the capper. This team is fun, folks! Then, we talk women's hoops and football's new coordinators.
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Former WSU coach Mike Leach, who did so much for the program over his eight seasons in charge, died on Tuesday at age 61. It's a sad day, so we mourn a little, but mostly we remembered the good times that he gave us -- and there were A LOT of good times. Then, we preview the LA Bowl against Fresno State before talking men's and women's hoops.
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