Everyone loves award "watch-lists" at the beginning of the season, so I thought I'd put together my own - here are the four teams on the "Going To Get Beat By WSU Watch List."

That's not to say that WSU will definitely beat all these teams, or that WSU will even beat one of them. This is just a list of the teams who are most susceptible to losing to the Cougs.

And I'm not alone in my beliefs. Down deep, the fan-bases of these schools are all worried about it. Of course, they won't admit it aloud. They won't tell their friends. But when they peruse the schedule, they each get a little nervous about that WSU game.

4. Cal:
First of all, Cal is traditionally one of my favorite teams in the conference. But right now we're in a bit of a fight. Mostly it's due to me making grand predictions for them last season (Pac-10 champs, national title contenders, etc) and them crashing in embarrassing fashion. Don't let that make you think that I'm putting them on this list due to vendetta. No, they're on the list because they won't be very good this season.

On top of that, Cal has become so good at having at least one major, mind-blowing meltdown in a season, having one in the November cold of the Palouse after a tough game against Oregon State the week before is seriously not out of the question.

WSU was never really in the game last season, but that being said, they were never really in the game in any Pac-10 matchup but no other team let the Cougs get the 440 yards of offense they racked up against the Bears. No one will doubt that WSU was really really bad last season, but so was the Cal D. This season, that horrid Cal secondary that ranked 111th in pass D last season brings in three new starters. Could be trouble.

On offense, the Bears have got superstar-in-the-making Shane Vereen who the Cougs will have to find an answer for. If they can slow him down, they can force Kevin Riley to pass the ball which is usually a good thing. Of course, Riley had three TDs in the first quarter against the Cougs last season, but if there's one thing you can count on with Riley, it's his inconsistency so it's a decent bet to say he'll be seriously less effective this time around.

So, the Bear offense stays about the same. The Cougar D improves. The Bear defense gets worse, the Cougar offense improves. Sure the Bears have tons of talent, but they also have an incredible ability to not live up to it. Yeah, it's shaky math, and the Bears are a longshot to suffer the upset, but it's just enough to include them as #4 in the Watch List.

WSU 31 - Cal 30

3. UCLA:

The Bruins, just like their colors, are too bland to really draw any personal ire from me or anyone else not wearing a SC shirt. Sure, their coach is a first-class dingdong, but even he gets a pass for making Husky fans miserable for the past 8 years.

UCLA makes the Watch List because they replace nearly their entire defense and have to once again rely on QB Kevin Prince. Prince was mediocre at best last season and now gets the challenge of trying to handle a new offense designed by Norm Chow to breathe life in to the running game which checked in at 97th in the nation last season.

The biggest problem for the Bruins in regard to their matchup with WSU, though, may just be a matter of scheduling. The Cougs visit the Rose Bowl (where they've won 3 of their last 4) in week 5 after the Bruins meet up with KSU, Stanford, Houston and a road trip to Texas. Brutal. And not a lot of warm up for a shaky QB to pick up the new O or a new defense to get acclimated. UCLA could feasibly be heading in to this game at 1-3 or even 0-4.

Really, aside from FS Rahim Moore, LB Akeem Ayers and a couple of good WRs, the Bruins don't really have any proven players that will strike fear in opponents. Much like the Bears, they've got tons of young, unproven talent and lots of holes to fill. And, they both made the Watch List.

WSU 33 - UCLA 28

2. UW:

I know that this may come as a complete surprise to my readers seeing that most of you live in the Seattle area and if you read anything coming from the UW PR Department (aka The Seattle Times sports page) you not only know that the UW will not lose any games this season, but the entire team will forgo plane tickets and simply clench Jake Locker's golden hindquarters as he flies them from stadium to stadium.

Unfortunately for the UW and their smitten cheerleaders (aka the Seattle Times sports page), the Huskies actually have a bit of work to do before locking themselves in as Pac-10 champions. Like finding a secondary. Or a pass rush. Or some depth on the lines.

But then there's Jake Locker. There's so much Jake Locker that the school has gotten rid of their husky mascot and replaced it with a mini, furry Jake Locker and renamed themselves the UW Jake Lockers and emblazoned their helmets with a picture of Jake Locker holding a charcoal sketch of Jake Locker. What's beyond Jake Locker? Who knows? And who cares that none of them have taken a college snap. Ever. And why worry about such things? It's not as if you have an o-line where every player is lining up in a different position than they did last year. Oh wait...that's exactly what's happening.

On defense, the overwhelming concern lies with a secondary that was torched by everyone except the Cougs last season and that replaces two starters from that unit. Defensive Coordinator Nick "I couldn't cut it at Idaho" Holt is surely hard at work trying to bring a pulse to the defensive backfield because on the line, things aren't looking so swell either. Both defensive ends need to be replaced and no one is looking too interested in getting to the QB thus far in camp. No pressure means lots of throwing. Lots of throwing means lots of yards. Throw in two new LBs and things could get interesting.

But...there's Jake Locker! He can play safety, right? There's also the waves of adulation coming from every direction in the Seattle media and that's gotta count for something, huh? Unfortunately for the UW, looking at the two-deep they've only improved in one position over the offseason - WR. The RB situation is still good with Chris Polk and significant depth, but the lines are weaker, TE is weaker, the secondary is weaker and beyond Jake Locker, the QB position is much weaker. But who needs depth in the Pac-10?!

And where does that leave them? With a very cold and miserable date with the Cougs on December 4th in Pullman. After an off-season of hype, the disheartened Huskies will drag their four wins in to the Palouse, broken and tired, and very possibly lay an egg on the Martin Stadium turf.
It's no surprise, but congratulations UW, you've made the Watch List.

WSU 24 - UW 19

1. ASU:

I'll be honest, I don't like ASU. I don't like Dennis Erickson. I don't even like Sparky.

So, it's safe to say no matter how good ASU would be this year, they'd be on this list. But just like everyone else, the real reason they are here is because they too just aren't very good.

The strength of the ASU squad last season was the D, and after suffering the loss of 6 starters, the really bad news is that it'll be the strength of this year's squad too.

You see what I did there? Yeah, that means the offense is terrible.

Of course, who really knows what will take the field as it's possible that a new no-huddle offense led by a QB that hasn't been decided on yet and a patched-up o-line and a receiving corps that lost two starters MAY go out and be unstoppable. Of course, it's far more likely that they'll be pretty bad.

But back to that defense. They were 2nd-best in the conference last year, and despite losing the majority of that squad, they do bring back "Personal Foul All American" Vontaze Burfict at linebacker, and DT Lawrence Guy. Still, it's safe to say that you won't be seeing the same sort of game-changing D you saw last year.

Last season, the 27-14 ASU win was the closest game of the Pac-10 slate for the Cougs and this year, with no visible improvement from the Sparkies and plenty for the Cougs, you know what that means: Congrats ASU, you're #1 on the Watch List.

WSU 21 - ASU 17

Yes, I do realize that I just wrote an article slamming teams' weaknesses and was still not able to promise a win. That's just the state we're in and I'm fine with that. The Cougs will win 2 of their 3 non-conference games and beat one or two of the above...if that happens, no problem. It's just setting the stage...

Go Cougs!

share this:

Tweet