Super Sophs lead Huskies upset over #8 Stanford 17-13

By Kshell

The Washington Huskies(3-1,1-0) upset the #8 Stanford Cardinal(3-1,1-1) 17-13 as the fans rushed the field in excitement at Century Link Field. Last year the Huskies defense allowed 65 points to the Cardinal while this year the Huskies defense held them out of the end zone while allowing only 65 yards rushing. The Huskies were led by a pair of super sophomores in wide receiver Kasen Williams who had a career high 10 receptions for 129 yards with the game winning touchdown. Another sophomore standout was running back Bishop Sankey who ran for a career high 144 yards with a touchdown against the nations #3 rush defense. This was indeed a huge win in the Steve Sarkisian era as the Huskies had been outscored 106-21 the last two years against Stanford.

The game started off slow as the Huskies started the game off by three and outing the Cardinal. The Cardinal would then three and out the Huskies. The Cardinal would begin on their own 38 facing a second and 10 when Josh Nunes would complete a 12 yard pass to Ty Montgomery to the 50 yard line. Facing a third and two from the 42 yard line Nunes would hit his tight end Zach Ertz for a gain of 24 yards. The Huskies defense would then get tough forcing the Cardinal to settle for a Jordan Williamson 31 yard field goal to give the Cardinal a 3-0 lead.

It got worse for the Huskies as they had to begin from their own 11 yard line after a poor kickoff return. Price began the drive by hitting tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins for a gain of seven yards over the middle. On the following play Price would hit Kasen Williams for a gain of six yards as the Huskies began using the hurry up offense. Price would hit Williams again for seven yards. On second and three Price would rush for a gain of 10 yards to their own 41 yard line. Sankey would rush for nine yards to the 50 yard line. With first and 10 from the Cardinal 46 yard line true freshman wide receiver Kendyl Taylor was at running back as he carried twice for four yards. The Huskies would stall on a Williams dropped pass. On the following play was a low snap to new punter Travis Coons(also the field goal kicker), Coons had to pick it up and punt it from his left foot which he downed Stanford on the 14 yard line.

The Huskies defense would three and out the Cardinal offense forcing them to punt as they took over on their own 49 yard line. After two straight incomplete passes by Price he connected on a beautifully thrown ball to Williams for a gain of 36 yards down to the Cardinal 16 yard line. The play would be reviewed as the replay would show Williams got the one foot in bounds. The Huskies offense would stall as Price would get sacked for a loss of nine yards. Travis Coons then would kick a 43 yard field goal which was a career high for him in his young career at Washington to tie the score at 3-3. The Huskies defense would force three straight three and outs on the Cardinal offense after that but unfortunately the Huskies offense kept stalling around midfield.

Stanford would take over on their own 18 with 4:39 left in the half. Stepfan Taylor would begin the drive with a gain of seven yards to the 25 yard line.  Nunes would throw an incomplete pass setting up a third and three. Nunes would make up for it as he burned true freshman Shaq Thompson hitting Ertz for a gain of 35 yards to the Huskies 40 yard line. After a Taylor run of five yards on second down set up a third and five from the 35 yard line. Nunes would complete an 18 yard pass to Levine Toilolo on a jump ball. The ball was poked away but since pass interference was also called on Justin Glenn the missed call only cost the Huskies three extra yards. The next play Nunes went to the end zone but it was incomplete. Taylor would rush for three yards to the Huskies 14 yard line. Facing a third and seven Nunes would hit Taylor but he was stopped well short of the first down. Facing a fourth and three from the 10 yard line the Cardinal decided to kick the field goal. Williamson would drill the 28 yard field goal to give the Cardinal a 6-3 lead at halftime.

The Huskies would start the half going three and out after completing an 11 yard pass to Kendyl Taylor. Travis Coons would have a 50 yard punt with no return as the Cardinal would begin from their own 18 yard line. Nunes would hit Ertz for a gain of 14 yards to the Cardinal 34 yard line. Facing a third and seven from their own 37 the Huskies forced their first turnover. Josh Shirley came in with the sack from behind Nunes and stripped the ball as Andrew Hudson recovered giving the Huskies offense the ball on the Cardinal 35 yard line. Price would throw an incomplete pass, Sankey would rush for two yards setting up a third and eight. Price would throw another incompletion and the Huskies decided to go for it. Price would hit DiAndre Campbell for a gain of three yards which was well short of a first down. The Huskies blew their golden opportunity.

The Cardinal up 6-3 tried to steal momentum away as they drove to the Huskies 47 yard line before the defense once again got tough forcing a punt. The Huskies offense would three and out after a costly penalty by Williams. The Huskies defense would three and out Stanford forcing a punt.

Then two bad breaks went against the Huskies as Marvin Hall returned the 23 yards to their own 47 yard line. It was a bad break because Hall had ran for a touchdown but like he did against Portland State he barely stepped out of bounds. Instead of leading 10-6 the Huskies still trailed 6-3. Then on the following play Price attempting a screen to Taylor was picked off by defensive end Trent Murphy as he read the play perfectly. Murphy then sprint in for a 47 yard interception touchdown return giving the Cardinal a 13-3 with 3:24 left in the quarter. With the way the Huskies offense was playing that appeared to be the dagger in this game.

The Huskies would face a critical offensive series as the crowd started to feel nervous. Starting from their own 19 yard line facing a second and 10 Price would connect with Sankey on a screen for eight yards setting up a third and two from their own 27 yard line. Sankey would rush for three yards getting the first down at the 30 yard line. Price would be sacked for a loss of seven the next play. On second and 17 Price would hit Williams for a gain of six setting up third and 11. Price again would hit Williams for a gain of 10 as Williams ran his route short of the first down. The Huskies were facing a fourth and one from their own 39 yard line. This was the first of two critical decisions by Sarkisian. Sarkisian decided to go for it as time was winding down in the quarter. The Huskies quickly snapped the ball with one second left in the quarter as they handed it to Sankey who got the first down. Then Sankey made the safety miss and was gone for the 61 yard touchdown his longest run of his career. That pulled the Huskies to within 13-10 heading into the fourth quarter.

After a John Timu sack on third down the Cardinal were forced to punt to the Huskies. With nine minutes to go in the game the Huskies would take over from their own 35 yard line. Sankey would start the drive with a gain of three yards. Price would complete a short three yard pass to Jaydon Mickens setting up a third and four from their own 41 yard line. Price would hit Seferian-Jenkins for three and a half yards setting up fourth and one from their own 44 yard line.

Another critical decision by Sarkisan as his defense was playing great and there was still over seven minutes left. Instead Sarkisian went for it and gave the ball to Dezden Petty for his only carry of the game. Petty gained two yards to their own 46 yard line for the first down. Sankey would rush for six yards then rush for five more for another first down to the Cardinal 43 yard line. On second down Price hit Williams on a quick wide receiver screen for a gain of eight yards to the 35 yard line. On third and two Price liked the coverage he saw audible from a run to another quick screen to the right to Williams. Williams got the first down as he stiff armed his man then fumbled the ball in the air slightly around the 20 yard line as he retained it and still was going. Williams then cross the goal line and fumbled after he had crossed the goal line. After the review it showed Williams crossed as he had made his biggest play as a Husky so far in his career as the Huskies finally led 17-13 with 4:53 left in the game.

The Cardinal would take over on their own 34 yard line needing a touchdown as a field goal would do them no good. Nunes would immediately hit Ertz for a gain of 15 yards to the 49 yard line. On second down Nunes hit Ertz again for nine yards to the Huskies 42 yard line setting up a third and one. Nunes would fumble the ball but Ryan Hewitt would pick it up for two yards for the first down. After a five yard penalty Nunes would complete two short passes setting up a fourth and four from the Washington 34 yard line with two minutes left in the game. Nunes would attempt to lob it up to 6'8" Toilolo as he was being covered by Desmond Trufant. Trufant would intercept the pass at the Stanford eight yard line.

The Huskies would still need a first down as the Cardinal had two timeouts. The first run to Sankey went nowhere as Stanford called timeout. Sankey would rush for six yards to their own 14 yard line setting up a third and four as Stanford called their last timeout. Price went up with the hard count and Stanford jumped offsides giving the Huskies five yards which was good enough for a first down. The Huskies simply kneel'd down after that running out the clock as they upset the 8th ranked team in the country and the fans stormed the field.

The Huskies defense was the story in this win as the Cardinal offense who has scored 140 points on the Huskies the last thee years were shut down. The Cardinal were held to 65 yards rushing and 5-18 on third downs. Quarterback Josh Nunes in his first career road start was dreadful. Nunes was 18-37 passing(48.6%) for 170 yards(4.6 YPA) with the game deciding interception. His main target was Zach Ertz who caught six passes for 106 yards. Stepfan Taylor who has killed the Huskies in the past was shut down as he had just 75 yards rushing on 21 carries(3.6 YPC). His longest run of the game was just seven yards. Last year Stanford had 10 runs of 15 yards or more. Stanford only had 235 yards total offense and was held out of the end zone. Thomas Tutogi led the Huskies in tackles with 10, John Timu had six tackles with a sack. Josh Shirley recorded a sack and forced fumble while Desmond Trufant had the game deciding interception.

The Huskies offense had their own struggles but they came through when they had to. Keith Price battled all day as his young offensive line got him battered all game long. Price finished 19-37(51.4%) passing for 177 yards(4.8 YPA) with the game winning touchdown pass and interception. His main target was Kasen Williams who caught 10 passes for 129 yards(12.9 YPC) with a touchdown. Price also connected with Kendyl Taylor who had a catch for 11 yards while rushing for nine yards on four carries. Seferian-Jenkins was held in check with only two catches for 10 yards.  Jaydon Mickens had two receptions for eight yards while DiAndre Campbell had two receptions for 10 yards.

Bishop Sankey would rush for 144 yards on 20 carries(7.2 YPC) with a touchdown. He also had two receptions for nine yards. This was a break out game for Sankey who ran for 64 yards in the first half and ran for 80 yards in the second half. The Huskies had 136 yards rushing on the #3 ranked rushing defense in the nation as Sankey has ran for back to back 100 yard games.

This was a big win for this program as they finally got that big win under their belt. Sarkisian defeated #3 USC 16-13 in his first year but since then was 0-4 against top 10 teams. In fact Sarkisian had lost six straight games to ranked opponents allowing an average of 49.2 points per game and was 1-9 in his last 10 games losing by 28.2 points. The Huskies were hoping to reverse that bad trend which they did as they won this game with defense. The Huskies beat a team who has bullied them the last three seasons as they are hoping this win can show growth in the program. The Huskies played with heart and never gave up which is a sign that perhaps things are looking up. The Huskies won a big game finally on a big national network game which is the biggest selling point this program can make.

Observations:

- This was the breakout game from Kasen Williams that was long overdue. In his 16th career game at Washington Williams recorded his first career 100 yard game. Williams was the only receiver to have more than 12 yards receiving and more than two receptions as he was the entire passing game against Stanford. Williams finished with a career high 10 receptions for a career high 129 yards receiving with the game winning touchdown.

For the year now Williams has 25 receptions for 292 yards(11.7 YPC) with three touchdowns. Williams made some explosive plays as well with the 36 yard reception setting up a field goal and a 35 yard game winning touchdown. This year Williams is on pace for 75 receptions and 876 yards receiving with nine touchdowns which is pretty good for only a sophomore. Williams came up big as he is so strong and physical he is unstoppable on those quick wide receiver screens.

- Another true sophomore who enjoyed a breakout game was running back Bishop Sankey. The Cardinal defense held the USC Trojans to 26 yards rushing on 24 carries in their upset win. They were the #3 rush defense in the country. Instead Sankey had a career game with 20 carries for 144 yards(7.2 YPC) with a touchdown. He also had two receptions for nine yards. Sankey ran hard all game long and showed his burst of speed on fourth and one when he busted that 61 yard touchdown to give the Huskies momentum.

Sankey on the year now has 329 yards rushing on 64 carries(5.1 YPC) with four touchdowns. He also has six receptions for 39 yards(6.5 YPC). Sankey is on pace for 987 yards rushing with 12 touchdowns this year. He came into the year not as the starter but when Jesse Callier went down he became the starter. In his first career start at LSU he got shut down. Since then he has put up back to back 100 yard plus rushing games as he running with some confidence now. Sankey is making Husky fans glad that he ditched the Washington State Cougars last minute to join the Huskies.

- Senior corner back Desmond Trufant had a huge game for the Huskies. The Tacoma native and younger brother of Marcus Trufant is having an outstanding season. Trufant saved the day with the fourth down interception on a play that he probably gets burned on in years past.

Heading into the year Trufant had a lot of hype primarily due to his last name. Well he is earning that as he is clearly the best corner in the conference. Sarkisian called him the best corner this conference has seen in the last 12 years. Due to Trufant's shutdown play the Huskies defense is allowed to put him on an island out there which means they can blitz more. That also allows the Huskies to cheat against the run because defensive coordinator Justin Wilcox knows Trufant isn't going to get burned. Trufant has came a long ways in his four years at Washington and watching him grow has been terrific!

- Justin Wilcox proved he is worth the money.  Mixed and matched a lot. Had the balls to sit our best front seven player in Josh Shirley on 1st and 2nd downs and played OLB Travis Feeney at Free Safety as well. He was mixing and matching his defense perfectly. Give this guy another year or two and this Defense will be legit I'm sure of it.

He had a bunch of different looks something the Huskies defense hasn't even tried since Jim Lambright was running the defense.  He put safety Sean Parker at corner a lot. Shaq Thompson was all over the field stopping the run in the backfield. Danny Shelton plugged up the middle. It was nice seeing the defense play so well against Stanford who had ran for over 1,000 yards on the ground against the Huskies the last three seasons. The defense won the game by forcing seven three and outs.

- Regards to the storming of the field controversy here is my take.

Those who favor it will argue that it was against a top 10 team

Those who oppose will argue it is freaking Stanford.

Both valid.

The Verdict: Yes for those who are older than 25 it was embarrassing seeing us rush the field vs Stanford. The thing is the students 18-22 years old only know of Stanford as the big bad bully's and UW as well bad. Stanford was a top 10 team and had kicked our ass three years in a row in embarrassing fashion.

So I rule that UW was in the right to storm the field but let's not make a habit of this in the future.

- I felt Travis Coons had a really good game for the Huskies. He nailed a 43 yard field goal to tie up at 3 in the first quarter. Plus he is now the teams punter and had a great game.

Coons punted the ball nine times for a 38.9 average with a long of 53 yards. He had three punts go inside the 20 yard line. Coons showed last week how versatile he can be when he completed that fourth down pass on the fake punt. This week he made a 43 yard field goal, handled the punting duties terrific as the Huskies won the field position battle and he even had a touchback on the kickoff. Coons had a rough first game with the Huskies but since then has made a field goal each week as the Junior is proving the Huskies once again have a reliable kicking game.

- Keith Price once again struggled as for the third straight week he threw for under 200 yards. Price was 19-37 passing for 177 yards with a touchdown and an interception. In the defense of Price he is missing his second and third best wide receivers. He is also missing three starting offensive lineman meaning he has no time in the pocket.

Price did show the intangibles though which is what you look for in a good starting quarterback. On the game winning touchdown pass the play call was a designed run but  Price liked the coverage and called an audible. That is where he quickly got the ball out to his play makers hands as Williams busted the pass into a 35 yard game winning touchdown. Later in the game Price used a hard count to draw the Stanford defender offsides which clinched the win for the Huskies. He also experienced his first fourth quarter comeback of his career.

For the year 75-127 passing(59.1%) for 737 yards(5.8 YPA) with five touchdowns to two interceptions. Those are well below his expectations as a quarterback. Hopefully he can get it going soon and the offensive line can give him some time so he can finally complete longer passers. It would be nice for Price if Kevin Smith also came back to give him another weapon besides Williams and Seferian-Jenkins.

- What a week it has been for Seattle? First the arena news passed meaning we are getting the Sonics back plus NHL. Then the Seahawks won against the Green Bay Packers 14-12 on a miracle hail marry catch by Golden Tate. Then the Huskies completed it by upsetting #8 Stanford Cardinal 17-13 in a game where their offense did nothing for the first 44:50 of the game.

Storming the field was great and I was glad the students did that. Gave me a chance to feel young again as I haven't stormed a field since my high school days back in 2004. After the craziness of storming quickly died down it was nice just walking around on the stadium chatting with my friends. To be able to walk on an NFL stadium where Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers have played on was pretty special.

Being at this game I'll never forget the feeling.  The crowd was dead first half but boy was the atmosphere electric in the second half. My voice is still lost from this game. I was so glad the Huskies pulled this win off and was so happy to see so many Husky fans with pride yet again as we all walked around the field to soak this whole moment in.

- This was a huge win for fourth year head coach Steve Sarkisian. He was fully aware that his program was at a crossroads. He was tense before the game talking to NOBODY not even his coaches was alone. Then A.D. Scott Woodward pulled him aside to chat with him to relax Sarkisian as he smiled.

For Sarkisian this game was won by the defense as the offense didn't do much. However, the two critical calls of the game Sarkisian went aggressive and it paid off. Both touchdown drives were scored when Sarkisian went for it on fourth down in his own territory. Both times on fourth and short Sark trust his running game which heading into the game ranked 104th in the nation against the #3 rush defense which isn't a good recipe. Both times the Huskies converted the first down and scored touchdowns. For Sarkisian who I'm a big critic of he deserves all the credit for those two critical calls which ultimately won the game.

This is the kind of win can change the program for the better. The Huskies sit at 3-1 with two more ranked opponents in the next two weeks. That is why this win was so critical. On paper the Huskies close the season with the two worst teams in the conference although both are on the road. The Huskies are hoping that this is the year they finally take that next step as a program after finishing 7-6 the last two seasons. With wins over top 10 teams that is how you take that next step. With playing good defense which the Huskies have done holding their opponents to 14 points or less in three games this year something they did only once all of last year. The Huskies are starting to develop a running game as well which is how you take the next step. Hopefully this win wasn't the highlight of the season instead it was something much more. Hopefully this win was the start of the turnaround for the program from being average to a good program in this conference. It was a magical night at Century Link Field for the second time in a four day span and I'm happy I was there to witness the game in person.

Huskies hope to end 4 game losing streak vs #8 Stanford

By Kshell

The Washington Huskies(2-1,0-0) are hosting the #8 Stanford Cardinal(3-0,1-0) on a special Thursday night game on ESPN which the Huskies will be wearing the black uniforms. This is a big game for the Huskies as they start conference play in probably the second toughest conference in America. The Huskies will also have some revenge on the mind as the Stanford Cardinal have dominated this series in recent memory winning four in a row including last seasons embarrassing 65-21 loss to then #7 Stanford as the Huskies were ranked #22 going into that game. The Huskies were 5-1 heading into that game and that loss started a trend where the Huskies lost five of their last seven games of the season.

If the Huskies are to pull off the upset they will need a big game from Keith Price. Price this year is 56-90(62.2%) passing for 560 yards(6.2 YPA) with four touchdowns to one interception. He has had to deal with a injured offensive line and injuries to his receivers as well. Basically Price has had to overcome a lot in his junior season. Last year in the loss to the Cardinal Price was 23-36(63.9%) passing for 247 yards(6.9 YPA) with a touchdown and a costly interception that was ran back for a touchdown. Price was able to move the ball on the Cardinal last year just couldn't finish off drives. Hopefully this year Price can finish off the drives as he is 8-1 at home in his Husky career and the Huskies do tend to play a lot better at home compared to on the road.

The Huskies offense despite the injuries still feature plenty of talent headlined by super sophomore tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins and wide receiver Kasen Williams. The Huskies also start true sophomore running back Bishop Sankey as well.

First I'll start by talking about the talented tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins who has 20 receptions this year for 211 yards(10.6 YPC) with a touchdown. In the loss to Stanford last year Seferian-Jenkins had five receptions for 77 yards. Seferian-Jenkins is a match up nightmare for every opponent he faces this year.

Then at receiver you have Kasen Williams who this year has 15 receptions for 163 yards(10.9 YPC) with two touchdowns. Williams has had two good games and one stinker at LSU. Williams is a touchdown machine though have caught eight in 15 career games so far. The receiver opposite of Williams will be junior Kevin Smith  who in two games this year has six receptions for 68 yards(11.3 YPC). The Huskies will need another receiver to step up whether that be Jaydon Mickens, DiAndre Campbell, Kendyl Taylor or Marvin Hall. One of those four guys needs to develop into that consistent number three option.

For the running game the Huskies will turn to Bishop Sankey. Sankey on the year has ran for 185 yards(4.2 YPC) with three touchdowns. Last year in the loss to Stanford Sankey ran for 31 yards on five carries(6.2 YPC). Backing up Sankey is Erich Wilson who has ran for 119 yards(5.7 YPC) and has the longest run of the season so far which was 31 yards. Last year despite the loss Chris Polk busted two long runs against the Cardinal as he ran for 144 yards with two touchdowns. The Huskies must have some sort of run game to overcome this Stanford defense which has been pretty good this year.

The Stanford defense currently ranks 3rd in the nation against the run. They held the then #2 USC Trojans to 26 yards rushing on 24 carries as they flat out dominated the Trojans. This year the Cardinal have yet to allow 20 points in their three games as they are allowing only 14.7 points per game.

This defense creates pressure which leads to turnovers as they have already forced six interceptions this season. They are led by Ed Reynolds who already has three interceptions for 144 yards including a touchdown. The Cardinal defense have also shut down the Huskies in the Sarkisian era holding the Huskies to 14 points, then shutting them out at home in 2010 and last year the Huskies only scored 21 points against this defense. The Huskies must find a way to score on this defense as the Cardinal offense has also had their way with the Huskies in recent years.

The Cardinal offense is led by Stepfan Taylor who this year has ran for 338 yards(5.0 YPC) with three touchdowns. He also has 10 receptions for 89 yards with a touchdown. Taylor has also destroyed the Huskies in the past as well. Taylor as a freshman ran for a touchdown against the Huskies then started to do damage on them in 2010 and 2011. In 2010 Taylor ran for 102 yards on 20 carries(5.1 YPC) with two touchdowns. Then last year Taylor ran for 138 yards on only 10 carries(13.8 YPC) with a touchdown. The offense runs through Taylor as the Cardinal have pounded the ball on the Huskies the last four years.

The Cardinal will have a new quarterback in this series as Andrew Luck defeated the Huskies the last three years. This year the quarterback is Josh Nunes who will be making his first career start on the road. This year Nunes is 47-88(53.4%) passing for 615 yards(7.0 YPA) with six touchdowns and three interceptions. His leading target is tight end Zach Ertz who has nine receptions for 146 yards(16.2 YPC) with a touchdown. The Cardinal will try to establish the run game and work the play action passes against this new Huskies defense led by new coordinator Justin Wilcox.

The Huskies defense this year has played well in two games and terrible in the other game. The defense has been killed by the Cardinal the last three years in the Sarkisian era allowing 34 points, 41 points and last year giving up 65 points. This defense does have some talent led by senior corner back Desmond Trufant who has played really well this year. They also have super talented true freshman Shaq Thompson who is all over the field and he could see some action at running back.

The Huskies defense in the past especially against ranked opponents have been blown out. The defense has allowed 298 points in their last six meetings against ranked opponents all of which are losses. That is an average of 49.7 points per game which is completely unacceptable. For the Huskies to take the next step they must start showing they can compete in these type of games.

This is a huge game in the Steve Sarkisian era as his tenure appears to be at a cross roads. A win tomorrow proves the Huskies are indeed moving in the right direction as a program. While another blowout loss with #2 Oregon and #13 USC looming could start getting some uncomfortable talk surrounding Sarkisian. Starting with this embarrassing 41-0 loss to Stanford in 2010 the Huskies are 1-9 in their last 10 games against ranked opponents losing by an average of 28.2 points. The Huskies have lost six games in a row to ranked opponents all of which were by double figures. In three games against Stanford the Huskies have lost 34-14, 41-0, and 65-21 last year. Sarkisian is in his fourth year and this is a huge game for him. The 41-3 loss to #4 LSU Tigers was a bad start to showcase how this program has made "progress". Hopefully tomorrow Sarkisian can start pulling off these upsets like he did his first year and a half on the job.

This is a big game for the Huskies program on a special Thursday night game on ESPN. This is a chance for this program to finally show they are ready for big time wins on big network games. This is a chance for Sarkisian to finally silence his critics with a win over a good top 10 opponent who is very beatable. The Huskies have the talent to beat the Cardinal and they are at home. Plus in the past when facing a quarterback making his first career road start that used to always mean a Huskies win. The Huskies program has a great opportunity tomorrow to show they are ready to compete with the top tier teams in the conference. Should be a fun atmosphere which I'll be there in person to witness. The Huskies are hoping this year against the Cardinal it's a different story unlike the last four years. We'll know a lot more about the Sarkisian tenure at Washington after tomorrow that is for sure.

Elephant in the room for Pac-12 teams

By Kshell

The Pac-12 football season is set to begin in two weeks so I'm sure you are reading a ton of previews on the teams in the conference. What isn't brought up in these previews is the Elephant in the room on these programs. The Elephant in the room saying is when there is something everyone knows about but it is never brought up. Each team in this conference has an elephant in the room. Some teams elephant in the room isn't much while others looms to be pretty large. Some teams have an obvious Elephant in the room to that particular fan base while for some teams this will hopefully wake you up on these teams. I read these previews and I'm frustrated that many tip toe around the Elephant in the room while some may just be oblivious to the Elephant in the room. As usual I'm sure you'll enjoy my Elephant in the room on other teams but disagree with my assessment on your team. Like I did with my last column I'll once again start off the Elephant in the room in the South starting in Alphabetical order just like I did last time.

South Division:

Arizona Wildcats:

Rich Rodriguez isn't a good football coach:

The Arizona Wildcats replaced one lame coach in Mike Stoops in another with Rich Rodriguez. Rodriguez was once a high profile coach when he was at West Virginia where he went 60-26. He left for Michigan where he failed miserably going 15-22 and worse yet was 6-18(.333) in conference games. Arizona didn't struggle last year because of offense they struggled cause they couldn't stop anyone. They went 4-8 last year and lost quarterback Nick Foles to the NFL. Sure Rodriguez will put up points on the board and that will be exciting. Just don't expect him to win many games down in Arizona. If Rodriguez can't win in Michigan which has a ton of great tradition and can recruit well what chance does he have a lower tier Pac-12 school like Arizona? I expect this experiment to crash and burn starting immediately this year.


Arizona State Sun Devils:

Todd Graham had the same record as fired coach Dennis Erickson had last season:

The Arizona State Sun Devils just like their rivals had a rather interesting coaching hire. They hired Pittsburgh Panthers head coach Todd Graham. Graham won at Rice going 7-6 then bounced after one year, then went to Tulsa for four years going 36-17 then bounced to Pittsburgh going 6-6 before leaving to Arizona State. The Sun Devils just fired Dennis Erickson for going 6-6(he would end up 6-7 after losing his lame duck bowl game) yet they hired a guy who went 6-6? Graham even if he does do well has shown he will bail on a team as he has already left two programs after just one season. No matter how much you want to pump this guy up he's a .500 coach in big boy ball and I'm being generous since the Big East is dog shit and easily the worst BCS conference. Face it Sun Devils you whiffed on this hire and once again despite all the potential in the world you'll still be average.


Colorado Buffaloes:

Colorado lost their only explosive piece on offense in Rodney Stewart:

The Colorado Buffaloes were terrible last season in going 3-10 which actually surprised most people in fact. Well now they lost talented running back Rodney Stewart who ran for 854 yards(4.5 YPC) with four touchdowns while also being their second leading receiver with 45 receptions for 571 yards(12.7 YPC). He did lead the team in receptions as well. This is already a terrible team who on paper lost their one stud play maker on offense. There is a very good chance Colorado could actually be worse than they were last season which is a scary thought for Buffaloes fans in Colorado.


Utah Utes:

Jordan Wynn isn't very good while Utah benefited from a weak schedule:

I keep seeing a ton of praise for the Utah Utes and I'm not buying it. You know why I'm not buying it? Cause Utah despite going 8-5 last year was 4-5 in conference. Utah also didn't win a single game in conference against a team with a winning record. They also skipped BOTH Stanford and Oregon which would have been for sure losses. Utah due to recruiting at a Mountain West level doesn't have the athletes to defeat decent to good Pac-12 teams. Another reason they can't because Jordan Wynn isn't that good. In his career he has completed 59.9% of his passes for 4,390 yards(7.4 YPA) which is good for 219.5 YPG with 31 touchdowns to 16 interceptions in 20 games. Those are solid numbers but not good enough in this league. Utah will once again benefit from not facing Oregon or Stanford. They do have to travel to Washington and they do host USC at home. Utah will once again go to a bowl game because they are skipping two of the four best teams in the conference. Just don't be fooled at the end of the year by their inflated record.


USC Trojans:

Lane Kiffin has no pressure wins:

In three seasons as a head coach Lane Kiffin has coached in one bowl game which his team got killed. Now we are to believe this team is going to win the national championship? Kiffin who is 3-5 vs ranked opponents in his career including that shocking win over Oregon in Eugene. USC the one year under Matt Barkley when there was actual preseason expectations they stumbled going 9-4. Also speaking of the Oregon game which USC fan is screaming at me now saying that is a pressure win well yes it is but not really. USC was 17 point underdogs so nobody expected them to win so the pressure was off and then they came out to a 38-14 lead over Oregon. They when the game got tight so did USC as they almost choked the game away finally hanging on 38-35 over Oregon as Oregon missed a game tying field goal to force overtime. Oregon had just had back to back big road games in closing out Husky Stadium then defeating Stanford for the Pac-12 title. This time around when the teams square off Oregon will be ready. Kiffin hasn't had to deal with being the clear cut favorite and it will be interesting to see how he handles a national championship or bust type pressure.


UCLA Bruins:

Jim L. Mora is an unproven head coach:

Jim L. Mora so far has been fired by two NFL jobs and has a career record of 31-33 in the NFL. Now while Mora could turn out to be the next Pete Carroll he could just as easily turn out to be the next Mike Sherman(25-25 at Texas A &M), Dave Wannstedt(42-31 at Pittsburgh), and  Chan Gailey(44-32 at Georgia Tech). All of those coaches had no head coach experience at college before taking over after failing in the NFL. Mora could be a success but he can just as easily be like every other UCLA head coach since Terry Donahue which is be very average. Mora isn't getting off to the best start with his comments about USC, barking at his assistants and kicking his team out of practice. It will be interesting to see what Mora does. One thing is for sure is UCLA fans should enter the Mora era with caution as he isn't proven as a head coach.

North Division:

California Golden Bears:

Jeff Tedford can't succeed without a future NFL pro bowler at Quarterback or Running Back:

Jeff Tedford is entering his 11th season at California and has a 79-48 record. He is only 48-38 in conference play. When he coached Aaron Rodgers in 2003 he went 8-6(5-3) and in 2004 he went 10-2(7-1) finishing the year ranked 9th in the country. In 2005 Marshawn Lynch came to the program where Tedford went 8-4(4-4) then in 2006 went 10-3(7-2) tying for the conference title. Since Rodgers and Lynch have left Tedford is 36-28(21-24). As you can see since he has lost Rodgers and Lynch he is a below .500 coach in conference play. There is nobody on this California roster at Quarterback or Running Back who appears to be a future pro bowler which means the California Golden Bears will once again be destined for another average season in Tedford's 11th season.


Stanford Cardinal:

Stanford is living off the name of two guys Jim Harbaugh and Andrew Luck who are no longer there:

The Stanford Cardinal have been terrific the last two years mainly due to #1 pick overall Andrew Luck at quarterback and the Jim Harbaugh handing the program over to David Shaw. In the two big games last year Stanford lost both games where Shaw appeared over matched in the Oregon game and in the Oklahoma State game he took the ball out of Andrew Luck's hands. Stanford also has a tough stretch after they start off 2-0 they host #1 USC, travel to Washington on a thursday night game, host Arizona then have a road game at Notre Dame, followed up by a weird road game against their rival California in the middle of the year. Stanford could very easily go 1-4 during that stretch with a rookie quarterback, not to mention they also lost David DeCastro who anchored their offensive line. They also lost first-teamers Jonathan Martin to the draft and tight end Cody Fleenor. Stanford lost five of their six first-team all conference guys to the NFL draft. I know most are high on Stanford but they lost their star quarterback, head coach two years ago, star tight end plus their two best offensive lineman. I don't know if any program can reload after that much departure especially a non football powerhouse like Stanford.


Oregon Ducks:

The Willie Lyles storm cloud hanging over Oregon's 2012 season:

Oregon fans don't like talking about it while rival fans do which is the Willie Lyles controversy appears to be coming to a conclusion soon. You can't talk about Oregon football without Lyles name being brought up which may be hurting their recruiting right now. Oregon despite being a top tier program has only eight committments is ranked 38th in the nation and only 5th in the Pac-12. If the penalties are severe should be interesting to see how Oregon handles the controversy. I witnessed it at Washington as the Huskies went to three straight Rose Bowls and were picked to go to a fourth straight. Then probation hit and Don James suddenly left while the Huskies suffered through three straight unthinkable 7-4 seasons. For Oregon to think they can A) survive sanctions, B) Chip Kelly won't flee to the NFL and C) replace Kelly  and maintain this level of excellence is ridiculous.

Oregon has been building this journey for a while. In 1994 they went to the Rose Bowl then following it up with a Cotton Bowl. Then suffered through three average seasons until the Joey Harrington era started where they saw their program rise to the #2 ranking in the nation in 2001. Then from 2002-08 they were a solid program who couldn't get over the hump. Chip Kelly arrives and with USC going on two year bowl ban with Pete Carroll leaving they have dominated the conference. There is no guarantee Chris Peterson would bolt to Oregon like so many fans think it is a for sure thing. Do I think Oregon would fall to Washington status of 0-12? No I don't but I could see them returning to what they were in the Mike Bellotti years where they were a good program. They just weren't a great program under Bellotti so in my opinion the Lyles Elephant in the room is the biggest in the entire conference mainly cause it could take down the team of the conference which right now is Oregon.


Oregon State Beavers:

Mike Riley is an underachiever and the program is in decline:

Mike Riley known as the coach who can do more with less has struggled in recent years. In his 11 years all at Oregon State he is 72-63 and 46-47 which is partly due to his first two years when the program was the worst in the nation. In his second go around he is 64-49 and 44-33 in coference play. Riley in 11 seasons has never had a season where he has lost fewer than four games in a season. Riley has seen the programs win totals drop four consecutive years as the Beavers have lost to the Oregon Ducks four consecutive years. Last year Riley went 3-9 and had an embarrassing loss to Sacramento State at home. In fact under Riley the Beavers have lost 12 games to teams not in a BCS conference which is pathetic for a major conference coach.

There doesn't appear to be hope on the horizon as Oregon State is ranked 75th in the nation in recruiting which puts them last in the conference, last year Oregon State ranked 44th good for 10th in the conference. Riley is driving the Beavers straight into the ditch and most fail to bring this up. I see how Oregon State is expected to make a bowl game even predicted to do better than Washington according to Phil Steele. I'm just not buying it, sure Riley pulls off one or two upsets a year but he has his fair share of bad losses. Two years ago lost at home to a 2-10 Washington State Cougars team giving Paul Wulff his first ever road win. Then last year the loss to Sacramento State at home was inexcusable as a real program would have fired him for that especially for going 3-9. As long as Riley is in Corvallis the Beavers will forever be limited.


Washington Huskies:

  Steve Sarkisian's offense is overrated:

The Huskies offense receives a ton of praise as Steve Sarkisian is labeled the offensive "guru". The offense though is actually overrated and racks up big numbers against crappy teams. Against the three top teams in the conference the Huskies have struggled offensively. Against Stanford all losses they have scored 14 points, 0 points and 21 points. Against Oregon all losses they have yet to score 20 points scoring 19 points, 16 points and 17 points. Against USC where they won twice they scored 16 points, 32 points and 17 points. In the two biggest wins of the Steve Sarkisian era the Huskies defeated #3 USC 16-13 in 2009 and defeated #18 Nebraska in the Holiday Bowl 19-7. Even the signature California win where Polk scored the game winner in 2010 the Huskies won 16-13 no exactly an offensive shootout.

 As you can see the offense struggled, in three years the offense has only came to play one time against a good defense which was an 8-5 USC team on the road in 2010 scoring 32 points. In most of the Huskies big wins it was the defense who came through so this notion that the Huskies just need an average defense then they'll be a BCS team is completely false. They scored 56 points in a bowl loss against Baylor but Baylor's defense was ranked in the 100's not exactly a good defense. This team has no NFL offensive lineman either which means they can't grind out those tough drives. Remember last year against Eastern Washington, Hawaii and California how the game was put in the hands of the defense? It was because the offense couldn't put the game away with a sustained drive. A great offense like the 2000 one chewed up the clock, moved the chains and got the clutch first downs. This is a good offense but it has a long ways to go before it becomes a great offense.


Washington State Cougars:

Cougars went 4-8 last year with a top 10 passing offense in the nation and top 30 offense overall in the nation. Defense was the problem and Leach isn't a defensive coach.

The Cougars are excited to have Mike Leach over the dreadful Paul Wulff. I keep hearing how Air Raid is going get the Cougars back into a bowl game this year as Leach is going to vastly improve that passing offense plus Jeff Tuel is coming back as well. The thing is the Cougars offense was pretty good last year and wasn't the problem. They were top 10 in the nation in passing offense and top 30 in the nation in overall offense. Leach will improve that field but he won't improve what has plagued the Cougars for a while which is their defense. The Cougars defense in nine conference games allowed 311 points(34.6 PPG) with 27 being the fewest which was against Colorado and Arizona State which were both wins. Against teams with a winning record the Cougars went 0-6 last year allowing 227 points(37.8 PPG) showing they aren't ready to hang with the good teams.

The last time the Cougars defeated a team with a winning division-1 record was SMU back in 2009. The last time the Cougars defeated a conference opponent who ended the year with a winning record was all the way back in 2006. The Air Raid offense will put up points but it will also put more pressure on the field as passing teams tend to not use up much time of possession. The Cougars defense which has been dreadful the last couple of years doesn't appear to be any better. Leach is an offensive coach, the defensive players aren't very good. Look for the Cougars to be a better version of what Paul Wulff had them be last year which is eat up the weak teams but struggle to stop anyone in conference.

So when you making your predictions for this upcoming season keep in mind these Elephants in the room for each program. I noticed every fan base chooses to ignore their Elephant in the room and especially the media  who covers their teams. I just like to look at them before I do my predictions as the season is only two weeks away. We'll see how each team handles their Elephant in the room and perhaps make me look dumb by the end of the year. Once again I'm sure most fan bases will like this piece while the homer fans who see no wrong in their team won't like it. For those rational fans out there I hope you enjoy this and hopefully you can at least respect my Elephant in the room on your program while nodding your head reading about the rival schools I had a dig on.

If the Pac-12 was a neighborhood party

By Kshell

With college football just around the corner I figured I would take a fun take at the history of the Pac-12 conference. In this piece I'm pretending what each football program would be like if they represented a real person . I set all 12 teams in a neighborhood as they are all neighbors who have a neighborhood party once a year to see who is doing the best. I'll include the programs history based on how successful this person may or may not be. How good their coach is will represent their wife or if they have a new coach that will represent a girlfriend. How the football program is doing will represent how they are doing in life far as their job, how much money they make, their accessories, etc. Like I said I'll try in a creative way use the past and the present day programs to give you a better idea how each football program looks in our conference. I'll go alphabetical order like I do in my Pac-12 predictions piece starting with the South.

Arizona State:

Arizona State is no longer the new guy on the neighborhood and just like that has been part of this neighborhood for a while when the neighborhood expanded to 10 houses. Arizona State also has the rest of the conference confused as to why he isn't more successful in life and is always single. Arizona State is pretty intelligent so he should be successful in his work life and is in great shape as he is always working out. He is also pretty good looking and the rest of his neighbors view him as a sleeping giant to have the best house and hottest wife. Then at the party the rest of his neighbors noticed that Arizona State is the life of the party. He is the guy who is always tanked and brings the bulk of the alcohol. He is a fun loving guy who simply doesn't give a shit. He is just there to have fun. That is when everyone else realized he is what he is which is a guy who has potential for so much more but won't ever reach that potential.


Arizona:

Arizona moved into the neighborhood same time as Arizona State did. Minus a brief time period in the 1990's Arizona has just been the forgotten man on the neighborhood. He has never been married or even had a pretty girl friend. He has never been successful in his job either. He isn't a loser and his house isn't the worst on the block. That is the thing about Arizona he isn't so bad where his neighbors make fun of him but they are wondering why they invited him to the block in the first place? Then they remembered he brings value outside of the neighborhood. He is good at other stuff that nobody really cares about(basketball, baseball, etc) but still has value. He is the guy who goes around the neighborhood to help clean up, he is always willing to baby sit for you as well. So his value is other areas so the rest of neighborhood tolerates him.


Colorado:

Colorado is new to the neighborhood and currently owns the smallest home on the block. Colorado used to be in another neighborhood where he was very successful. He had the hottest wife and was making six figures at his job. In 1990 he was named most successful man in the city. Then in 1998 his young hot wife left him in the middle of the night and ended up marrying Washington. Colorado still hasn't recovered from that and last year they struggled in their new neighborhood after their last neighborhood was threatening to fold. The fellow neighbors still don't respect Colorado as they know they are a has been. Sure they may have been successful 20 years ago but right now they are left eating the scraps at the party with Oregon State and Washington State. Poor Colorado had they joined this neighborhood 20 years ago they would have fit in nicely instead they are the runt of the neighborhood.


Utah:

Utah like Colorado is new to this Pac-12 neighborhood. Utah had a rough transition their first year but settled in nicely. Utah was in a different neighborhood that was beaten down sure they had the nicest house. They also had the nicest house on one of the worst neighborhoods in town. Utah made good money at his job or so he thought compared to the rest of his neighborhood. He was big fish small pond syndrome. In this past he's had competitions with teams in the Pac-12 and whooped their ass so he figured the transition would be easy. Finally another house was built in the Pac-12 neighborhood and Utah decided to jump all over it. Now with the same wife who was the hottest in her previous neighborhood she is simply good looking in this one. Utah will eventually get adjusted and raise their game up. They need to do some landscaping around the house to improve on it some, with the promotion in their job they will start making more money so they can upgrade their car. Utah will eventually upgrade their house so in a few years they can finally compete. As is they are still one of the better overall guests at the party. Almost everyone respects Utah but they also got a kick out of Utah's struggles that first year proving that you can't just go from a shitty neighborhood to a big time neighborhood without your struggles.


UCLA: 

UCLA has been part of the conference since day one. UCLA is good looking and for a long period of time had a great house with a great job. His problem is he is next door neighbors to USC so no matter how good he does it doesn't seem enough. UCLA has had some woman issues lately too. Remember the wife who left Colorado? Well after Washington chose to divorce her UCLA decided to marry her and she sank him down. So now UCLA is dating a girl who has been lusting after Washington for years. UCLA has what it takes to control this neighborhood but his biggest problem is he is a wimp. He lets his neighbors(particularly USC) walk all over him. When USC wants something of his UCLA just bows down and USC takes whatever he wants. UCLA despite having the best location in the neighborhood and easy access to move up in his job he just can't seem to seal the deal. What it boils down to is UCLA is soft as a person and when you are soft others will walk all over you.


USC:

USC has been part of this neighborhood forever. His grandpa made this neighborhood what it is today, then his dad ruled this neighborhood and someday so will his son. USC is the biggest toughest guy in the room and always has a hot girl friend. USC makes six figures and nobody messes around with USC except for lately. Due to a scandal he had at work back in 2005 he was sentenced to two years in jail plus probation. So other teams in the neighborhood have caught up to USC and gotten some revenge on USC the last two years. USC has a new young girlfriend and is determined to be the most successful person on the block. At the parties USC is seen as arrogant but he knows he can be because he has earned it. He will once in a while give Washington a nod of respect but don't think for one second he will even acknowledge what Oregon has going on at their place. He will act like McKayla Maroney and be very unimpressed. USC knows even while being in jail he was still the most successful person at the southern end of his block. USC is constantly laughing at his next door neighbor UCLA whom he doesn't even consider  a rival. He considers Notre Dame the guy who lives across the city who has been living off his dad and grandpa's generation for a while now. USC is finally out of jail so he is hoping to make up for lost time the past two years.


California:

California is the hippie pot smoking guy on the neighborhood who is care free. California despite such a big house had one of the dumpiest houses on the block, one of the worst cars, wasn't married and had a terrible job. Then after hitting rock bottom he met a girl and fell in love. Early on he enjoyed great success as he got a new job which paid well. In fact only USC was more successful on the block than he was. Now his wife her looks have dropped off a bit, at work people have passed him up, his car isn't so nice anymore. He has returned to be average on the block and worse yet his oldest son who he raised so well has left his company to go work for Washington. Then his son stole some other young up and comers he was recruiting to go work for his company. He has never felt so betrayed by a family member in his life. California tasted success but now is just rolling in mediocrity.


Stanford:

Stanford was the skinny little nerd at the neighborhood party for years. He was the smartest guy at the part something he'd always remind everyone but nobody else cared as he was a slob. His house was messy, he was single, he had no car and his job was terrible. Then very quietly Stanford met this girl and caught a "LUCKy" break. He started to work out and suddenly showed up to the part not only as the smartest guy but also the toughest guy. He was bullying USC at the party which nobody did and USC was backing down. He was also pushing around Washington which he never used to do. The only person who could stand up to Stanford lately is Oregon who has been beating everyone at everything lately. Stanford's young hot girlfriend left him for better opportunities that he couldn't provide. His lucky horseshoe he lost while on a trip to Indianapolis so some are curious how Stanford is going to far without his hot girl friend or his good luck charm. One thing is for sure Stanford isn't that skinny little wimpy nerd that the conference used to take advantage of for years. Stanford will fight back and lately Stanford has been the one taking advantage of others in the conference.


Oregon:

Oregon's family has been part of this neighborhood forever. Oregon was the loser of the block, had a small house, couldn't afford a car, worked at a shitty job, had a long time wife who was average. Then suddenly in the 1990's Oregon realized his distant uncle was the creator of Nike. His uncle who had no kids of his own immediately treated Oregon like a son and named his CEO of Nike. Oregon who used to get picked on by everyone especially Washington is now picking on Washington. After Oregon's long-time loyal wife left him for what she thought was a better guy Oregon would realize he had an uncle. Then after being one of the top guys on the block Oregon met some under the radar girl from the east coast. Nobody knew anything about her and after short time he booted his second wife to the curb for this young hot wife. Oregon has the nicest house on the block, the hottest wife and due to being treated like crap for generations they are obnoxious about their success. USC still doesn't acknoweldge their success and just recently after winning the best roses on the Pac-12/Big 10 block contest Washington is reluctantly giving Oregon credit. Oregon is new rich but there is a storm brewing possibly. There is speculation Oregon could get in trouble and go to jail soon as they may have done some illegal things to get this high. We'll see but for now Oregon has been king of the neighborhood for three straight years and only USC can knock him off that porch this year.


Oregon State:

Oregon State is the nice polite guy at the party who everyone else secretly wonders why they were even invited to the neighborhood to begin with. For over three plus decades Oregon State had the worst house, was living off welfare and was single. He was a loser who everyone else felt sorry for. Then  Oregon State met a sweet girlfriend who brought his life together but she quickly left him. Oregon State then found great success with his new girl. He finally got a kick ass job, improved his ass and his girl friend although a drinker was pretty hot. Just like that Oregon State was one of the more successful guys at the party. Then that girl friend left him so Oregon State decided to get back with his previous girl friend who had left him and they sustained success for a while. Well that girl friend hasn't been working out, letting herself go a little and is bad with money. Just like that Oregon State career isn't going as well so he is having to cut back on his house a little. Oregon State looks around and he is in danger of becoming the least successful person on the block if he isn't careful. He is too loyal to his girlfriend as well even though many are suggesting he can do better.


Washington:

Washington has been part of this block for generations as well. He has always had one of the nicer houses, and a nice job plus beautiful women. He inherited the place from his dad who was the most successful guy on the block from 1977-1992 then suddenly one of his dad's employees below him took out an illegal loan to help finance his house. The other neighbors found out and they flipped punishing his dad for two years which his dad said screw it I'm moving out! Then suddenly his dad passed away unexpected and there was major turmoil for Washington. His uncle came in to right the ship for a while but eventually had to hand it over to Washington who wasn't ready for this responsibility. Washington snatched away Colorado's wife and that was a hit right off the bat Washington was kicking ass at his job, did some improvements to his house and was living the dream. Come to find out his wife was a bit of a gambler and after being tired of being lied to he finally dumped his young attractive wife. He settled on Stanford's ex where he hit rock bottom. He lost his job in 2008, had to file for bankruptcy and even live on welfare for a while. He is now dating someone from the USC family tree one of USC nieces and things have turned around. Washington is working a decent job, his house seems in order but Washington is frustrated because he has to achieve what his dad had achieved for such a long stretch. At one time his dad was the smartest, toughest and most successful guy on the block. Washington is hoping someday he can join that level of USC and Oregon but right now he isn't quite there.


Washington State:

Washington State is always the guy who embarrasses himself at the party by getting too drunk off Busch Light. He is the guy everyone wonders who invited this guy? He insists that he matters but in reality he doesn't. He really enjoys it when his next door neighbor Washington is down in the dumps even though his life isn't going as well. Washington State has been the least successful guy on the block throughout most of their history. He had a stretch from 2001-03 where he turned his life around, his loyalty to his wife paid off as she got smoking hot, he was named ceo of his company and life was looking good for him. Then his loyalty turned to betrayal as his wife left him in the middle of the night. Washington State just ended a bad four year divorce where they hit rock bottom. She gave him bad advice and he has been unemployed for the last four years, living off welfare and everyone on the neighborhood wanted him to move out. Washington State is now dating this weird chick who is obsessed with Pirates, she is controversial and speaks her mind. She also appears to be a good fit for Washington State. Washington State just recently found a job and things could be looking up for Washington State. In a few years Washington State might not be the least successful guy on the block as that title will probably belong to Oregon State at this rate.

Well I hope I didn't offend your fan base in this piece as this was all done in fun. I always imagined what they would look like if they were in a neighborhood together. This was one of the more fun pieces I've done as I usually don't do satire pieces. The Pac-12 neighborhood has gone over some changes in recent memory and we'll see how this post stands up in a few years from now. Some teams have had to work hard to get where they are at, while others seem to always be successful, while some have never tasted success and lastly some have had success but fallen on hard times. I tried to give a historical review of each program in a less than serious context. Should be a fun 2012 season coming up and I can't believe college football is only 15 days away for most programs and for Washington State it is only 13 days away!