I thought the Apple Cup ended up being a pretty entertaining football game. Washington overpowered the Cougars in the second half but WSU stuck around long enough to keep it interesting for most of the game.
I think the Cougars are headed in the right direction but we have been hearing rumblings that Paul Wulff and his staff will be let go on Monday. The only official word out of Pullman at this point is that Moos and Wulff have met and Moos is still thinking things over.
The name we keep hearing as a potential Cougar head coach is former Texas Tech head man Mike Leach. I think it would be a pretty risky move to hire this guy. I think he could do well in Pullman but how long would he stay? ASU and UCLA are also reportedly interested in Leach.
Bowl Chances
The Alamo Bowl would love to match up Stanford against Oklahoma. That probably isn't going to happen since both teams have a pretty good shot of slipping into one of the BCS bowls.
Washington likely will fill the Pac 12 slot in the game and face off against the winner of this Saturday's Baylor vs Texas game. Baylor is 8-3 on the season and has signature wins over Oklahoma, Missouri, and TCU. The Bears should be favored over the 7-4 Longhorns who really haven't beaten anyone that they shouldn't have this season.
The Alamo could also opt to take California over Washington which would send the Huskies to the Holiday Bowl for the second post season in a row. Oklahoma or Oklahoma State could also end up falling into the game.
Don't expect anything regarding the bowls to be official until after December 4th.
Recruiting
The Huskies hosted eight official visitors for the Apple Cup. The list includes DE Jeremy Castro of Murrieta, Calif., who de-commited from UW to commit to Oregon; OT Jeremiah Poutasi of Las Vegas, NV; FB Christian Powell of Upland, Ca; receiver Jaydon Mickens of Dorsey High in Los Angeles; DE Damion Turpin Dominguez HS in Compton, Ca; CB Bryan Harper of Ontario, Ca, who has already given a commitment to UW; JC DE Josh Banks of Sacramento, and JC RB Kelvin York of Fullerton, Ca who is a soft commit to USC.
So who committed out of that group? Nobody as of yet...but the coaches are hitting the road on Monday to recruit so you can expect the action to ratchet up a couple of notches between now and Christmas.
The team as a whole gets a week off before practices resume on December 6th.
Pac 12 Power Poll
1. USC...The Trojans are ineligible for the championship game but it would have been very interesting to see a Duck/Troy rematch in Los Angeles. We have seen a lot of old fashioned Trojan swagger over the last few weeks. Looks like Kiffin and Company can coach.
1. Oregon...The Ducks get taken down a notch after a loss to USC. They did rebound well against the Beavers in the Civil War but I think SC is the hottest team in the league right now. Due to USC's probation and a virtual die off in the South division they get to play a terrible UCLA team in the inaugural conference championship game.
1. Stanford...The Cards have the conferences best record and are rated fourth in the nation. Despite that they didn't finish the season as strong as the Trojans and Ducks. The Tree is probably headed to the Fiesta Bowl but Michigan could knock them out of a BCS bid which would mean a trip to San Antonio.
4. Washington...Nice win for the Dawgs in the Apple Cup. A 7-5 record isn't bad but they should have been able to take care of business the week before in Corvallis. They get another chance to get it right after 15 more practices and a decent bowl game.
5. California...I like the way Cal has been playing over the last third of the season. Great performance in the "Big Game" despite falling to Stanford and a good win over Arizona State bode well for next season. Next up is an invite to either the Alamo, Holiday, or Sun Bowl.
6. Utah...Shame on the Utes for losing to Colorado at home. That sends 6-6 UCLA to the championship game against Oregon on Friday. Despite the loss the Utes are likely headed to the Sun Bowl.
7. UCLA...A 50-0 loss to USC probably seals the demise of Rick Neuheisel at UCLA. That being said an upset win over Oregon in the inaugural Pac 12 championship game would send the Bruins to the Rose Bowl. We keep hearing names like Leach, Sumlin, and Petersen as the probable candidates.
8. Arizona State...Can you say choke? That is exactly what Devils did losing five of their last six games. They still will qualify for a bowl game but it is doubtful that Dennis Erickson will be around to coach in it.
9. Oregon State...If you are a Beaver fan there is some decent hope for the future. I think they played pretty well in the Civil War and a victory over Washington the week before was pretty solid.
10. Arizona...The Wildcats end the season with a win over LA-Lafayette. The Rich Rod era starts on Monday as he starts to assemble a staff to hit the recruiting trail.
11. Washington State...I would have loved to have seen a few more years of Paul Wulff. Will Mike Leach be the next coach of the Cougars?
12. Colorado...An upset win on the road against Utah send the Buffs out on a high note.