Some of the 2012 TV schedules have been coming out over the past week.
It was announced that the Huskies will play San Diego State on the new Pac 12 Network, Portland State on FX, Stanford on ESPN, Cal on ESPN 2, and the Apple Cup against WSU on FOX or FX.
No time or network was announced for the LSU game because it is being played in Baton Rouge which means the Tigers hold the broadcast rights to this one. My best guess is that it will end up being a national broadcast on CBS even though LSU is favored by three touchdowns.
The San Diego State game may be a bit of a challenge for some of us to watch if Direct TV does not pick up the Pac 12 Network. Negotiations between satellite providers and cable networks are never smooth at the beginning but I am betting that they pick up at least one of the stations by the start of the season.
The 12:30 PM Friday start of the Apple Cup in Pullman the day after Thanksgiving raised a few eyebrows because there probably won't be anyone in Pullman at that time to watch the game.
It is a holiday weekend so school will be out with most of the student population back home on the western side of the state. Because of the early starting slot and remote location fans from both schools are probably going to opt to sit this one out and watch it on TV.
What WSU should do is reschedule the event in Seattle at Century Link Field. That guarantees a big payday for the school and the generation of a lot of good will among fans on both sides of the state. It also will probably save a few lives on the roads in what is generally a pretty dicey time to travel.
Even though it makes perfect sense it probably won't happen because Mike Leach and Bill Moos probably don't want to give up the advantages of playing in Martin Stadium in late November. It is not a secret that WSU's chances of beating Washington are far greater if the game is played in Pullman rather than a quasi neutral site in Seattle.
The opening lines from the Horseshoe Casino seem to support that theory because they think the Cougars are an early three point favorite which is pretty hard to believe. Vegas understands the home field advantage of playing late in the season in Pullman not to mention playing a team coached by Mike Leach.
Recruiting
The Huskies had a number of unofficial visitors on campus this weekend. WR Darrell Daniels was one of the visitors and he verbaled on Saturday. Daniels is one of the best receivers in California and has big time player written all over him. DE Joe Mathis of Upland, Ca, and S Tahaan Goodman of Rancho Cucamonga, Ca, were also on campus visiting.
QB recruit Troy Williams has looked pretty good so far in the Elite Eleven regionals being held in Las Vegas. According to observers down there he is one of the top two QB's in attendance which makes him a candidate to move on tot he finals later this month.
Unheralded QB Zach Greenlee from Stockton ended up being the surprise winner of the competition which allows him to head on to the finals. Look for Zach who was being lightly recruited by the likes of San Jose State and Fresno State to start picking up some Pac 12 offers after that performance.
Brophy Prep QB Tyler Bruggman surprised a few people by choosing WSU over ASU. The Sun Devils have a real problem keeping the best in the state home and that problem continues under new head coach Todd Graham.
Construction progress
How about a high five to Lear Jet for doing a construction update for us each week! Keep an eye on the OxBow cameras this week because there is going to be a lot of activity this week as they finish putting up the steel in the west end zone and proceed building that mansion in the sky which will be the south upper deck.