You can schedule the Dawgs for the Palouse any time you want. They're a good warm-up, but they are not the test. Beating them felt nice, and it should have. What matters is what comes next, and whether this team can carry that momentum into the games that actually decide the season.
That's the thing about a tune-up. You learn some things, but you don't learn everything. The Dawgs came in, the Cougs handled them, and the scoreboard looked the way it should. Good. Now the real work starts. The margin for error gets smaller, the opponents get sharper, and every possession counts. We've seen enough seasons start hot and fade to know that a win in October is only as good as the win you get in November. This team has the pieces. The question is whether they have the stamina.
It's worth remembering that the work doesn't stop when the game ends. While we're watching the scoreboard, some of our guys are out there earning it in the pros. Cougar ballers making moves in the league this fall is a good reminder that the talent coming out of Pullman is real. And if you want proof that the pipeline is still flowing, Seven Cougs balled out in Week 7 NFL action. That's not a coincidence. That's a program that produces players who can play. The same grit that shows up in a tune-up against the Dawgs is the grit that keeps a Coug in the league for a decade. These things are connected.
Here's the take: don't mistake a handled Dawg for a finished season. Enjoy the win, absolutely. But keep your eyes on the games that count. The margin between a good season and a great one is how you perform when the stakes are highest. If this team can take what worked against the Dawgs and apply it when the pressure is real, they'll be in the conversation. If they rest on this one, they'll be watching someone else have that conversation.
Watch how they handle the next two weeks. That will tell you everything.