Big 12
4 stories filed under Big 12 on Wazzu. The newest of them: “We Got Picks, You Got Questions, and the Ducks Still Have Problems”, “Arizona lands a punch Wazzu never quite answers”, and “One good half doesn't change what Duquesne was”. The Hotline went 6-5-1 last week and sits at 15-20-1 for the season, which means the picks are for entertainment purposes only. The Cougars did the rope-a-dope thing Saturday, and it turns out Homer Simpson was right: at some point you have to punch back. The unofficial read for people who left Pullman and stayed Cougs. The list below is every Big 12 story on Wazzu, newest first.
We Got Picks, You Got Questions, and the Ducks Still Have Problems
The Hotline went 6-5-1 last week and sits at 15-20-1 for the season, which means the picks are for entertainment purposes only. Unless they aren't. This week's slate features two former Pac-12 matchups in the late-afternoon window: Oregon at USC, and Arizona visiting Washington State on the Palouse. That feline affair serves multiple purposes. It gives the Cougars a home game against a power conference opponent their fans know, and it helps Arizona satisfy a Big 12 scheduling requirement. Because the series was agreed to before the Wildcats left the Pac-12, WSU still counts as a Power Four opponent. The line opened at Arizona -10, which initially felt high. But after looking at WSU's offense against Power Four teams like Washington and Kansas State, 17 total points, the spread makes sense. The Hotline picks Arizona. The bigger picture here is unsettling. Outside of UCLA-Cal, a future Arizona State-Stanford series, and the surviving Apple Cup and Civil War, former Pac-12 schools are not scheduling each other. The CFP could fix that by incentivizing quality nonconference games. Or NIL-driven neutral-site double-headers in Las Vegas could emerge. We aren't confident. Check out "Are blowouts getting worse? The Pac-12 mailbag crunches the numbers" for more on the state of the sport. Go Cougs.
Arizona lands a punch Wazzu never quite answers
The Cougars did the rope-a-dope thing Saturday, and it turns out Homer Simpson was right: at some point you have to punch back. Wazzu brought Arizona back to Pullman for a messy, physical grudge match, and for one glorious stretch it looked like the old magic might hold. Safety Jackquintin Bal, an Arizona kid, no less, broke on a Noah Fifita pass, put the receiver on his back, and danced into the end zone for a 14-0 lead. The defense was suffocating. Sacks on each of the first two drives. Arms in passing lanes. Chaos for the Wildcats' quarterback. Then Arizona scored 31 of the next 34 points. The pattern is getting hard to ignore. The Cougars have great defensive players, but not enough depth to sustain that level through four quarters, especially when the offense can't give them a breather. Caden Pinnick was miles from good, though he bounced back from mistakes the way you'd expect from a former Big Sky Freshman of the Year. The offense is still finding its way, and it's costing this defense. The solace? No more Power Four teams on the schedule. WSU should have one of the better defenses in the Pac-12. But as we saw Saturday, that doesn't matter much if the offense can't land a single counterpunch. For more on the special teams situation that didn't help matters, check out our piece on Max Dean's migraines making punting a game-time call. Go Cougs.
One good half doesn't change what Duquesne was
One good half doesn't change what Duquesne was. The Cougars beat a bad FCS team that gives up yards like candy at a parade. Kirby Moore made adjustments, and credit where it's due, Caden Pinnick looked sharp after halftime, and Maxwell Woods and Kirby Vorhees ran like they meant it. That second half felt good. It should encourage you. But here's the honest part. Against FBS teams this season, WSU has one touchdown and four turnovers. That offense has looked thin. Arizona comes to Gesa Field as a 10½-point favorite, and that line exists for a reason. Tony Freeman is done for the year with an injury, and without him, the deep threat shrinks. This isn't a doom post. The offensive line shuffle and Moore's growing role in playcalling are real reasons to believe. Those changes should help win some Pac-12 games. But beating a Big 12 team in primetime? That's a taller ask. Prediction: Arizona 23, WSU 16. If you want more context on what's at stake with the kicking game, go read about Max Dean's migraines making punting a game-time call. Special teams might matter more than usual Saturday night. Go Cougs.
Cougs take the Palouse to Manhattan for a Saturday morning showdown
Saturday morning in Manhattan means an early alarm, a full thermos, and the Palouse in the rearview. The Cougs are headed to the Little Apple for a showdown that kicks off before most folks have finished their first cup of coffee. That is exactly how we like it. No messing around. No waiting for the East Coast to wake up on its own schedule. We bring the offense, we bring the noise, and we bring a whole lot of maroon into a stadium that probably does not know what hit it. This is the kind of trip that reminds you why you love this team. It is not just about the away-game wins or the highlight catches. It is about the bus ride, the tailgate in a parking lot that smells like sausage and optimism, and the feeling that you are carrying a little bit of Pullman with you across the country. The Cougs have been busy lately, too. If you missed the weekend in Seattle, you might want to check out "Cougs pack the bags for three in Seattle" to see how this squad handles the road. And for those keeping score at home, the hitters have been on a tear. They hammered out a season-best 61 kills in the last big one and still needed every single one of them. That is the kind of depth that travels. So yeah, it is early.