Colorado State
Wazzu keeps Colorado State in one place: 3 stories so far. The section currently leads with “Your Pac-12 Picks Guy Is Back and He's Got the Cougs”, “Boise owns September, but the Cougs are still a question mark”, and “Riley's Third Year Brings 11 Road Games and a Jan. 3 Tip in Fresno”. The Hotline's picks guy is back, and he's got the Cougs covering. Boise State owns September. The unofficial read for people who left Pullman and stayed Cougs. The list below is every Colorado State story on Wazzu, newest first.
Your Pac-12 Picks Guy Is Back and He's Got the Cougs
The Hotline's picks guy is back, and he's got the Cougs covering. That's the headline from this week's betting column, and for a WSU team sitting at 1-3, it's the kind of news you text a friend before the line moves. The man went 10-3-1 last week and is now 25-23-2 for the season. He's picking Washington State to cover the 2-point spread against Fresno State on Saturday night, and he's doing it because he thinks the Cougs played well enough against Arizona to trust the home side. That's a specific vote of confidence, not a homer pick. The column digs into the larger story of the rebuilt Pac-12, too. The conference's first month produced a 19-12-1 record against the spread. Five teams, Oregon State, Boise State, Fresno State, Washington State, and Colorado State, are a combined 15-4-1. That's not nothing. The betting public hasn't caught up to Oregon State's improvement, and the Cougs are quietly covering. The picks guy notes that while this success won't sway the CFP selection committee, a Pac-12 champion with no more than two losses should be well-positioned for a bid. If you want the full picture on WSU's running back situation heading into Saturday, our story on Kirby Vorhees being banged up for Fresno is worth your time. The Cougs need ball security, and the picks guy thinks they've got enough to cover. Go Cougs.
Boise owns September, but the Cougs are still a question mark
Boise State owns September. That much is clear. The Broncos are sitting at 3-1, holding the inside track for that Group of Six playoff berth, and they've got the resume equity to survive a slip in conference play. They averaged 237 rushing yards per game this month. That's almost identical to their 2024 playoff run. You don't need a spreadsheet to see that. The Cougs? We're a question mark. 1-3, and we haven't faced a single Group of Six team yet. That changes Saturday against Fresno State, and frankly, we need the answer. The Hotline's hunch is that what we saw against Arizona will be substandard. I hope they're wrong, but I'm not betting against the data. The rest of the league is sorting itself out. Oregon State looks like a real contender. Fresno State finishes fast, which is a problem for us. San Diego State is a mess. Colorado State can't stop anybody. If you want to know where the Cougs are headed, keep an eye on Trey Leckner's return. That story is worth a read. But the bigger question is whether this team can hang with the rest of the conference. We'll find out Saturday. Go Cougs.
Riley's Third Year Brings 11 Road Games and a Jan. 3 Tip in Fresno
David Riley's third season is here, and the schedule is a doozy. Eleven nonconference games away from Pullman. That's the most since 1973-74, and it tells you exactly what athletic directors and coaches are dealing with in this new Pac-12. Money matters. You don't stack that many road games unless you have to. The conference slate starts Jan. 3 in Fresno. That feels weird, but it's real. And for the first time since 1917, there is no regular-season game against Washington. None. They'll play an exhibition in Seattle on Oct. 25, which is better than nothing, but it's not the same. There are bright spots. Gonzaga comes to Beasley on Jan. 6, a Wednesday during winter break. That's a weird time for a game, but it's still Gonzaga in Pullman. And the Cougs host Kirkland on Nov. 14, their first non-D-I opponent at home since 2015. That's a rarity worth noting. The middle of the schedule is a grind. Three of four on the road, including trips to Boise State, Colorado State, and Utah State. Then a brutal February stretch with Gonzaga and San Diego State on the road in the same week. That's a gut check. If you want a different kind of Cougar story, check out "For the Leaupepetele brothers, Sunday dinner looks a lot different now." It's a good reminder that the people around this program are as interesting as the scores. Go Cougs.