JaMarcus Shephard
JaMarcus Shephard at Wazzu is a file of 3 stories. The newest of them: “Two new coaches, two very different first halves in the new Pac-12”, “It hurts: Beavers rising while Cougs slide in the new Pac-12”, and “Pac-12 bowl math still makes no sense, but here's how Cougs fit”. The end of Week 7 is as good a midpoint as any in this weird, staggered Pac-12 schedule. It hurts to read this, and it should. The unofficial read for people who left Pullman and stayed Cougs. The list below is every JaMarcus Shephard story on Wazzu, newest first.
Two new coaches, two very different first halves in the new Pac-12
The end of Week 7 is as good a midpoint as any in this weird, staggered Pac-12 schedule. Half the teams have played seven games, half have played six. It's messy, but it's ours. The big headline: two teams, Boise State and Oregon State, are still alive for a College Football Playoff berth. That's more than anyone realistically expected from this rebuilt league. The Broncos have a quality loss at Oregon and wins over Memphis and Western Michigan. If they win out, they're in. The Beavers have a trickier path but stay in play if they finish with only two losses. Oregon State's JaMarcus Shephard is the midseason Coach of the Year. The rookie has made master-class moves with his staff and roster. Meanwhile, Washington State's Kirby Moore sits on the hottest seat. His decisions have been deeply flawed. We don't expect him fired after one season, but the trajectory is ugly. Best offensive player: Oregon State freshman receiver Jesse Legree. He leads the country in receiving yards and touchdowns. Best defensive player: San Diego State linebacker Sione Hala, who leads the Pac-12 in tackles and forced a fumble that won a game. Best game so far was San Diego State's 31-29 win over Texas State. Worst loss? Idaho State 29, Utah State 17. Double-digit home losses to FCS opponents are brutal. Add 11 penalties and four turnovers, and it's an all-systems failure. If you haven't yet, read about Owen Eshelman's first start giving Wazzu its best FBS offense yet.
It hurts: Beavers rising while Cougs slide in the new Pac-12
It hurts to read this, and it should. Six weeks ago, we were standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Oregon State, the last two Cougs and Beavers holding the damn thing together. We were partners in the salvage operation, the rebirth of the Pac-12. Now? One of us is ascending, and it isn't us. The Beavers are the story of the season. JaMarcus Shephard, their third-choice head coach, has them at 4-2 with a path to the College Football Playoff. They hit on a quarterback nobody wanted and a defensive coordinator who used to be a national Coach of the Year. They got lucky. We got Kirby Moore, who just changed quarterbacks and stripped his offensive coordinator of playcalling duties in the same week. We're 1-5 and winless against FBS competition. It's easy to sit in Pullman and wonder what if. But the difference isn't luck. It's a series of decisions made last fall. OSU fired Trent Bray and swung for energy. We chased stability. Stability got us an inept offense and an overburdened defense. On the margins of this sport, success is fleeting, and right now, we're the ones who caught the wrong end of it. For a deeper look at how we handle pressure, check out our study on sensitivity and social threat, "Wazzu Study: Sensitivity Is About Social Threat, Not Just Loud Noises." It might explain a thing or two about how this team is reacting. Go Cougs.
Pac-12 bowl math still makes no sense, but here's how Cougs fit
The Pac-12 bowl math is still a mess, but for once it might actually work in the Cougs' favor. The 2026 setup treats the legacy 12 schools like the conference never fell apart, grouping them together for most bowls while the new Pac-12 teams have their own deals. Washington State and Oregon State sit in both worlds. Legacy bowls pick first. So if the Cougs get to 8-4 or 9-3, they're looking at the Holiday or Sun Bowl. If they stumble to 6-6, they slide into the Poinsettia as a new Pac-12 team. That's not the worst fallback. Let's be honest: the Cougs are 1-4 right now. Kirby Moore just took over play-calling, which means he's owning the mistake at quarterback and coordinator. At least Trent Bray has the defense right. The path to six wins is narrow but not dead. If they find a rhythm, the Holiday Bowl in San Diego against an ACC team sounds a lot better than explaining to your boss why you need December 26 off for the Poinsettia. For more on the quarterback shuffle, check out "Three Quarterbacks Walk Into a Palouse Fall." It pairs well with this math problem. Go Cougs.