COUGARS

Sitting with my fingers on the keyboard as the seconds pass, I realize nothing witty is going to come. Not even half that. So we type a few words and tell you there is plenty of Washington State news and information on the link, so read on.
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• Washington State: If Wednesday's practice is any indication – and anybody who has been involved with collegiate sports knows practice isn't always a harbinger of future performance – then the Cougars will play a physical game this Saturday. And when they do that, they compete. That's part of why I think it will be close (you can see all my Pac-10 picks here). But two key injuries, to James Montgomery, who probably would have had a big game against his old school, and Sekope Kaufusi, who still might play but if he doesn't costs the Cougars a strong tackler in the run game, make it impossible for me to go any further than "close." For more on yesterday's practice, check out our notes from last night. ... The Pac-10 football schedules for next year are moving forward – and Bob Condotta passes on the Huskies' early edition – and should be approved soon after the CEOs of the conference make sure there aren't any screwups like the one Stanford made last year, approving a schedule that had their game with Cal the Saturday before finals week. That was the impetus, as our story explains, for the Cougars back-to-back bye weeks. ... Christian Caple at the Daily News writes about WSU's video policies and how what happened at Notre Dame would be really out-of-the-ordinary in Pullman. ... CougCenter looks forward to California and backward to ASU. ...

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• Around the Pac-10: The Times' Bud Withers looks back on how far Oregon has come. ... ESPN.com's Ted Miller has a list of what to watch this week, his predictions and his weekly stock report. ... Washington: Quarterback Keith Price will make his first start and it will be in a tough place, Autzen Stadium. ... Patience is needed, Steve Sarkisian says. ... Oregon State: The Beavers have a bunch of nice guys up front on offense. But they want to play mean. ... Oregon: The Ducks' kicker Rob Beard is perfect this season. Want to bet he misses something this Saturday now? ... Kenjon Barner, knocked out against WSU, is full-speed at practice. ... Cal: Brock Mansion can't wait for Saturday. He has the pedigree to be a great college quarterback. ... Stanford: How can the Cardinal still play in the Rose Bowl? Jon Wilner diagrams the route. ... And how could they get shut out even if they are 11-1? Chris Dufresne explains. ... USC: After a poor showing against Oregon, the Trojan defense may be making changes. ... UCLA: Richard Brehaut is getting more comfortable with the Bruin offense. ... Arizona State: The Sun Devils' role players are pretty darn good. ... Arizona: Keola Antolin has emerged as the Wildcats' top running back.

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• That's it for this morning. Paul Wulff has a press conference this afternoon and the Cougars hold a practice a little later in the evening. We'll be back afterward. Until then ...

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