COUGARS

Every once in a while we try to bring you something different on this morning post. Just to keep things interesting. Today is one of those days. We have a couple of out-of-the-ordinary links at the end of the Washington State section, so read on.

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• Washington State: We start, as we usually do, with our story for the day, this on the Cougars' basketball recruiting and the now-common practice around the country of signing more players than there are available scholarships. ... We also has this week's Pac-10 picks. ... We had some notes from last night's practice. ... From the Tacoma News Tribune, there is this piece on the reestablishment of a pipeline between Curtis High and Pullman. ... OK, now to our surprise guests. With the sad news about Mariners broadcaster Dave Niehaus yesterday, we're passing along two local columns, the first from our John Blanchette and the second from Moscow-Pullman Daily News writer Christian Caple. Just some thoughts on the passing of a local icon.

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• Around the Pac-10: Now that the tears have cleared from my eyes, back to football. ESPN.com's Ted Miller tells us what to watch this weekend. Me, I'll be watching the Cougars and Beavers and keeping my eyes glued to my computer screen for three hours after the game is over. ... He also has his picks for the weekend. He's in trouble. They are exactly like mine. ... We had a story for Wednesday about the inability for the conference to fill its bowl obligations this season. Well, the Pac-10 added another one for next year. Of course, there will be two more teams. ... Jon Wilner rates the conference and looks at the Colorado coaching search. ... Washington: With the bye, nothing here. ... Oregon State: The Beavers have lost a defensive tackle, at least for this week, though Stephen Paea is still around. The question is, can whomever fills in for Brennan Olander make the Cougars pay for double teams on Paea? ... The OSU offense has its ups-and-downs. ... Oregon: If Darron Thomas goes down, the Ducks will be relying on a true freshman, who will be throwing away most of a season spent redshirting. ... Cal: The Bear defense will have its depth challenged by Oregon. ... Stanford: The Cardinal defense is the key to their improvement. Though Andrew Luck has a huge role in it as well. ... USC: Funny how Cam Newton's problems find their way to USC. ... UCLA: The Bruins receive a lift from another running back. ... Arizona State: Nothing here. ... Arizona: Though red is one of the UA colors, the red zone hasn't been kind to the Wildcats.

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• That's it for this morning. We'll be back after WSU's practice. Until then have a great Veteran's Day ...

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