An early morning post from Eugene
COUGARS
There are a few-more-than-usual links to pass along this morning, mainly due to the Pac-12 basketball media day in Los Angeles. And, of course, there is the full compliment of conference football games, headlined by today's action here in Eugene. Read on.
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• Washington State: Where do we start this morning? Well, wherever we start, the kick is at noon so we better start quickly, because we've got to get out of the hotel and over to Autzen. ... OK, we'll start with our keys to today's game. Let's be honest, however. If Washington State were to win today, it would rank right up there with the greatest upsets in college football history. Though, because it's not on ESPN or its family of networks, probably no one would know about it. We also have this advance built around Logan Mayes returning to Eugene to play. We couldn't wait for two years from now, when Mayes will probably be starting, to write this story because we won't be in this position then. ... The Seattle Times ran our Mayes story and this short preview. ... Freelancer Howie Stalwick had this advance in the Tacoma News Tribune. ... Your guide to the game courtesy of CougCenter. ... Percy Allen's coverage of Pac-12 basketball media day for the Times includes some Ken Bone quotes, so we'll put it here.
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• Around the Pac-12: ESPN.com's Ted Miller has his weekly mailbag. ... Bud Withers' picks of the week. ... Washington: The Huskies probably couldn't have picked a better team to bounce back against than Arizona, unless it was Colorado. Though the Wildcats can score a lot of points. ... Ryan Divish's coverage of the basketball. ... Oregon State: Are the Beavers wandering into a trap in Salt Lake City? ... Oregon: If anything about the Cougars worries the Ducks, it is their passing game. But, really, Oregon is confident going into today's matchup. ... California: The focus will be on the defenses in the UCLA matchup, especially for one family. ... Basketball coach Mike Montgomery talks about his bladder cancer. ... Stanford: The focus will be on USC receiver Robert Woods, after he cut up the Cardinal last season. This game has turned into a great rivalry. ... Colorado: Not a lot of hope for the Buffs today. ... Utah: Though Kyle Whittingham says there is no pressure, he might start feeling some if the Utes lose today. ... USC: This game could be big for the Trojans. ... UCLA: The Bruin defense is being picked apart. ... The Bruin basketball team is picked to win the Pac-12, again. ... Arizona State: The Sun Devils are telling everyone they are not looking past Colorado. ... Arizona: An upset in Seattle would give the Wildcats hope.
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• That's what we have for now. We'll be back before the game. Until then ...
