COUGARS

FROM PULLMAN -- Boy, do we have some links for you. Lots of them. Links for days and miles. So many that we've broken today's post into three parts. Read on for both of them.

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The first part -- WSU reading

First, we'll link to our own coverage. Our main story for today's paper featured WSU quarterback signee Austin Apodaca, who committed to the previous coaching staff but didn't take long to impress Mike Leach. We also have this blog post listing each of WSU's signees, along with comments from Leach about each player. You can click here for video of his press conference, and here for some more biographical information on the signees. ... Might have been easy to forget among the recruiting shuffle, but there is, after all, still a basketball game today. We have this story in advance of that, along with our weekly fact box (you'll notice WSU's record is incorrect in the newspaper due to a stupid error on my part. They're 11-10, obviously, not 11-8, as they were last week) and an item in this notebook. ... Bud Withers has this column about Leach's recruiting efforts, as well as some bio information on the signees. ... Howie Stalwick has this story in the Kitsap Sun. ... The LA Times makes mention of WSU's recruiting in that area. ... The Cougars's class is ranked 60th in the nation by Scout.com. ... Rivals.com's rankings only list the top 50 teams (from what I could find), but they rank the Cougars last in the Pac-12. ... Craig James addressed the Leach situation on a radio show yesterday. ... For those wondering: Kenny Lawler wound up choosing Cal, and Alphonso Marsh opted for Utah.

Part the second -- Pac-12 football

Arizona's class was boosted by a player who -- gasp! -- stuck with his commitment. The Wildcats searched far and wide for their signees (they wound up finding them, thank goodness). ... Arizona State's class is "dynamic," says the Arizona Republic. ... Oregon wound up putting together a stellar class despite Chip Kelly's NFL flirtation. And they did it without using any recruiting services this time. A letter from an uncertain signee gave the Ducks a late boost. ... Some comments from Mike Riley on Oregon State's class, which is highlighted by the addition of a quality offensive lineman. Still, a few slipped away. ... USC didn't seem to skip much of a beat in this year's class. ... Jim Mora's first class at UCLA gained the oft-committed services of Jordan Payton, who probably owns about 30 or so Pac-12 hats by now. ... Word out of Utah is that the Utes may have put together their best class ever. They also may have found an offensive coordinator. ... Colorado put together a big class full of players -- lots of offensive linemen -- who could see playing time rather early. ... Jeff Tedford admits Cal needs to step up its social media game. The coach would rather focus on the recruits instead of departed coaches. Some perspective from a writer at the Cal student paper (and an outstanding Oasis reference in the headline). ... Stanford added a big-time signee to bolster an already strong class. ... Washington closed on a number of recruits in the final 24 hours before signing day -- some of them on signing day -- to help remove some of the sting of missing out on a number of in-staters. That means it's time for its coach to get some rest. ... As always, lots of good stuff from Ted Miller on ESPN's Pac-12 blog.

The third part -- Pac-12 basketball

Today's games:

Oregon at Utah, 6 p.m. (FSN)

Oregon State at Colorado, 6 p.m.

UCLA at Washington, 6 p.m. (ESPN)

Arizona State at Stanford, 7 p.m. (FSN)

USC at Washington State, 7 p.m.

Arizona at California, 8 p.m. (FSN)

Still with us? Deep breaths. Here we go. ... Arizona is trying to get a waiver for Kevin Parrom. ... Chris Colvin is starting to find his stride for Arizona State. ... Missed this yesterday, but the Eugene Register-Guard has an Oregon notebook. ... USC is relying on a banged up center to fill a void down low, while awaiting word on whether a football player might help them out next season. ... UCLA faces a must-win at Washington, a place familiar to big man Josh Smith. ... An advance of Utah's games against the Oregon schools. The Utes are looking for more offensive opportunities. ... California needs to keep winning at its first-half clip to secure an NCAA bid. Three reasons why the Bears are in the title hunt at the midway point. ... A big man is showing some promise for Stanford. ... Aziz N'Diaye faces a tall task against a dysfunctional UCLA team.

I'll try to get some more quotes from Mike Leach on the blog before tonight's game.

Christian Caple can be reached at christianc@spokesman.com. Twitter: @ChristianCaple

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