PULLMAN – For fans of many college football programs, conjecture is the quickest way to pass dreary months spent waiting for the season to start.
And everybody loves a good quarterback competition.
The quarterback is the most-visible player and only one can be the starter, and often holds the job for multiple years. So it’s natural to wonder who that player will be.
Coaches, however, have different views on whether or not to end the conjecture about who will start behind center.
Mike Leach finally relented to the constant questioning after practice on Tuesday, admitting that Luke Falk will start against Portland State.
Washington coach Chris Petersen still has not named his starter, although he has already informed the team who it will be.
But Jim Mora, who coaches a UCLA team that is widely-expected to compete for a conference title in 2015, announced that Josh Rosen will start a week ago, and Rosen is a freshman.
When asked why he gave up the secret so early, Mora said he was taking a cue from former Stanford coach Bill Walsh, who advised presenting one’s team with decisions sooner than later, to better help them process it.
“I didn’t think our fans thought it was that early,” Mora joked. “It just felt like the time was right, it was really more a gut decision than anything. We wanted to do it as we began our preparation for Virginia to clarify things for our quarterback and our team.”
Cal banks on Wilson
California’s defense has been the anchor weighing down the Golden Bears in recent years, finishing 120th nationally in 2014 as Cal fell just one win short of a bowl game.
But this year Cal will start DeVante Wilson at defensive end and the Golden Bears are hoping the USC transfer can help propel the defense toward mediocrity.
“Physically, he’s what you’re looking for. He’s got good size he’s got really good strength, He’s really long, really good athlete,” Cal coach Sonny Dykes said. “We think he has a chance to be a really good defensive end for us and give us a boost in our pass rush, which we need.
Rutgers coach Flood expects to be on the sideline despite investigation
Rutgers coach Kyle Flood says he expects to lead the Scarlet Knights in their season opener, even as the subject of a school investigation into whether or not he had improper contact with a faculty member.The RU office of ethics flagged the issue about two weeks ago and is currently investigating. Flood could face NCAA sanctions if he is found to have improperly communicated with a faculty member about a player’s coursework or grades.
For now, Flood expects to coach the upcoming season opener against Norfolk State, and presumably, next week against Washington State.
“I have no reason to believe that I wouldn’t be leading the team on Saturday,” Flood said Tuesday. “My portion of the university process ended yesterday and now until there’s a resolution I really need to be respectful of that process and won’t have a further comment.”
Cougars, Chippewas will eventually meet
Fans hoping to get a head-start on their planning for the 2019 season will not have to wait any longer – WSU’s schedule is set. According to a report by the Seattle Times, WSU and Central Michigan have agreed to play a home-and-home series.
The Cougars will play at CMU first, traveling to Mount Pleasant, Michigan, on Sept. 14, 2019. The Chippewas will complete the return visit on Sept. 4, 2021.
The agreement gives WSU a full nonconference schedule in 2019. If you remember, Mike Leach’s first game at WSU was at BYU in 2012. The Cougars (from Provo) were supposed to make a return trip in 2013, but that got pushed back to Oct. 12, 2019. WSU will also host Northern Colorado, on Sept. 7, 2019, in exchange for a reported-payout of $500,000.
