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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

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Monday morning WSU post


COUGARS

It's Apple Cup week, which, this year, is also Thanksgiving week and thank-god-the-football-season-is-almost-over week, probably for both schools. The excitement of two teams with awful records playing on a holiday weekend isn't helping ticket sales much. We've got more. Read on.


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• Washington State: We'll start looking forward by looking back. We had our follow on the OSU game and our look back. And, like Forrest Gump, that's all I have to say about that. ... Now, let's look forward. We'll have our first look at Washington this afternoon plus notes from practice. But our big item today is the first of four stories concerning the cross-pollination of these two programs. There are numerous instances this season of players on one side of the Cascades who have relatives with strong ties to the other. Tomorrow we'll start with the Gilbertsons, father Keith who coached numerous times for the Huskies – including a short stint as head coach – and son David, who is a backup quarterback on the Cougars. ... The Kitsap Sun had this column about the Cup. ... Finally, to cleanse your palate, here's a story about the women's basketball team's game in Nebraska.

• Around the Pac-10: ESPN.com's Ted Miller has many items, including his power rankings. There is also his bowl projections and what was learned over the weekend. ... Buster Sports' Nick Daschel gives out his grades for the weekend. ... Washington: The Apple Cup once again pits teams with losing records. ... Oregon State: It is still some 11 days until the showdown for the roses, but that doesn't mean there isn't going to be a lot of hype. The Beavers like being the underdog. ... Oregon: While the Ducks like being the top dog. ... California and Stanford: The Big Game featured a role reversal. ... USC: The Trojans still can play in the Holiday Bowl. That's kind of a comedown for them, isn't it? ...UCLA: The Bruins expect to go to a bowl, but a win over USC would enhance their standing. ... Arizona State: The Sun Devils are going to have another losing season, but beating UA can help salvage some of it. ... Arizona: Was the Wildcats' loss just plain old destiny?

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• That's it for this morning. We'll be back this evening. Until then …



Vince Grippi
Vince Grippi is a freelance local sports blogger for spokesman.com. He also contributes to the SportsLink Blog.

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