It’s gameday from Pullman (and a live chat!)
COUGARS
FROM PULLMAN -- After today, Washington State's football season will be 25 percent complete. Unless you're counting on a 13th game. Which, after the way the Cougars played last week, isn't out of the question. But Southern Utah is the focus right now. So are these links. Mmmm. Links. Read on.
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Speaking of links, if you're in town and have the time to stop at CD's Smoke Pit in Moscow for lunch or dinner, I highly recommend the new "bacon explosion" sandwich. It contains some combination (and I could be slightly off here) of bacon, pulled pork and jalapenos (if you so choose) in a cajun link. It tastes even better than it sounds.
--- We'll have our usual pregame chat at 2:30 p.m. today.
--- First, a basketball personnel note: former coordinator of operations Tim Marrion has rejoined the WSU staff as director of player personnel. Marrion was an assistant at San Jose State last season, but spent the previous three years with the Cougars. He fills the vacancy left by Rod Jensen, who was promoted by coach Ken Bone to assistant coach.
--- Our story in today's paper attempts to guide you through the new-and-improving Martin Stadium, which looks a little different now than it did the last time WSU played a game there.
--- If you're a visual learner, here's a blog post with a link to the Martin seating chart (the gates are marked on there, too).
--- We also have our keys to a possible WSU victory.
--- The Salt Lake Tribune has a brief preview of the game.
--- Here's the AP's preview of the game.
Elsewhere around the Pac-12 today ...
UCLA at Nebraska, 9 a.m., ABC -- This will be a "tremendous test" for the Bruins in many different ways. They'll have to battle the atmosphere, too.
Stanford at Army, 9 a.m., CBS Sports Network -- This trip to one of the nation's more storied campuses is more than just a game for Stanford.
Boston College at USC, 12 p.m., Pac-12 Networks -- Former players say USC star receiver Marqise Lee just needs to be patient. The Trojans are trying to regroup.
Tennessee at Oregon, 12:30 p.m., ABC -- The Volunteers hope to force some turnovers against the Ducks, who probably will just score points instead.
Washington at Illinois, 3 p.m., Big Ten Network -- The Huskies are trying to leave Illinois in the dust. And win on the road more frequently.
Southern Utah at WSU, 3:30 p.m., Pac-12 Networks
Ohio State at California, 4 p.m., FOX -- Cal's defense is weak, so OSU's offense could be challenging. The focus might be on the Buckeyes' quarterback, and not the Bears'.
Oregon State at Utah, 7 p.m., FOX Sports 1 -- The Utes want to win their first Pac-12 opener since joining the conference. OSU's defense is in for a stiff challenge.
Wisconsin at Arizona State, 7:30 p.m., ESPN -- Could this be ASU's signature win? It has to win first, of course.
UTSA at Arizona, 7:30 p.m., Pac-12 Networks -- The Wildcats are preparing for a D-1 newbie.
Fresno State at Colorado, postponed -- Flooding in Boulder forced the postponement of this game, though there it has not yet been rescheduled and it might not be.
Stop by at 2:30 to get your questions answered.
Christian Caple can be reached at christianc@spokesman.com. Twitter: @ChristianCaple