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Pac-12 power rankings: WSU holds spot after narrow loss to JMU

Welcome to the Hotline’s weekly assessment of the eight teams in the rebuilt Pac-12 that imagines them competing in the conference this season. (We’ll even recognize one lucky team as the regular-season champion.) The power rankings will be published each Sunday throughout the regular season.

Washington State gives respectable defensive effort, but offense lacks consistency in loss at James Madison

For the third time this season, Washington State traveled across the country and gave itself a chance to knock off a ranked team. And once again, the Cougars couldn’t find enough plays in the later stages of the game and suffered a heartbreaking defeat, losing narrowly to a heavily favored opponent. WSU gave up the lead in the fourth quarter and got stopped on its final drive, falling 24-20 against No. 21 James Madison on Saturday afternoon at Bridgeforth Stadium in Harrisonburg, Virginia. The Cougs (5-6) need a win next weekend against Oregon State to earn bowl eligibility. The Dukes (10-1) stayed alive in the College Football Playoff conversation.

The pick: Why No. 21 James Madison will beat Washington State

Only a few minutes after his Washington State team fell apart in the fourth quarter of a loss to Virginia, coach Jimmy Rogers sat at a table and discussed the result with reporters. The crowd noise had clearly bothered the Cougars, who committed five penalties in the fourth quarter alone, leading to a late collapse.

Washington State Cougars quarterback Zevi Eckhaus (4) runs the ball against Louisiana Tech Bulldogs linebacker Mekhi Mason (9) for a first down during the second half of a college football game on Saturday, Nov 15, 2025, on Gesa Field in Martin Stadium in Pullman, Wash. WSU won the game 28-3.  (Tyler Tjomsland/The Spokesman-Review)

WSU to try and spoil No. 21 James Madison’s CFP race in road matchup

When his Washington State club is looking at another long flight to play a team from another walk of life, Tucker Large doesn’t get too creative. While some teammates might watch movies or listen to music, the veteran safety likes to keep things businesslike.

How WSU DC Jesse Bobbit built one of the nation’s finest defenses

PULLMAN – Jesse Bobbit squints and looks out of his office window, a fifth-floor perch with a picturesque view of Gesa Field, where his Washington State defense has made mincemeat of nearly every opponent that has dared set foot in the place this fall. On this November morning, sunlight bathes the entire scene in brilliant colors, the green turf and the crimson Cougar logos and even the occasional white speck on Bobbit’s beard, belying the defensive coordinator’s young age of 31.

Season Status

Record: -

Previous Game: Wyoming 15, WSU 14

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