Just getting through a Thursday morning at WSU

COUGARS

Sitting with my fingers on the keyboard as the seconds pass, I realize nothing witty is going to come. Not even half that. So we type a few words and tell you there is plenty of Washington State news and information on the link, so read on.
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• Washington State: If Wednesday’s practice is any indication – and anybody who has been involved with collegiate sports knows practice isn’t always a harbinger of future performance – then the Cougars will play a physical game this Saturday. And when they do that, they compete. That’s part of why I think it will be close (you can see all my Pac-10 picks here ). But two key injuries, to James Montgomery, who probably would have had a big game against his old school, and Sekope Kaufusi, who still might play but if he doesn’t costs the Cougars a strong tackler in the run game, make it impossible for me to go any further than “close.” For more on yesterday’s practice, check out our notes from last night. … The Pac-10 football schedules for next year are moving forward – and Bob Condotta passes on the Huskies’ early edition – and should be approved soon after the CEOs of the conference make sure there aren’t any screwups like the one Stanford made last year, approving a schedule that had their game with Cal the Saturday before finals week. That was the impetus, as our story explains, for the Cougars back-to-back bye weeks. … Christian Caple at the Daily News writes about WSU’s video policies and how what happened at Notre Dame would be really out-of-the-ordinary in Pullman. … CougCenter looks forward to California and backward to ASU. …

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• Around the Pac-10: The Times’ Bud Withers looks back on how far Oregon has come. … ESPN.com’s Ted Miller has a list of what to watch this week, his predictions and his weekly stock report . … Washington: Quarterback Keith Price will make his first start and it will be in a tough place , Autzen Stadium. … Patience is needed, Steve Sarkisian says. … Oregon State: The Beavers have a bunch of nice guys up front on offense. But they want to play mean . … Oregon: The Ducks’ kicker Rob Beard is perfect this season. Want to bet he misses something this Saturday now? … Kenjon Barner, knocked out against WSU, is full-speed at practice. … Cal: Brock Mansion can’t wait for Saturday. He has the pedigree to be a great college quarterback. … Stanford: How can the Cardinal still play in the Rose Bowl? Jon Wilner diagrams the route. … And how could they get shut out even if they are 11-1? Chris Dufresne explains . … USC: After a poor showing against Oregon, the Trojan defense may be making changes . … UCLA: Richard Brehaut is getting more comfortable with the Bruin offense. … Arizona State: The Sun Devils’ role players are pretty darn good. … Arizona: Keola Antolin has emerged as the Wildcats’ top running back.

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• That’s it for this morning. Paul Wulff has a press conference this afternoon and the Cougars hold a practice a little later in the evening. We’ll be back afterward. Until then …