Morning links: The WSU defense is getting better

The Washington State defense is on pace to nearly triple the number of takeaways it forced last season, and that’s not all.

We cover all the ways the Cougars have improved defensively in this story . Also in the paper we have my Pac-12 picks . On the blog we’ve got our daily practice report , the transcript of yesterday’s live chat and post-practice videos of Mike Leach and Clay McGuire .

Over at CougCenter, Brian Anderson is all YOU BEST CHILL, SUCKA! to those who think the WSU football teams needs a leadership change. … Stefanie Loh says Oregon’s offense is wary of the WSU defense. … And Loh also joined the Register-Guard to preview the upcoming game. … We still don’t know who will play QB for the Ducks, but the Cougars should be more worried about the UO running back, anyway. … This is a good thing: The UO athletic department is giving free tickets to Umpqua Community College students.

USA Today goes inside Stanford’s rapid turnaround . … Doug Haller takes a look at Arizona State’s trick plays . … USC and Washington play tonight. Here is Christian Caple’s advance .

Bonus link: Don’t miss this story about how Rodney Culver’s former teammates are helping his daughters connect with the father they never knew.