Was 2015 a fluke for the Cougars? The upcoming season for coach Mike Leach and his crew is all about consistency and sustainability. True, going 9-4 last season was huge, but Washington State won’t sneak up on anyone this year and still has to get through the Pac-12 North, which should be one of the toughest divisions in the nation this year. Matching last year’s win total would be outstanding, but even going 8-5, would be another important building block.
Washington State Cougars Regular Season Win Total Odds at BookMaker.eu
Cougars Over 7.5 Wins -110
Cougars Under 7.5 Wins -110
2015 WASHINGTON STATE COUGARS SEASON REVIEW
The Cougars were left for dead by some after their season-opening home loss to FCS Portland State. But Washington State rallied to run off wins against some to the Pac-12’s toughest programs, winning on the road and often coming from behind in the final minutes to do so.
Wazzou improved its win total by six games from 2014 and also claimed the program’s second bowl trip under Leach. Leading the nation in passing offense for a second straight season, Washington State was a good offensive team in 2015, which is the bare minimum expectation for Leach’s Air Raid attack.
Quarterback Luke Falk far exceeded expectations in his first season as a starter, leading the Cougs to road wins over Rutgers, Oregon, Arizona and UCLA. Under first year defensive coordinator Alex Grinch, Washington State authored one of its best defensive seasons in years. By the time the Cougars knocked off Miami in the Sun Bowl, that opening defeat was a distant memory.
WHAT CHANGED
First things first: It's going to be really hard to win nine games again this year. If you're an optimistic fan, you're going to look at the players returning this year and figure, "We're going to be even better than last year!" And that could very well be true for Wazzou.
But the Cougars weren't an amazing team on paper and needed some good fortune to break through. That fortune doesn't tend to last. WSU should absolutely expect to improve further, but with a schedule that features four projected top-20 opponents and an early trip to Boise State, a reversal in luck could mean a trip back down toward .500. But WSU is living and breathing again. Even if this team struggles to meet expectations, that probably isn't going to change in 2016.
2016 WASHINGTON STATE COUGARS REGULAR SEASON SCHEDULE
Sep. 3: vs. Eastern Washington
Sep. 10: at Boise State
Sep. 17: vs. Idaho
Oct. 1: vs. Oregon
Oct. 8: at Stanford
Oct. 15: vs. UCLA
Oct. 22: at Arizona State
Oct. 29: at Oregon State
Nov. 5: vs. Arizona
Nov. 12: vs. California
Nov. 19: at Colorado
Nov. 25: vs. Washington
2016 WASHINGTON STATE COUGARS SEASON PREVIEW
As usual with a Leach-coached team, Washington State will be dynamic on offense. Falk headlines the high-powered passing attack and is being mentioned as a dark-horse Heisman hopeful. The Cougars led the nation in passing in 2015 and there’s no reason to think it can’t happen again.
If Grinch can build off his debut season as the Cougs D coordinator, AD’s across the land could start kicking his tires about a head job. His messages to his players were simple: play fast, create chaos and find ways to quickly get the ball back to the offense. Foregoing size for speed and tenacity, the directives worked as WSU produced one of its better defensive showings.
Leach has restored life in Pullman. There will almost certainly be drastic ups and downs moving forward; it's the way life is going to be at WSU regardless, and in a Pac-12 with tons of solid teams, a little bit of improvement or regression could make a huge difference.
When you win nine games and return as much as WSU does, the inclination is to set the bar high. But the Cougars really weren't significantly better than they had been in the previous two years. And while they will almost certainly improve again in 2016, their record may not. They're going to play in a ton of close games, though, and that will give them a chance.
College Football Odds: Washington State Cougars Under 7.5 Wins
Bookmaker offers play-by-play betting odds for live sporting events every day! The user-friendly wagering interface on your smartphone provides an easy way to place bets on the go. Mobile betting lines are updated by the minute so click here to start gambling on thrilling line action at Bookmaker sportsbook!
