Podcast Vs. Everyone - For Washington State Cougars fans

The WCC tournaments are this weekend, and they mean different things for WSU's men's and women's basketball teams.

For the men, it's one last chance to put the bad taste of that no good, awful five-week stretch that tanked all the vibes around a good start. They played pretty decently in their final two games of the regular season, securing the WCC's No. 6 seed. And with the way the tournament is set up, they could win a game -- or...

It was truly a weekend of pain for WSU men’s basketball.

In one of the most anticipated games in Beasley Coliseum in years, the Washington State Cougars laid an absolute dud against the Gonzaga Bulldogs in front of a sold-out crowd, losing by 21 last Wednesday. Not to be outdone — and proving there is actually no floor — they then went out to Beasley again on Saturday and turned in an even worse performance against Santa Clara, los...

WSU has had a rough go of it lately in men's basketball, having dropped six of seven. But now ... big, bad, Gonzaga makes its return to Beasley Coliseum on Wednesday. With special co-host Jamey Vinnick of Cougfan.com, we start off by looking at just how it is that this season went off the rails, then break down what it will take to beat the Zags. It might not be as complicated as people assume.

Other topics: Beer, football recruiti...

After surging to an 8-1 record, the Washington State Cougars have now dropped two in a row as double-digit favorites. What on earth has happened to the defense? And can we even count on them to show up at home this weekend against Wyoming?

Other topics: Beer, thoughts on the injury to Cedric Coward and what it means for the men's basketball team, a check in on women's hoops, and a look in on volleyball's stretch run. 

Got all that?...

The Washington State Cougars easily handled Utah State on Saturday in what was a bit of a snoozer -- which is weird when you're talking about a game that was clearly never in doubt. But the team's conservatism seems to be by design, as the Cougs picked up their eighth win in nine games. New Mexico awaits this weekend. The Lobos are a little scary, but WSU still is clearly the better team.

Other topics: Beer, a review of men's baske...

Washington State didn't play its best game, but once again, the Cougars found a way to survive and win -- this time against San Diego State. The Aztecs surprised the Cougs with a pass-heavy attack, while the offense again had one of its lulls. But both sides of the ball came alive in time to pick up another win and stay on track for a quality bowl game ... and maybe even the CFP?

Other topics: Beer, a quick preview of WSU basketbal...

The Cougars turned in a comfortable win over the Rainbow Warriors on Saturday for homecoming, improving to 6-1. John Mateer looked fantastic as the offense as a whole took a step forward, and the defense generated a bunch of turnovers. All in all, it was a welcome, largely stress-free experience against a team that they should do that to. 

Other topics: Previewing San Diego State, beer (and why you should always check the date on t...

WSU traveled to Fresno State and found the going exceedingly tough against the Bulldogs. They were able to emerge unscathed, however, thanks to a superlative performance by the defense.

While we're thrilled to celebrate a win, we also have to try and figure out what it means for the rest of the season. What can be done to make sure the offense isn't going to fall off a cliff like it did last season? 

Other topics: Previewing Hawaii...

The bye week is finally in the rear view mirror for WSU football. With roughly half the season in the books, let's look back at what we learned and think about how the rest of the season might play out.

First up, of course, is Fresno State. The Bulldogs don't seem to present any kind of particular challenge, but it's a road game against a team that's going to obviously be hyped. The offense should be able to score points, but the d...

It's been a wild couple of weeks since we've recorded an "official" show. The Cougs won the Apple Cup (which we memorialized in an emergency show recorded on a phone at a bar), then they beat San Jose State (in one of the wildest games Pullman has seen), then the Pac-12 decided to expand again, going through a week of angst that ended with Utah State bringing the number of schools to seven.

Got all that? Let's break it down.

Notes

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Washington State beat the crap out of Texas Tech on Saturday in Pullman, has the Apple Cup coming up against the Washington Huskies on Saturday ... and that wasn't even close to the biggest news of the week for the Cougars.

Such was the titanic announcement on Thursday that WSU and Oregon State were choosing to rebuild the Pac-12 by inviting four teams from the Mountain West: Boise State, San Diego State, Fresno State, and Colorado...

The Washington State Cougars demolished the Portland State Vikings, and it was super fun. But also … it really was just the appetizer for this week’s main course: Hosting Texas Tech in Pullman on Saturday.

Let’s look back on last weekend’s game and then turn an eye toward the Red Raiders.

Topics of discussion

• Portland State: The Cougs put up a truly historic performance against he Vikings. It sure was a lot of fun!

• Beer: Jef...

Let’s look forward to the upcoming season — which, as we all know, sets up to be one that is unlike any in our lifetimes. There are so many unknowns … with the roster, with the opponents, with the future.

We start off by talking about our excitement before wandering into our areas of concern, including what we should expect out of John Mateer this season. We then look at the schedule and try and figure out how many wins is reasonab...

For the first time in more than a decade , EA Sports finally -- FINALLY!! -- dropped a new version of the old NCAA football video game this week. It's a big moment for those of us of a certain age, and Craig wasted little time diving in. We've got lots of thoughts about an institution that has made its triumphant return. 

Also included this week: The long-awaited Ol' Crimson Legendary Lager review! 

Other topics of discussion

• ...

Apple Cup tickets went on sale for season ticket holders. And hooooooo boy are the prices something to behold: The cheapest, “get in the door” ticket is $94 (plus, I presume, fees). The most expensive ticket — in the club seating between the 40s — is $424+. There also are 12(!!) pricing levels in between those two extremes.

Did the game organizers overestimate demand? We think so.

Other topics of discussion

• Men’s hoops: The Co...

It’s no secret that raising NIL funds is a real challenge for WSU. It’s also no secret that the Cougar Collective has been fighting the good fight, doing what it can to help the school be competitive on that front.

But this week, the game changes: Every purchase of Ol’ Crimson Legendary Lager sends cash to the Cougar Collective. How lucrative could it be? Will it move the needle?

We think it will. And that’s where we start this wee...

The annual Crimson and Gray game is on Saturday, and that’s when we’ll get our first real look at the Cougars’ rebuilt roster — and the first real chance to talk about something substantive other than the off-court upheaval of men’s basketball.

All eyes, of course, will be on the two guys battling it out to succeed Cam Ward as the starting quarterback: John Mateer and Zevi Eckhaus. Neither one has separated himself; and while that ...

The last two weeks have felt like two months in the world of Washington State Cougars men’s basketball, but late last week, we finally were introduced to the program’s new coach: David Riley.

The more we dig into Riley — and the more we hear from him — the more impressed we are with him, and the more excited we are about what he might be able to do in Pullman.

This episode was a fun one for us, as it’s one the rare occasions we wer...