W S U ... Men’s Basketball: Cougs ace last exam
Bernstine, WSU cap finals week with 72-59 win over IUPUI
By JOSH GRISSOM Lewiston Trib (or Moscow Pullman Daily News?)
Dec 17, 2017
PULLMAN - The Washington State campus was eerily quiet Saturday
afternoon, as the usual drove of students was noticeably absent after
completing a rigorous slate of exams and hitting the snowy roads for home.
But members of the men's basketball team still had one final test
to complete - a nonconference matchup with a persistent IUPUI squad hoping to
put an end to its four-game skid.
Luckily, the Cougars aced their exam.
Malachi Flynn posted 17 points and Drick Bernstine nearly recorded
a double-double as Washington State cruised to a 72-59 victory at Beasley
Coliseum in front of an announced crowd of 2,240 fans.
"I think it kind of showed today that coach (Ernie) Kent knows
what he's talking about," Bernstine said. "A lot of the guys were
finding themselves with a lot more open looks than usual. I think when I can
bring the pace, it throws off the defense and it gets these guys involved and
gets everybody going."
It didn't take long for Kent to heap praise on Bernstine during his
postgame news conference, as the senior forward finished the night with nine
points, five assists and a season-high 13 boards.
"He's big, he's strong, that ball zips down the floor on a
rope," Kent said. "He sees the floor, he's totally comfortable being
a facilitator and getting people their buckets. He just makes us a different
team with the shooters you can put on the floor around him in transition. I
don't know how you guard that with an opposing team's five men backpedaling,
with as fast as he's coming down the floor."
Bernstine's strong outing was partially the result of an offensive
tweak Kent made to the lineup, as the fourth-year coach opted to reduce Milan
Acquaah's playing time in favor of sustaining a quicker tempo on the hardwood.
"When you reach a rhythm and the rhythm gets going, you don't
break the rhythm just to get people minutes," Kent said. "You ride
that rhythm, and Drick gives us that rhythm we've not had since I've been
there."
Bernstine wasn't the only Cougar to turn heads with his
performance, as four of his teammates also finished in double figures,
including 15 points for Viont'e Daniels on 6-of-7 shooting.
"The last three games, my energy wasn't where it should've
been," Daniels said. "I think this game everybody brought their
energy and I just rallied off that. I'm going to make shots, I'm going to miss
shots, that's part of the game."
The Washington State defense also stepped up and delivered one of
its better showings of the year, often mixing in a 1-3-1 zone to hold the
Jaguars (2-7) to 33.8 percent from the floor.
"We know that in order for our offense to usually thrive, we
have to play defense because we're a transition team," Bernstine said.
"It's hard to grab the ball out of the net after a scored basket and push
the ball as fast as you can (compared to) off a missed shot. When I'm bringing
the ball down and these guys are flying down the sides and getting layups and
shots, I think that's when we play the best."
Washington State improves to 7-3 and snaps a three-game losing
streak with the victory. The Cougars return to the hardwood at 8 p.m. on
Wednesday for a game with Kansas State at Spokane Arena.
"I've never played in Spokane, but I'm definitely excited and
I think all the guys are, too," Bernstine said. "You get a neutral
floor, (it's) our president's old school, so I think that brings a lot more
will for us to win."
TAKE IT AWAY, VIONT'E - Daniels posted double figures in
back-to-back games for the first time in his career, finishing with 15 points
and four assists in the win. The junior also tallied 18 points in last
weekend's road loss to UTEP.
"Viont'e has been Mr. Consistency, he just goes about his
job," Kent said. "He's not the most vocal guy, but he epitomizes what
you want your program to be ... always trying his best defensively, doesn't
break down much at all and always looks to make the right play on the offensive
end of the court. If you can do that, you're going to win a lot of games if you
have players with that type of mentality."
WINNING WITH CLASS - With less than 30 seconds left to play, the
Cougar defense forced a turnover and Bernstine found himself with an
uncontested fast-break opportunity. Instead of completing the layup to reach
double-digit scoring, Bernstine pulled up and dribbled to the backcourt to run
out the clock.
"First of all, I didn't know he was flirting with the
double-double, I probably would've told him to go score it," Kent said.
"Secondly, it tells you about the character of him and (his) IQ to know he
didn't have to score, he could just pull it out and keep the floor spread and
run the game out. I don't know how many players would have done what he
did."
IUPUI (2-7)
Brennan 3-7 0-0 6, Hall 2-7 0-0 4, Rogers 1-8 0-0 2, McCall 1-6 0-0
3, Patterson 7-15 0-0 19, Kirby 1-4 0-0 2, Goss 4-7 0-0 9, Thomas 0-0 0-0 0,
Minnett 2-7 0-0 5, Henderson 3-12 1-2 9. Totals 24-73 1-2 59.
WASHINGTON ST. (7-3)
Bernstine 4-7 1-1 9, Franks 4-9 2-2 10, Hinson 2-6 1-2 6, Daniels
6-7 0-0 15, Flynn 5-11 4-4 17, Cooper 0-0 0-0 0, Pollard 6-9 0-0 12, Langston
0-0 0-0 0, Acquaah 0-2 0-0 0, Skaggs 1-2 0-0 3. Totals 28-53 8-9 72.
Halftime-Washington St. 36-30. 3-Point Goals-IUPUI 10-32 (Patterson
5-12, Henderson 2-6, Goss 1-1, McCall 1-3, Minnett 1-4, Rogers 0-2, Brennan
0-4), Washington St. 8-22 (Daniels 3-4, Flynn 3-7, Skaggs 1-2, Hinson 1-3,
Pollard 0-1, Acquaah 0-1, Franks 0-4). Fouled Out-None. Rebounds-IUPUI 33
(Kirby, Patterson 6), Washington St. 34 (Bernstine 12). Assists-IUPUI 13
(Rogers, Minnett, Henderson 3), Washington St. 19 (Bernstine 5). Total
Fouls-IUPUI 11, Washington St. 9.
…..
As winter comes
First snow of the season has valley drivers sliding, but rain
should commence Sunday
By Tom Holm of the Lewiston
Trib Dec 16, 2017
Skiers, rejoice. Motorists, meanwhile, have to make a choice: put
on the winter tires or wait for the season's first snow to melt.
Snow fell steadily throughout the region Friday afternoon and
covered the Lewiston-Clarkston Valley floor for the first time this winter.
Slick roads led to dozens of minor crashes and slide-offs
throughout Lewiston, forcing the city to temporarily close some of the most
treacherous stretches (see Page 1C).
Skittish winter drivers can rest a little easy knowing Friday's
snow likely will melt off by midweek. Rain is expected low in the valley
Sunday, with snow above 5,500 feet, according to Bob Tobin, National Weather
Service meteorologist.
The 10-day weather forecast puts highs above freezing this weekend,
rising into the 40s Monday and Tuesday. Come Wednesday, however, a chill will
sweep through the valley with highs predicted below 30 degrees for the rest of
the week.
Tobin said the extended precipitation outlook for the valley is
dry. A winter weather advisory was in effect Friday for southeast Washington
and the Idaho panhandle, with a mix of rain and snow tapering off Saturday.
Mountain snow accumulation is estimated at 5 inches. The valley can expect 1 to
2 inches of snow, he said.
The Palouse can expect 1 to 3 inches of snow and Camas Prairie
could see 2 to 4 inches Friday and Saturday.
"There's another shot on Sunday, but not for Lewiston,"
Tobin said. "The mountains will do pretty good but the valley will turn
over into rain."
Idaho State Police reported multiple slide-offs in Latah County by
Friday afternoon. Road conditions were icy, especially on the Palouse. A car
flipped into the ditch on Bryden Canyon Road above Eighth Street in Lewiston
around 3:30 p.m. Westbound lanes were blocked for about an hour while the scene
was being cleared.
Fourth of July Pass on Interstate 90 east of Coeur d'Alene was
reduced to one lane Friday due to snowy, icy conditions, and ISP was working
numerous crashes along the I-90 corridor.
Tobin said a ridge of arctic air is hanging off the coast of Oregon
and Washington, and if it moves over the Northwest within the next month, the
valley could see more snow.
"If it sets up over Washington and Oregon, it will keep
precipitation in Camas Prairie and everything west will stay pretty dry,"
Tobin said. "It's showing a La Nina pattern. ... it depends on where that
ridge builds up. If it pushes east or west it could change the whole
thing."
The valley could be in for a wetter-than-normal year if the La Nina
moves inland, or a dryer-than-normal if the arc of cool air hangs near the
coast.
However, this winter likely will not be like last year - when snow
dropped early and stuck around for the season with frigid temps. This time last
year the valley was hitting lows near 0 degrees and barely rising to the teens,
while the average for mid-December is around 33 degrees.
The middle of December last year saw 7 inches of snow drop into
Lewiston in a single storm, sending the city into crisis mode as modest
snow-removal equipment like the city's dump trucks outfitted with plows hit the
roads. The blizzard and frigid temps were so rare the last historic low to
compare it to came in 1924, when the low hit minus 8 degrees Dec. 19.
Just a few weeks prior, things seemed like a normal winter season
with about an inch accumulating in the valley in late 2016.
A repeat of last year's winter is only likely if the La Nina moves
across Washington and Oregon and glides through Idaho before hitting the
continental divide.
"The last La Nina pattern in 2004-05 set up in the east
Pacific and just stayed in Washington and Oregon," Tobin said. "It
stayed fairly dry the whole winter and spring (inland), but I'm not saying
that's what will happen now."
….
Respite on the way – temporarily – as temperatures rise, roads
clear
UPDATED: Sun., Dec. 17, 2017, 3:54 p.m.
By Jonathan Glover Spokane S-R
It came, it saw, it conquered, and it stuck around.
This weekend’s flurry of snowstorms contributed to several hundred
crashes and even more headaches as Inland Northwest residents navigated the
often treacherous roads. Luckily for them, respite is on the horizon.
The National Weather Service predicts light snow drizzles in the
area Sunday afternoon and evening, but come Monday and Tuesday, warmer weather
approaches, and so too does rain.
The relief will be brief, as snow will likely return Wednesday and
again heading into the weekend.
“We’ll be on the colder backside of a larger system,” said weather
service meteorologist Joey Clevenger. “Not looking to be a lot of snow, mostly
the extreme eastern portions of Washington.”
The beginning of the work week will also see a lingering cold front
move aside, causing temperatures to rise, which could melt some of the more
than 7 inches of snow that fell Friday. Clevenger said temperatures could hit
the upper 30s and lower 40s.
Meanwhile in Spokane, road crews continued to work around the clock
on a full-city plow that started Saturday after record-breaking amounts of snow
hit the region.
By Sunday afternoon, most of the city was scheduled to see snow
removal, or was already plowed, according to the city’s online map. Only
pockets of unplowed roads remain in north and west Spokane. Officials continue
to ask that vehicles park on the odd side of streets in residential areas to
speed the effort. No parking restrictions were imposed downtown.
The City of Spokane Valley reported that a full residential plow
was in effect Sunday afternoon.
Hills, arterials and roads near schools were mostly bare and wet
Sunday morning. I-90 in both directions was the same.
No serious collisions or injuries were reported Sunday. On Friday,
at least 418 vehicle crashes were reported by the Spokane Police Department,
Spokane County Sheriff’s Office and Washington State Patrol.
……..
Vince Grippi of Spokane S-R sports says: “Washington State’s top
running back commit just won a prestigious award in Colorado. Now let’s see if
he signs Wednesday (Stanford has entered the picture).”
Denver Post story follows…
Pomona running back Max Borghi is this year's Denver Post Gold
Helmet winner, the first in the school's history.
By Kyle Newman Denver Post
December 17, 2017
When Max Borghi hobbled on in crutches to The Denver Post building
for his photo shoot for last year’s All-Colorado team, the Pomona tailback
looked the part of a player who just had major knee surgery.
The few weeks of immobility since the Panthers’ star tore his ACL
and MCL in the state quarterfinals had taken some muscle off his frame, and as
he hobbled around the studio for his portrait, a big question hung in the air:
Would Borghi be able to be Borghi again, the back with breakaway speed and gifted
field vision not seen in the state’s prep ranks since Christian McCaffrey?
It’d be a question that Massimiliano Christopher Borghi, the 2017
Gold Helmet winner, would come to answer with a resounding yes during a senior
season in which he racked up 2,101 all-purpose yards and 29 touchdowns while
leading the Panthers to their first Class 5A state championship.
“My comeback was all in the mindset,” Borghi said. “I knew I wasn’t
going to let the injury stop me, and that if I worked hard, took my physical therapy
seriously and took my training seriously, I could come back the same me. And I
did.”
The senior went off for 164 yards rushing in his 2017 debut against
Fountain-Fort Carson, Pomona’s second game of the season, and followed that up
with a five-touchdown performance the next week against Ralston Valley.
Colorado Prep Stats
But the 5-foot-10, 195-pound Borghi — who with a 4.35 40-yard dash
and 335-pound max bench press is described as “a genetic freak” by Dr. David
Schneider — was just getting his comeback started en route to becoming Pomona’s
first Gold Helmet winner.
“Watching him live (against Ralston Valley), I knew he wasn’t there
yet — he was only nine months from surgery at that point,” said Schneider, who
oversaw the tailback’s operation and rehabilitation. “Usually every game, I’d
say, ‘Max, my eyes tell me you’re 80 percent there, or you’re 85 percent
there.’ In the semifinals he was 95 percent. And in the state championship —
when he trucked (an Eaglecrest player) at the goal line — I knew he was 100
percent.”
And, as Borghi’s explosiveness skyrocketed, so too did his
recruiting profile. Originally pledging to Colorado before flipping to
Washington State in late June, Borghi’s play down the stretch this fall has now
drawn interest from Stanford, who had its running backs coach on the sideline
at Sports Authority Field for the state title game.
The Cardinal’s late push for Colorado’s top prep tailback — as well
as still-strong interest from North Carolina and California — should make for
an interesting Dec. 20 early signing deadline for Borghi, who currently remains
verbally committed to the Cougars and is hungry to prove himself at the next
level.
“I’m going to go into college and be a no-name, and that’s what I’m
most excited for,” Borghi said. “Here in Colorado I’ve made a name for myself,
but when I go out of state, no one knows who I am. I have to establish myself
again.”
Regardless of where he plays in college, Pomona coach Jay Madden
believes Borghi’s ceiling is as high as it was for McCaffrey, the 2013 Gold
Helmet winner who went on to be a Heisman finalist — at Stanford, no less — and
now plays for the Carolina Panthers.
“The last half of this year, he started to show the skills he has
to be an unbelievable Division I running back — that’s power and the ability to
get the tough yards,” Pomona coach Jay Madden said. “We all know he can make
the big play, but he’s shown how he can be consistent and make those four, five
yard runs you have to have to keep drives alive.”
Borghi has also risen to the task in the classroom, where the
senior boasts a 3.86 GPA and earned a 29 on the ACT — that in addition to
various community service work such as volunteering in soup kitchens and at
retirement homes.
In all, the senior’s “school and family-first mindset”, as junior
teammate Billy Pospisil noted, is what makes him a magnetic leader at Pomona
both inside the school and on the field.
“He set the tone for this year — it was clear from him, and how he
went about his business in and out of football, that he had his mind set on
some goals for himself and the team was mirroring those goals,” Pomona
principal Andy Geise said. “After two years of coming up short in the title
they wanted to be able to taste that championship, and they followed Max’s lead
to do it.”
And as Borghi — who has the option of graduating a semester early —
prepares to embark on his next chapter, he emphasized the crucial role Pomona’s
football culture played in his amassing of 6,473 all-purpose yards throughout a
storied prep career.
“The tradition of the Big Black is something I’ll carry on forever,
and it’s embedded a lot of traits into myself — the hard work, not taking
things for granted, and continuing to grind even though certain things don’t
come easy,” Borghi said. “That’s what the Big Black is — it’s mean, determined
kids who work for what they want.”
……………………..
Seen & Heard on Planet Coug: Grinch, Daniels, Klay & more
COUGFANcom
FROM THE "BETTER-REVIEW-THE-FOOTAGE FIRST" category,
comes The Cleveland Plain-Dealer's story Friday about rumors Alex Grinch might
give up his $600,000-a-year defensive coordinator's job at WSU to become the
10th assistant coach at Ohio State and Greg Schiano's understudy. The story
contained a video clip from WSU's win over Oregon to illustrate the attacking
nature of Grinch's Speed D. In the first 38 seconds of the clip, the Ducks go
from first-and-20 at their own 10 to a first down at the 33.
By all accounts, Grinch and his wife, who have youngsters, enjoy
living in Pullman. It's hard to believe the call home would be strong enough to
kiss away a DC title and one of the highest assistant coaching salaries in the
Pac-12 to become a regular assistant -- even if it is for wunderkind Urban
Meyer.
Regardless, hat's off to Grinch's agent, who has done an incredible
job over the last week-plus getting his client's name circulated around the
country. Speaking of busy agents, Mike Leach's guy must have been positively
manic during the head coaching carousel. And we just now stumbled across this
little nugget -- from John Canzano of The Oregonian -- that was floated on Dec.
7:
"Washington State's Mike Leach has some important people
pushing for him" for the Oregon job, he wrote.
The Ducks of course filled the post by promoting from within -- a
practice that mostly has served them well over the years, going from Brooks to
Belotti to Kelly to Helfrich -- but isn't it delicious to wonder which
"important people" were pushing for Leach? As near as we can tell,
there's only one VIP in and around Oregon and it's Phil Knight. Hard to imagine
him being a Leach-kinda-guy. "Important people" sounds more like the
hype an agent might peddle.
OLD COUGAR KACHE PALACIO WAS just promoted by the Seattle Seahawks
from the practice squad to the active roster, the team announced Saturday. The
second-year linebacker also was a member of the 'Hawks' practice squad last
season. He completed his Cougar career in 2015 with the 10th-most sacks in
school history (16). He played in 50 games and made 22 starts for the Cougs.
MARYLAND FANS HAVE LONG BEEN upset over the fateful decision seven
years ago by Terps brass to hire Randy Edsall instead of Mike Leach. Jeff
Ermann, of the Scout/247 website covering Maryland, wrote about it the other
day in a story headlined Revisiting Mike Leach's Blown Interview at Maryland.
Cougar fans will no doubt get a chuckle from it as the retelling sounds like
classic Leach. Here's an excerpt:
"It's been an open secret for years that the school nixed
Leach's hiring after he put his colorful personality on full display in his
interview with school officials. That version of events was again confirmed in
a story about coaching searches John Talty wrote Tuesday for Al.com:
"I've interviewed a lot of people for jobs in my career,"
said a member of Maryland's search committee, "and that was one of the
more bizarre interviews. You'd ask him a question, and he would just start
talking and keep talking...you are sitting there thinking when is he going to
get to the answer? And then he says, 'Oh wait, I'm rambling. What was the
question again?"
"I know what you're saying. Leach could've shown up in a
Speedo and an eye patch, screaming about the voices in his head, and you
would've hired him over Edsall every day of the week. University big wigs, of
course, consider public relations risks more than sports-obsessed alumni."
VIONTE DANIELS IS ON FIRE. In WSU's last two games -- a win
Saturday over IUPUI and a loss last Saturday at UTEP -- the junior guard from
Federal Way was a combined 12 of 19 from the field (including 9 of 16 from
downtown) for 33 points. He missed only one shot vs. IUPUI. He also turned in
the most minutes of anyone on the team in that span: a whopping 77 between the
two games.
Spokane Cougs will be able to catch his hot hand in action at the
Arena on Wednesday (8 pm/ESPN2), when WSU hosts Kansas State. The Cougs then
play Bethune-Cookman in Pullman on Friday before opening Pac-12 play at UCLA on
Dec. 29.
REMEMBER DeANGELO CASTO, THE high-octane Cougar power forward from
Spokane who was in the same recruiting class as Klay Thompson?
He left WSU with a year of eligibility remaining and seemingly
disappeared. Turns out he changed his last name to Hamilton and has been a
stellar performer over the years in some of the world’s lower-tier professional
basketball leagues.
Earlier this month, Maccabu Raanana of Israel’s National League
announced that it signed Hamilton, who is now 27 and in his seventh pro season.
He’s coming off an impressive stint with Can Tho Catfish of the Vietnamese VBA
league, where he averaged 21 points and 16.9 rebounds per game. In 2014, while
playing in Korea, he was named honorable mention All-Japanese BJ League. He also
has played for teams in Japan and Turkey.
Casto earned All-Pac-12 second-team honors as a junior in 2010-11
and announced shortly after the season he would have to forego his senior year
in order to support a young son. “It didn’t look like I would be able to
maintain financially if I stayed,” he told reporters at the time.
The Ferris High product ranks as one the finest shot blockers in
WSU history and also ranks high for shooting percentage and rebounding
DeAngelo Casto and Klay Thompson rejoice in the Cougar spirit circa
2011. (Photo: USPresswire/Snook)
SPEAKING OF KLAY THOMPSON, he's off to another great season with
the Golden State Warriors. He's averaging 20.9 points per game and shooting a
sizzling 47 percent from beyond the arc (fifth-best in the NBA) and trails only
James Harden for most made treys in the league.
IN HIS NEW NATIONAL SPORTS WEBSITE with an unclear name (the url is
theathletic.com and the title on the masthead is The All-American), long-time
college football scribe Stewart Mandel was asked this week if the Pac-12 or Big
Ten will reduce the number of in-conference games their teams play each season
from nine to eight in order to enhance the chances one of its teams gets into
the College Football Playoff. His
response:
"The thing is, you and me and everyone reading this column
only think of scheduling as it pertains to the Playoff. However, the actual
people making the scheduling decisions have bigger concerns. Mainly, what will
get the largest number of people to buy tickets to our games, and what will
cause the largest number of TV viewers to tune into our games? Replacing a
conference opponent with Mercer does not address either."
BTW one of Mandel's reporters at his new site is a familiar one to
Cougar fans: Chantel Jennings, who covered the Pac-12 for ESPN.com before being
swept up in ESPN's mass layoff last summer.
RIP JOE TILLER. WE MISSED THE PASSING of the former WSU assistant
coach and beloved old Purdue head coach back in late September. Tiller was a
WSU assistant during both the option
veer years of Jim Sweeney and the early days of the spread offense with Mike
Price before going on to notable success as head man at Wyoming and Purdue. He
was 74.
Two WSU players from the early 1970s saluted him on Facebook. “He
was a great teacher and motivator!” wrote Harold Bradford. “Sad news about a
wonderful man...love you Coach T!!!,” said Chuck Peck.
As WSU's offensive coordinator in 1990, Tiller presided over a
wealth of quarterbacks in Brad Gossen, Aaron Garcia and true freshman Drew
Bledsoe. He and Price decided to burn Bledsoe’s redshirt midway through the
campaign, reasoning that the Walla Walla Wonder was so good he wouldn’t be
around for a fifth season (or a fourth, as it turned out).
In one of the great favors of football lore, Price — believing his
QB cupboard was full — directed a lightly recruited prepster, who had contacted
him about playing in WSU’s spread offense, to touch base with old pal Tiller at
Purdue. The young man’s name? Drew Brees. Purdue and Kentucky (whose offensive
coordinator was Mike Leach) were the only schools to offer him a scholie. The
Cougars featured Ryan Leaf on the front end of Brees' college career and Jason
Gesser on the back, but you have to drool thinking about the Saints' star
serving as the bridge between the two Cougar legends.
Price and Tiller would battle each other in 2001, when the Cougars
took on (and defeated) Purdue in the Sun Bowl. Gesser helmed the Cougs and Kyle
Orton the Boilermakers.
………….
According to the TNT/Tacoma News Tribune, where’s gifts WSU (and
Michigan State) football players get for playing in Holiday Bowl 2017:
Holiday Bowl in San Diego, Calif., Dec. 28 (Michigan State vs.
Washington State): Gift suite, a Fossil watch and Ogio backpack.
………………………………………………
Pac-12 bowl picks: UW and WSU await stiff Big Ten tests in Fiesta
and Holiday Bowls
Originally published December 16, 2017 at 8:00 am Updated December
16, 2017 at 8:05 am
With four Big Ten and three Big 12 opponents … and with five teams
as underdogs, including both of the New Year’s Six participants … the Pac-12
has a terrific opportunity over the next two weeks to alter the nightmare 2017
narrative.
By Jon Wilner San Jose Mercury News
The Pac-12 postseason gets underway Saturday at 12:30 … then
promptly puts its head back on the pillow and conks out for 10 more days.
The Las Vegas Bowl makes loads of sense for the conference as a
second-tier affiliate, because it’s a destination spot — and how many true
destination spots, other than the Rose Bowl, are there in the Pac-12’s lineup
for fans already living inside the conference footprint?
But the Las Vegas Bowl is too darn early, and we’ll double down on
that sentiment with the introduction of the early-signing period (Dec. 20-22).
Also, the LVB date makes picking games in a one-shot format such as
this a tad difficult, because of the potential for draft-bound players in the
post-Christmas games to McCaffrey themselves from competition.
Alas, we’ll take our best guesses.
Generally on the conference: With four Big Ten and three Big 12
opponents … and with five teams as underdogs, including both of the New Year’s
Six participants … the Pac-12 has a terrific opportunity over the next two
weeks to alter the 2017 narrative — partially, if not completely — after a
nightmare regular season on the PR front.
Oregon (minus-7) vs. Boise State (Las Vegas, Dec. 16)
Saw that Royce Freeman won’t play. Don’t care. This strikes me as a
betting line that considers the totality of Oregon’s season when, in fact, the
Ducks should be judged only by the games with Justin Herbert in the lineup,
because he will be in the lineup Saturday. And the Ducks will roll.
ATS Pick: Oregon
Straight up: Oregon
Utah (minus-6.5) vs. West Virginia (Heart of Dallas, Dec. 26)
Yep, Kyle Whittingham has a killer postseason record, but the Utes
have played plenty of close games in his tenure. This will be another, with or
without quarterback Tyler Huntley, who is expected to play. (Psst: The Hotline
believes Utah is better off with Troy Williams, and would have been all
season).
ATS Pick: West Virginia
Straight up: Utah
UCLA (plus-3) vs. Kansas State (Cactus, Dec. 26)
If we assume Josh Rosen plays, then we’ll assume Josh Rosen lights
it up against KSU’s flimsy pass defense. Sometimes, a coaching change saps the
energy and motivation from a team in the postseason. That won’t happen to the
Bruins.
ATS Pick: UCLA
Straight up: UCLA
Arizona (minus-4) vs. Purdue (Foster Farms, Dec. 27)
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The instinct is to pick the Wildcats and Khalil Tate (because he’s
Khalil Tate), hand over a minuscule amount of points for a team that averages
41.8 points per game, and wait for Arizona to cover. BUT: Purdue’s run defense
is stout. In fact, the Boilermakers are dead even with Oregon in yards-per-rush
allowed (3.59), and we saw what the Ducks did to Tate.
ATS Pick: Purdue
Straight up: Purdue
Stanford (plus-2.5) vs. TCU (Alamo, Dec. 28)
Billed as Heisman runner-up Bryce Love against the terrific TCU
defense, and understandably so. But the outcome hinges on the other matchup:
How will TCU quarterback Kenny Hill fare against Stanford’s defense? Well, but
not well enough. And the deflation situation favors Stanford, which should be
more excited to experience the Riverwalk et all than the Horned Frogs.
ATS Pick: Stanford
Straight up: Stanford
Washington State (minus-2.5) vs. Michigan State (Holiday, Dec. 28)
If the past few weeks are any indication, the Cougars are in for
another clunker. They were clobbered in the Apple Cup, lost their top-two
receivers (transfer and expulsion) and almost lost their coach (to Tennessee).
Oh, and it’s not like Luke Falk has been even decent away from home.
ATS Pick: Michigan State
Straight up: Michigan State
Arizona State (plus-7) vs. North Carolina State (Sun, Dec. 29)
Like so much else about ASU football, the bowl situation is
bizarre: Todd Graham is coaching as a lame duck, and Herm Edwards is the new
boss but not involved in the game. I suspect the Devils will play well as a
show of support for Graham — and perhaps as a statement to the administration
that they weren’t in favor of the change.
ATS Pick: Arizona State
Straight up: Arizona State
USC (plus-7.5) vs. Ohio State (Cotton, Dec. 29)
First postseason meeting since the ’85 Fiesta, and we can’t wait
for kickoff. But which teams will we see at that point? Both were brilliant,
bad and baffling at various points during the season. (Also, both felt they
deserved more love from the selection committee.) The Buckeyes have the better
roster and the better coaching staff, but there is no chance — none, zero, zip
— that I would give Sam Darnold 7.5 points in a showcase game.
ATS Pick: USC
Straight up: Ohio State
Washington (plus-2) vs. Penn State (Fiesta, Dec. 30)
The Huskies faced a slew of elite tailbacks this season, but Saquon
Barkley’s all-around skill places him on a different level. No doubt, defensive
coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski will have UW well prepared — this won’t be a
shootout like the ’17 Rose Bowl. It should, however, be taut, tense and one of
the best games of the postseason. Picking UW to cover is essentially picking UW
to win. I’m good with that.
ATS Pick: Washington
Straight up: Washington
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