2022 football preview: Game-by-game predictions for the Washington State University Cougars
Aug. 31, 2022 by Colton Clark S-R of Spokane
Pac-12 picks
Colton Clark's predicted order of finish:
1. Utah
2. Oregon
3. USC
4. Washington State
5. Oregon State
6. UCLA
7. Washington
8. Arizona State
9. Stanford
10. Cal
11. Arizona
12. Colorado
Washington
State’s nonconference football slate features two favorable matchups against
lower-level opponents and one major test on the road against a notable Power
Five foe. The Cougars open Pac-12 play with a grueling month-long stretch,
during which they will face four of the conference’s best projected teams –
including defending champion Utah. WSU’s schedule for November is much less
daunting. The Cougars close their season with four very winnable games, all
against opponents they beat in 2021.
Sept. 3 vs. Idaho
After
a five-year hiatus, the Battle of the Palouse is back. The border neighbors are
both led by first-year coaches in Dickert and Jason Eck, who were coworkers at
a couple of past coaching stops. That adds intrigue to a farmland feud that has
been largely uninteresting over the past two decades – the Cougs have outscored
the Vandals 396-99 over nine straight wins. WSU will be a heavy favorite over
Idaho, which dropped back down to the Football Championship Subdivision in
2018. WSU, 45-10.
Sept. 10 at Wisconsin
Dickert
returns to his home state for one of WSU’s most anticipated nonconference games
in some time. The Badgers eventually wear WSU out with their powerful running
game, combined with a tenacious defensive front and a booming home-field
advantage of more than 80,000 fans. Wisconsin,
30-24.
Sept. 17 vs. Colorado State
WSU
gets back on track against a Mountain West Conference bottomfeeder and cruises
to a well-rounded victory. WSU,
37-13.
Sept. 24 vs. Oregon
The
Cougs go toe-to-toe with a ranked Ducks team before a rowdy crowd at Gesa
Field, but the Air Raid can’t find enough cracks in an Oregon defense led by
first-year coach Dan Lanning, who guided the Georgia Bulldogs’ superpowered
defensive unit over the past three seasons. UO, 33-26.
Oct. 1 vs. California
WSU
comes out firing on homecoming and maintains its big early lead over a middling
Cal team. WSU, 40-24.
Oct. 8 at USC
Southern
Cal is off to the Big Ten Conference in two years. So, the Trojans have a
target on their back and will probably get everyone’s best shot this season.
But USC also has a talent advantage over perhaps all of its Pac-12 peers. The
Trojans, who rejuvenated their program this offseason with the addition of a
vaunted head coach (Lincoln Riley) and a host of standout transfers, present
matchup issues for WSU’s secondary. USC,
41-28.
Oct. 15 at Oregon State
This
one is a toss-up, but history points to WSU as the favorite. The Beavers’ stout
rushing attack and play-action game gives WSU’s defense a considerable challenge,
but the Cougars’ aerial attack proves too explosive for Oregon State’s
defensive backs to contain. The Cougars extend their winning streak over OSU to
nine games. WSU, 34-26.
Oct. 27 vs. Utah
Utah,
visiting Pullman for the first time in four years, grinds out its fourth
consecutive win over the Cougars. The Utes, the favorites to win the Pac-12
this season, churn out a few long possessions behind veteran QB Cam Rising, and
their loaded defensive front rattles WSU’s unproven offensive line on a bitter
Thursday night. Utah, 27-16.
Nov. 5 at Stanford
Cameron
Ward outduels touted Cardinal QB Tanner McKee, and the Cougars’ veteran-laden
defensive line clamps down on Stanford’s persistent ground game as WSU extends
its winning streak in the series to six games. WSU, 30-17.
Nov. 12 vs. Arizona State
The
hosts shouldn’t drop this one against a rebuilt ASU team and its embattled
coach, but we’re going to stick an oddball upset loss here – just because
there always seems to be a wacky home game on WSU’s schedule each
year. The Cougs and Devils trade blows in a shootout for much of the night
during a wild edition of “Pac-12 After Dark.” Ward leads an up-tempo possession
in crunch time but a potential walk-off field goal misses the mark in wintry
conditions. ASU, 31-29.
Nov. 19 at Arizona
The
Cougs take out their frustrations on a struggling Wildcats team led by former
WSU QB Jayden de Laura, who sees steady pressure in his pocket throughout the
night. WSU, 40-14.
Nov. 26 vs. Washington
The
Cougars retain the Apple Cup trophy. Dickert improves to 2-0 in the rivalry
series. Why not? UW is also playing under a first-year coach. The Huskies won’t
be the same four-win team that we saw last year, but how much better can they
be? WSU, 38-27.
