Estimated read time: 3-4 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
Welcome to the Hotline's predictions for each Pac-12 game of the 2022 season. The 12-part series will be published in six installments, with teams grouped by travel partners. Links to prior articles at bottom …
Washington State Cougars
Coach: Jake Dickert (first season)
Offensive coordinator: Eric Morris (first season)
Defensive coordinator: Brian Ward (first season)
2021 record: 7-6/6-3
Washington State's five-year win totals: 8-9-11-6-7 (2020 season excluded)
Last postseason appearance: 2021 Sun Bowl (loss to Central Michigan)
Best-case 2022 scenario: 8-4
Worst-case 2022 scenario: 3-9
Projected starting quarterback: Cameron Ward
Key question: With Dickert as the permanent coach and normalcy taking root, do the Cougars possess the talent to build on their '21 success, or is a backslide coming?
Here we go …
Sept. 3: vs. Idaho
Result: win
Record: 1-0
Comment: Cougars learned a hard lesson in last year's opener. But Idaho is no Utah State.
Sept. 10: at Wisconsin
Result: loss
Record: 1-1
Comment: Scouting report on the Badgers: nine wins last year, returning quarterback, elite tailback, veteran line, revamped defense. Tough assignment for WSU but not quite insurmountable.
Sept. 17: vs. Colorado State
Result: win
Record: 2-1
Comment: Classic trap game off the Wisconsin trip and with the Ducks looming. CSU will be ready under new coach Jay Norvell, who moved over from Nevada. The Cougars better beware.
Sept. 24: vs. Oregon
Result: loss
Record: 2-2/0-1
Comment: WSU hasn't beaten Oregon in the post-Mike Leach era. Victory requires a next-level game from Cameron Ward. We're not sure he's ready just yet.
Oct. 1: vs. Cal
Result: win
Record: 3-2/1-1
Comment: When game week arrives, this won't feel like one the Cougars should win. Which is why we're predicting victory.
Oct. 8: at USC
Result: loss
Record: 3-3/1-2
Comment: The Trojans will have one eye on their upcoming showdown at Utah, thus providing WSU with a path to keep it competitive for at least two and perhaps three quarters.
Oct. 15: at Oregon State
Result: loss
Record: 3-4/1-3
Comment: Some intra-conference series take inexplicable turns. We cannot explain WSU's dominance of the Beavers, nor can it last forever.
Oct. 22: idle
Comment: WSU and Utah are both off this week, but their break is cut short by two days — it's more of a half-bye.
Oct. 27 (Thursday): vs. Utah
Result: loss
Record: 3-5/1-4
Comment: Another series the Cougars owned during peak Leach-era success. The reconfigured offensive line will face a Wisconsin-level test, and fail.
Nov. 5: at Stanford
Result: win
Record: 4-5/2-4
Comment: The visitors rise up and make all the plays in the fourth quarter to record their sixth consecutive victory over the Cardinal — this, after losing the previous eight.
Nov. 12: vs. Arizona State
Result: win
Record: 5-5/3-4
Comment: November momentum is the best momentum, especially when wrapped with the Pullman chill.
Nov. 19: at Arizona
Result: win
Record: 6-5/4-4
Comment: Both teams have one eye on their upcoming rivalry games. But the Cougars are playing for a bowl berth, and Arizona is not.
Nov. 26: vs. Washington
Result: loss
Record: 6-6/4-5
Comment: We're more excited to watch the post-game festivities, which could include a flag-planting by the visitors, than the game itself.
Most recent Hotline with Jon Wilner stories
Jon Wilner has been covering college sports for decades and is an AP Top 25 football and basketball voter as well as a Heisman Trophy voter. He was named Beat Writer of the Year in 2013 by the Football Writers Association of America for his coverage of the Pac-12, won first place for feature writing in 2016 in the Associated Press Sports Editors writing contest and is a five-time APSE honoree. You can follow him on Twitter @WilnerHotline or send an email at jwilner@bayareanewsgroup.com.
Pac-12 Hotline: Subscribe to the Pac-12 Hotline Newsletter. Pac-12 Hotline is not endorsed or sponsored by the Pac-12 Conference, and the views expressed herein do not necessarily reflect the views of the Conference.
