Washington State was picked fifth in the pre-season Pac-10 conference poll. They were even classified by some[who?] as a sleeper pick for the national championship, with
Alex Brink at the helm. They opened with three non-conference wins in September, but the results were different in league play. In the Pac-10 opener at
Oregon State, Brink passed for over 500 yards, but WSU lost by eleven.[1]
The Cougars lost their next three games (
Stanford,
UCLA,
Cal), by a combined ten points; their inability to close out games cost them. After a blowout loss in
Los Angeles to top-ranked
USC,[2] three-point setbacks at home to
Arizona State and #11
Oregon followed, as the conference losing streak extended to seven games.[3] In the
Apple Cup at
Seattle, they defeated struggling rival
Washington by four points to finish at 4–7 overall.[4]
Washington State was picked fifth in the pre-season Pac-10 conference poll. They were even classified by some[who?] as a sleeper pick for the national championship, with
Alex Brink at the helm. They opened with three non-conference wins in September, but the results were different in league play. In the Pac-10 opener at
Oregon State, Brink passed for over 500 yards, but WSU lost by eleven.[1]
The Cougars lost their next three games (
Stanford,
UCLA,
Cal), by a combined ten points; their inability to close out games cost them. After a blowout loss in
Los Angeles to top-ranked
USC,[2] three-point setbacks at home to
Arizona State and #11
Oregon followed, as the conference losing streak extended to seven games.[3] In the
Apple Cup at
Seattle, they defeated struggling rival
Washington by four points to finish at 4–7 overall.[4]