How do well you expect Leach to do?

[CableGuy]

Mike Leach takes over for Paul Wulff at Washington State. Leach will bring a exciting offense to a team that has talented QB's and one of the best WR's in the country. They will have a new defense there as well. What are your expectations in his first season at WSU?

[BigDofBA]

It's a good higher for Washington State.

They will become a 7-4 or 8-3 team and they will occasionally knock off one of the big boys when their offense gets hot.

They will also be an exciting and fun team to watch. They won't be winning any Pac-12 titles imo but they will be a good team.

It might take a couple of years.

[bad_philanthropy]

This season I think they could win five games with the three keys being Oregon State, ASU, and UCLA. If they don't win all or any of those, they'll probably only win two this year.

Leach is going to have a system better able to maximize the level of talent that ends up in Pullman. They will get better in the next few years. I see them becoming a pesky team like Texas Tech was in the early to mid 2000's Big XII.

It'll be next to impossible for them to compete for the top in the conference though, with the rich getting richer; Cal,Washington are all doing major facilities upgrades that will raise the profile of their programs. Stanford has already given its program a facelift and seems to be reaping rewards from the Andrew Luck era. Even UCLA, ASU, and Arizona have an advantage due to the sheer fact that they're not in Pullman. I hope Leach and the Cougs do well, but I think a lot of the factors that have held them back the past several years are still in play (though Wulff was a dreadful coach).

[BigDofBA]

Quote: Originally Posted by bad_philanthropy

This season I think they could win five games with the three keys being Oregon State, ASU, and UCLA. If they don't win all or any of those, they'll probably only win two this year. Leach is going to have a system better able to maximize the level of talent that ends up in Pullman. They will get better in the next few years. I see them becoming a pesky team like Texas Tech was in the early to mid 2000's Big XII. It'll be next to impossible for them to compete for the top in the conference though, with the rich getting richer; Cal,Washington are all doing major facilities upgrades that will raise the profile of their programs. Stanford has already given its program a facelift and seems to be reaping rewards from the Andrew Luck era. Even UCLA, ASU, and Arizona have an advantage due to the sheer fact that they're not in Pullman. I hope Leach and the Cougs do well, but I think a lot of the factors that have held them back the past several years are still in play (though Wulff was a dreadful coach).

Pretty good assessment.

Teams like USC that have depth and speed at all positions should be able to handle it if they prepare well and come to play so I don't think Wash. State will be winning the conference anytime soon but teams will have to be ready or they will sneak up on them.

Leach is really good about finding really accurate QBs that fit his system. It's usually a lot of quick and underneath stuff. Texas Tech really doesn't have that sophisticated of an offense. They run a lot of the same plays out of different formations.

With WRs being pretty abundant, Leach just really needs a quick accurate QB to fit his system. He usually recruits a pretty decent o-line as well. He has never really had a good defense.

At any rate, I expect Washington State to be much improved in the coming few seasons. They'll be a team you're always a little weary of playing, especially on the road.

[DerkontheOS]

Leach was a great pick up for WSU. I loved watching Texas Tech with him there.

They'll probably win around 6 games.

[GeneralMike]

Looking at the schedule, I think they have a shot at 6 wins.
Eastern Washington, UNLV, Colorado and Oregon State jump out to me as games they must win to have a shot at bowl eligibility. Then try to knock off 2 out of Cal, Washington and UCLA at home.

[Coug00]

Quote: Originally Posted by bad_philanthropy

It'll be next to impossible for them to compete for the top in the conference though, with the rich getting richer; Cal,Washington are all doing major facilities upgrades that will raise the profile of their programs. Stanford has already given its program a facelift and seems to be reaping rewards from the Andrew Luck era. Even UCLA, ASU, and Arizona have an advantage due to the sheer fact that they're not in Pullman. I hope Leach and the Cougs do well, but I think a lot of the factors that have held them back the past several years are still in play (though Wulff was a dreadful coach).

WSU is in the middle of major facility upgrades as well. Phase I is set to complete by opening kickoff. Phase II will include a large football only facility that will enclose the West End of Martin.
http://oxblue.com/open/TheCougarFootballProject

Paul Wulff was handed a steaming pile of crap. No coach would have been immediately successful after Doba left the cupboard totally bare with reduced scholarships (he had to kick off 18 of Doba's Fulmer Cup candidates in his first summer on top of that). Wulff left Leach with young talent at every position minus O-line, which is ironic considering his playing position in college and the NFL. Harbaugh wouldn't have brought him onto his coaching staff if he were clueless.

I don't buy the Pullman is impossible to recruit to. I spent 4 years there and loved it. 30,000 college students within 8 miles of each other on two college towns that no one else in the Pac-12 can offer. Parents love it because its away from the lights, temptations, and crime you'll find at UW, ASU, USC, etc. You're not going to find hobos and druggies on the edge of campus like you see on the Ave at UW. I remember 25 years ago when no one could recruit to UO because it was in Eugene.

I think Leach gives them anywhere from 4 to 7 wins. I'm not extremely worried about the O-Line considering the wide splits and the nature of Leach's quick pass Air Raid. That will help band-aid a weakness. I wouldn't be surprised if the defense gives up 35-40ppg regularly while they adjust to the game speed in the 34.

[bad_philanthropy]

Quote: Originally Posted by Coug00

I don't buy the Pullman is impossible to recruit to. I spent 4 years there and loved it. 30,000 college students within 8 miles of each other on two college towns that no one else in the Pac-12 can offer. Parents love it because its away from the lights, temptations, and crime you'll find at UW, ASU, USC, etc. You're not going to find hobos and druggies on the edge of campus like you see on the Ave at UW. I remember 25 years ago when no one could recruit to UO because it was in Eugene.

They still wouldn't be able to recruit there if the UO program wasn't awash in money and cutting-edge branding courtesy of Phil Knight. See Oregon State and its recruiting issues. I think this is the reality of college football today; if you don't have a ton of cash or aren't located in an exciting locale, chances are your program will remain fairly middling.

Leach is good, and I think he'll improve upon the positives you mentioned Wulff left behind, but a good coach isn't enough these days. Look at Mike Reilly. He gets the most out of his talent, but even he's having difficulty maintaining success in Corvallis. They have elite facilities there, it's a safe (if boring) town, and students I know that attended there loved it. I hope we see a highly competitive WSU team, but it seems like a long shot that Leach can make them as good as they have been at times in the past in this current era of cfb. Though I should caution myself that college football does tend to be mysteriously cyclical.

Anyway, it's an exciting time in Pullman. Pretty much every aspect of the program has gotten better than what has been for the past five or six years. It's good to see those, "Washington State is the worst team in a major conference" days are over.