Canzano: One big thing -- before the football starts
Ducks, Beavers, Cougars, and Huskies... face questions.
I woke thinking about college football. Not lawsuits. Not realignment. Not expanded postseason scenarios. Or the transfer portal. I actually thought about tackling, passing, running the ball, coaching, and blocking. You know what college football used to be before the lawyers took over.
More specifically, I found myself thinking about the four programs in the Pacific Northwest and the biggest looming question for each. I’m fascinated by what we’re going to see next football season.
Oregon and Washington, playing in the Big Ten, have arrived at pivot points for each of the programs. Oregon State and Washington State, playing in the new-world Pac-12, are both led by first-time, first-year head coaches.
Will Oregon State’s JaMarcus Shephard stay true to his principles and find some traction? Can Dante Moore and Oregon continue to evolve? Will Washington’s offense get scary good again? And how about WSU? Will the battered fan base buy what coach Kirby Moore is selling?
My one ‘big thing’ for the Beavers, Ducks, Huskies, and Cougars before the football starts: