ESPN College Football

Our Take Two topic this week: Which is the Pac-12's most dangerous trap game?

Kevin Gemmell: Since we're talking trap games this week -- and traps usually involve teams expected to do well -- I see a big one in Week 3 for the USC Trojans traveling north to Stanford.

This game has brought two of the Pac-12's most exciting matchups in consecutive years. There was the last-minute field goal in 2010 and the triple-overtime thriller at the Coliseum last season. No need to bring up the 55-21 game in 2009. It would be easy to assume that because Andrew Luck is gone, the Trojans will now roll over the Cardinal.

Maybe. USC, no doubt, will be highly ranked and heavily favored.

But the X-factor to this game is Stanford head coach David Shaw -- who is especially good at play calling against USC. You don't spend as much time on the offensive side of the ball in the NFL as Shaw did without learning a little something about the Tampa-2 defense, which USC is fond of running given that its defensive coordinator essentially invented it.

The Cardinal were the prickly splinter in USC's side during the Luck era. Luck was able to absorb Shaw's knowledge of USC's defense and they were able to go blow-for-blow with the Trojans. Shaw knows how to scheme against this team and Luck knew how to make that scheme a reality on the field. Although, who throws the Venus on Spider-3, Y-banana? Seriously.

But that era is over. And the Cardinal are going to make their living with a tough ground attack and a vicious front seven. I don't doubt USC's ability to move the ball. And if I'm a Stanford fan, I'm concerned about this becoming a high-scoring affair because the Cardinal have a young secondary and they don't have the horses to match the Trojans drive for drive.

I expect USC to be highly motivated for this game. Not only because of the past, but because of the future. The Stanford game marks the first of four straight tough games for the Trojans -- which is followed by Cal, Utah and Washington. Stubbing their toe early will certainly have ramifications for the rest of the season -- and the rest of the conference.

I don't think anyone will question that position-for-position, USC has more athletes than Stanford. But this will be the Trojans' first real mental test of the season. They'll be coming off an East Coast road trip and then have to go on the road again. Stanford Stadium isn't exactly the toughest venue in the conference, but it's not Disneyland, either. There will be a strong fan presence.

This season is going to be mentally taxing for the Trojans. A win at Stanford will be the first step over the psychological hump.

Ted Miller: One word: Arrrrrghhh!

Everyone knows Oregon's visit to USC on Nov. 3 could be epic. And I've already written about a potential trap game for the Ducks being their visit to California on Nov. 10, the weekend after The Weekend.

Ah, but here's a thought: Oregon has yet to face plant against an inferior team under Chip Kelly. The closest thing to that was a loss at Stanford in 2009, but that was a good Cardinal team.

And so we have the Ducks, almost certainly unbeaten and untested at 4-0, driving up to Seattle to take on Washington State in CenturyLink Field on Sept. 29. The Cougars also could be 4-0. And dangerous.

Fear the Pirate, Oregon. This game smacks of a "I'm baaaaack" opportunity for Mike Leach.

This will be the first road game for whomever wins the Ducks quarterback job. While it doesn't truly qualify as a home game for the Cougars, they should have a crowd advantage. More important, they will have a major experience advantage at QB with Jeff Tuel. Further, you might recall that Washington State played a competitive game in Autzen Stadium last year. The Cougars trailed only 15-10 at the half and actually outgained Oregon 463 yards to 456. It was 29-20 Ducks with four minutes left in the third before De'Anthony Thomas did his thing on a 93-yard kickoff return for a TD.

What happens if Leach's spread passing attack marries perfectly with Tuel and a deep crew of receivers against a Ducks secondary that is talented but still fairly young, particularly at cornerback? What happens if the Ducks offense, gulp, sputters with a young QB on the road?

A long shot, yes. Kelly's Ducks have been notably impressive with their ability to maintain focus each week the past three years. You know: A nameless faceless opponent each Saturday.

Only Leach isn't a nameless, faceless opponent. Everyone knows who he is. And he's tricky. And he's one coach who won't be outsmarted by Kelly.

At the very least, this one should be an interesting test for both teams. And the Cougs have a puncher's -- passer's? -- shot at pulling a shocker.

Former Washington State football coach William "Lone Star" Dietz will be posthumously inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame with the 2012 Divisional Class.

Dietz had many coaching stops -- including Washington State from 1915-1917 -- where his teams went 17-2-1, recording 15 shutouts. He guided WSU (then Washington State College) to a Rose Bowl victory over Brown in his inaugural year.

The Divisional College Football Hall of Fame considers players and coaches from the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision, Divisions II, III, and the NAIA (National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics) for induction.

"We're proud one of our own made it, even though it's posthumously," WSU athletic director Bill Moos told the Seattle Times. "Anytime those that served at Washington State are honored, then Washington State feels honored as well ... his story is compelling, his accomplishments are very credible and he's very deserving of being inducted."

WSU's victory in the 1916 Rose Bowl -- its first and only Rose Bowl win -- was considered a major coup for West Coast football.

He would also go on to coach the Mare Island (Calif.) Marines, at Purdue, Louisiana Tech, Wyoming, Haskell Indian Institute and finally Albright College. He also coached the Boston Redskins from 1933-1934.

Dietz died in 1964.

Washington State defensive coordinator Mike Breske took a few minutes out of his busy recruiting schedule to answer some questions about WSU's transition to a new coach, a new scheme, some personnel questions and the challenges of facing Mike Leach's offense every day in practice. Here's part two of the two-part Q&A.

In the past you've talked about the ball being in the air 70-75 percent of the time in Mike Leach's offense. Is that going to affect how you guys practice as a defense -- especially when you have to prepare for ground-based teams?

MB: Certainly. On defense, we're going to manufacture in terms of the run game and what we're going to see. For example, the power play. And tight ends -- Stanford, USC -- teams that are multiple and we'll have to do a great job manufacturing that with our scout team. We're going to have to coach up the young kids and teach them to run the power and split zone and some traditional two-back plays and get the offensive line to where they are not in a vertical setting, they're not going backwards, but coming forward. That's going to be a challenge for us on defense. But that's what it is and that's what we've got to do so we're effective on defense. Coaches are aware of that and we've talked about it and we've got a plan in place once our young people get here.

It's no surprise that you need good cornerbacks in this conference. Have Damante [Horton] and Daniel [Simmons] locked in the two spots at cornerback?

MB: Not yet. We're going to go through two-a-days and talk to all the kids in the back end. We had our exit meetings after spring ball and told them the competition isn't over. We really only had three cornerbacks this spring. Those two and Tracy Clark this spring. [ Nolan] Washington, I never saw this spring. He was hurt. Wasn't cleared to practice other than every-day drills. Never did any seven-on-seven, 11-on-11 or one-on-one situations so I'm excited to see him when he gets going. We'll have some competition at least through the first scrimmage then we'll see where we are at.

Are you where you want to be depth-wise on the defensive line or do think you could see some true freshmen coming in and making an impact?

MB: As long as I've been in this game, it's tough for true freshmen at that position to come in and make an impact. I don't care if you're talking the FCS or the FBS level, it's difficult. There is such a difference between a D-lineman and a corner. I'm hoping that we get healthy. We had some injuries up front during the spring. We had some physical practices. Hopefully we get everybody back and then take a look at the freshmen coming in. We've got one JC kid that will be playing, but we've got two kids coming from Samoa. One was a tight end in high school and now he's going to be a 300-pound biscuit at defensive end. The other kids is another D-lineman who will be a big-sized kid. But where they are at skill level, they are going to be behind. We'll see where they are at during two-a-days. Ideally, we want to redshirt them. If we can't, we can't. The future is now.

Plus, I don't think I've ever heard a coach say they are satisfied with depth.

MB: Very true. Through recruiting, we're going to need to develop more depth -- especially up front. And with the switch to 3-4, we're going to need to develop more depth at the linebacker position.

Last question. I love hearing back stories and how coaches adopted their philosophies. Where does yours come from? What made you buy into the 3-4 and that it was the best defense and the one you want run?

MB: I'll probably give away my age here. Way back when, I was always around the 5-2 angle. We called it a drop-down end and a rush-end. All it was was a 3-4 defense and then someone came up with "outside linebacker" term because that sounded more modern than a rush-end and a drop-end. So back when I was playing in the Midwest, offenses we saw were the veer offense and some type of option football. Teams didn't throw the ball unless they had to throw ball. So you loaded up the box with the angle defense, the 5-2, played cover-3, got eight in the box and played football. As the game evolved, people had to come up with different things front-wise and cover-wise and different type of athletes. Now with the spread offense, it's so much one-on-one tackling from a defensive point of view, we're not looking at great size. We're looking at great agility. Great tackling. Great one-on-one. Because if you miss that tackle, bam, it's a big play. That atypical 6-foot-3, 6-foot-4 kid, you know what, if a guy is 6-0 and he has great hips and he can run, he's going to play. That's evolved to what we used to see. And the Pac-12 is evolving -- whatever you want to call the schemes, 3-4, 4-3, 3-3-5, the defenses in this league are becoming more multiple and that's going to require offenses to adjust too. And it's going to make for a much more exciting Pac-12. But we have to be solid against the run. Always our commitment is to stop the run and get people to throw the ball. That's never going to change and hopefully we're going to be effective at it.

Washington State defensive coordinator Mike Breske took a few minutes out of his busy recruiting schedule to answer some questions about WSU's transition to a new coach, a new scheme, some personnel questions and the challenges of facing Mike Leach's offense every day in practice. Here's part one of the two-part Q&A.

How difficult is the switch, fundamentally, from a 4-3 to a 3-4?

Mike Breske: It's pretty significant, both mentally and physically. Coming in here, we didn't really have a true nose guard so we've had to adapt kids there. We've got a young man coming in from Fullerton JC this fall (Ioane Gauta) that will be a true, 300-pound biscuit in terms of the nose guard position, which will help. But it gives us some more flexibility at the defensive end position. We've asked some guys to do things that they haven't been asked to do before. They've responded. But those 15 practices, it was a struggle in terms of picking up a new system and new coaching. And it works both ways -- coaches learning players and players learning their coaches. But by Practice 15 we were playing fast and that was our goal in spring ball. We're ahead of the curve. The thing on defense, we're not on a one-year, two-year, three-year plan. We're on a six-month plan. We've got to get up to speed by the time we get up to Provo, Utah.

Will you be pretty true to the 3-4 or are you going to be a little more multiple?

MB: We'll be multiple. That's going to be based on the game-plan and the type of offense we're going to see each week. We have to have flexibility in our package. Yet, we don't want to put too much in. That type of deal where we overwhelm our kids. We always want to be able to play fast on defense and be able to make plays. Not think, but react. That type of thing. We'll jump into an over scheme and an under scheme and a 3-4 scheme and be very multiple. That's going to be a plus for us because we won't be the biggest, most physical front seven you're going to see in the Pac-12. We have to take advantage of our assets, not our liabilities.

How would you describe yourself as a defensive play caller. Are you fairly aggressive or are you more comfortable sitting in a base and letting the game come to you?

MB: I'm pretty aggressive. I think that's one of the reasons coach Leach looked at me. He's an out-of-the-box-type head coach. He's saw what we did at Montana the last couple of years -- there we were dabbling in the 3-4 and we were going to move in that direction anyway. I think we want to make things happen and create things on our side of the ball and, obviously, we want to get our offense on the field. We're not into those 12-15 play type drives on defense. And I know coach doesn't want that either. He doesn't want his offense on the sideline.

Travis Long in the "buck" linebacker position. How different is it going to be from his previous job as a 4-3 defensive end?

MB: I think he's adapted very well. We talked to Travis before we went to spring ball and said this is the plan we're outlining for you. You're going into your senior year and we're going to try to take as much advantage of you as we can. We're going to be very multiple with Travis. Not only at the buck position, but he's going to line up inside too. You're going to see him at all different spots and take advantage of his skills that he brings to the defense. Probably the most difficult challenge Travis had this spring was pass drop. That's something he hasn't had to do and he got better as the spring went on. We're not going to do a lot of dropping with Travis because he's too valuable in the pass rush and around the line of scrimmage. But again, we want to be multiple with him. Bring him from different spots on the field and make sure the offense knows where he's at. Yet, also drop him into coverage. That was his biggest challenge. He got a good head start on it. He'll keep working on it this summer and when two-a-days come around I expect he'll be vastly improved in that part of his football game.

Is multiple positions a characteristic of the "buck" position? Or is it something specific you're trying to do with Travis?

MB: We're not going to be putting him on the back end. We're just trying to take advantage of his skill level. He's a talented player and we want production out of him. Don't just take up space on the field. If you're out there for 10 plays, how many opportunities did you produce? We just feel strongly that Travis can do that in multiple positions. Give him credit because he's got good football 101. You can think of a plan for a kid, but if he can't handle it mentally, it's not going to work and it will hurt the defense. He has the football 101 skills and relate and adapt and that's why we're doing it.

Happy Friday.

This is where you follow me on Twitter.

To the notes.

Dave from Birmingham writes: Not sure I get you. Why would you not want the four best teams to play in a playoff? That's what a playoff is about. I know there's a subjective part to this but that's inevitable. Is everyone that afraid of a consensus favoring the SEC because the SEC is the best conference?

Ted Miller: In a word, yes. And no matter how you frame it, that so-called consensus remains subjective. And I know this from experience.

In 1996, I worked at the Mobile Register and I was arguing with Mike Griffith, who then covered Alabama for the Register and voted in the AP poll. Now, everybody argues with Mike, but I thought he was being particularly obtuse this particular afternoon because he was touting Arizona State. I was blathering that Arizona State would have four losses if it played in the SEC.

Yes, I once was one of them. Why? Because that was the way I was raised. Football in the south, as writer Rick Bragg once ostentatiously pandered, is like a "knife fight in a ditch"! That's a bunch of silliness, but such sentiments nonetheless are inculcated into fans and they seep into the media coverage -- in the Southeast as well as other parts of the country where fetishizing the peculiarity of the South is embraced. So I understand the roots of the "just because" reaction of so many SEC fans. And I experienced its power as a sportswriter.

When I moved out to Seattle to cover Washington, I still had a "just because" feeling about West Coast vs. Southeast football. When Miami came to Husky Stadium in 2000, I thought the Hurricanes would blast the Huskies. Ergo, my initial transformative moment was watching Washington physically manhandle the Hurricanes. Don't be fooled by the final score: The Huskies owned Miami that day.

My point: Regional biases are strong and they cloud thinking, even when they feel rational. That's why there needs to be a safeguard in our new four-team playoff system for some degree of objectivity, which prioritizing conference champions provides.

I know any questions about SEC super-awesomeness make SEC folks angry. I know: Six crystal footballs. No one is doubting the SEC's ability to dominate the BCS system. And I have no doubt that dominance of a subjective system -- a beauty contest, really -- has helped push the SEC closer to something that can be judged as a more objective superiority (read: self-fulfilling prophecy).

But if we're going to have a national college football playoff, we need to create a selection process that doesn't leave open the possibility of a tag always going to a runner from a certain conference, just because.

---

Edward from Atlanta writes: Do you think USC coach Lane Kiffin and his staff are better at recruiting than Pete Carroll and his staff? I look at the fact that Lane Kiffin is only working with 15 scholarships and he is still bringing in top recruits after everything that has taking placed. Just imagine if he did had all his scholarships he would probably have a top 3 or top 5 recruiting class every year.

Ted Miller: No.

Kiffin and his staff are recruiting very well, but they can't do much better than Pete Carroll and his staff did from 2002-2009. You say top-three to -five each year? Carroll landed the No. 1 class multiple times. Any rare rating outside the top five was deemed an off-year. Carroll's recruiting run rates among the best run a program has produced -- think Bobby Bowden in the glory years at Florida State.

It's also worth noting that Carroll and Kiffin share two ace recruiters: Kiffin and Ed Orgeron.

---

Jeff from Tempe, Ariz., writes: Who do you think is going to be the starting quarterback for ASU to begin the season?

Ted Miller: That's a tough one. When I watched practice, I thought Mike Bercovici was so much better as a passer that he should be the guy. But then you have to realize that new coach Todd Graham wants to run some spread option, and that requires the quarterback to be a running threat. Bercovici is no running threat, while 6-foot-5, 242-pound Michael Eubank is. And Eubank has potential as a passer, though at present he's raw.

The easy answer is start Bercovici but use some packages with Eubank. But that's sort of a fan answer. Most coaches don't like playing two quarterbacks. They'll tell you if you play two, it means you don't have any. And QBs are not big fans of sharing the job.

I used to be a Bercovici lean, but now I'm leaning toward Eubank. Here's why: This team is much better at running back than at receiver. Even with Bercovici's live arm, this probably is going to be a run-first offense, and it makes things much more difficult for a defense if it must account for the QB as a runner. Eubank can become at least an adequate passer. Bercovici is unlikely to do the same as a runner.

---

Mark from Garden Grove, Calif., writes: If you could play matchmaker, which Big Ten/Pac-12 schools would you pair for the 2017 season -- and why?

Ted Miller: OK, I'll bite, basing things on where the college football world is today.

• Oregon-Ohio State: Urban Meyer vs. Chip Kelly. 'Nuff said.
• Arizona-Michigan: The Rich Rodriguez Bowl.
• Stanford-Wisconsin: Two really good schools that play smashmouth football.
• Oregon State-Michigan State: All that green would have the Beavers feeling like they're play Oregon.
• USC-Penn State: Two old-school powers whose uniforms are among the most recognizable.
• Nebraska-Arizona State: Any Sun Devils recall 1996?
• Northwestern-California: Two elite academic universities.
• Washington-Iowa: A rematch of the 1982, 1991 Rose Bowls, both won by the Huskies.
• Colorado-Purdue: Two great mascots. (Colorado would have been a good one for Nebraska, too.)
• Utah-Illinois: Utes vs. Fighting Illini.
• Washington State-Minnesota: The Cold Bowl.
• UCLA-Indiana: Two old-school basketball powers playing football.

---

Rapsai from Eugene, Ore., writes: Ted, with Oregon's lack of depth at RB, do you see Josh Huff maybe sliding into the backfield to play some RB for the Ducks next season?

Ted Miller: A perfectly reasonable solution if there are injury issues in the backfield.

Does it make me a bad person that I don't think the Ducks are going to hurting at running back? I just think with Chip Kelly's emphasis on speed in recruiting that the Ducks will pretty much have an answer at RB, no matter how many guys get hurt. Recall that Kenjon Barner started out as a defensive back.

---

John from Los Angeles writes: I guess this falls into my "you know your old when you have a story for everything" file. In reading the post about Jonathan Ogden going into the HOF, I noticed your comment on his massive size. My buddies and I take a football road trip every year. We used to include the Baltimore Ravens in the trip because Will Demps (former Ravens safety) played at the high school where my buddy is the AD and he would get us tickets. Anyway, after a game against the Bengals at Cincinnati we are standing next to the Ravens team bus talking to Demps, Ogden and his people come up next to us - and he literally blocks out the sun!! You truly cannot appreciate how BIG the guy is until you stand right next to him. My buddy is wearing his USC cap (he is a big fan), so to amuse myself I keep whispering "Jack, show Ogden your hat." My friend kept his back to Ogden the entire time.

Ted Miller: I remember covering the 1996 Citrus Bowl between Ohio State and Tennessee -- which was cool because both were ranked No. 4 entering the game -- and walking up to the Ohio State bus. I saw No. 75 horsing around around this itty-bitty guy with a bald head who was No. 27.

The itty bitty guy was 6-foot-3, 240-pound, Heisman Trophy-winning running back Eddie George, and No. 75 was 6-foot-7, 325-pound Orlando Pace, who at that moment was the biggest dude I'd ever seen.

And Ogden -- at 6-foot-9, 345 -- darn near dwarfs Pace.

Only guy who ever impressed me as more spectacularly large was Shaquille O'Neal.

---

Washington State's season-opening game at BYU has been moved to Thursday, Aug. 30, and will be televised nationally on ESPN.

Kickoff will be at 7:15 p.m. ET.

The game had previously been scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 1. This is the second game on the Cougars' 2012 schedule that will be televised by ESPN. It was previously announced that WSU’s game at UNLV will be played Friday, Sept. 14, in Las Vegas on ESPN.

The four new Pac-12 coaches -- Todd Graham, Mike Leach, Jim Mora and Rich Rodriguez -- discuss what they think about a playoff in college football.

The four new Pac-12 coaches -- Todd Graham, Mike Leach, Jim Mora and Rich Rodriguez -- discuss the impact that 7-on-7 camps have had on college football.

2011 overall record: 4-8
2011 conference record: 2-7 (6th in North)
Returning starters: Offense: 7; defense: 7; kicker/punter: 1

Top returners
QB Jeff Tuel, WR Marquess Wilson, OL John Fullington, S Deone Bucannon, LB Travis Long, WR Andrei Lintz.

Key losses
LB Alex Hoffman-Ellis, LT David Gonzales, OL B.J. Guerra, WR Jared Karstetter.

2011 statistical leaders (*returners)
Rushing: Rickey Galvin* (602 yards)
Passing: Marshall Lobbestael (2,584 yards)
Receiving: Marquess Wilson* (1,388 yards)
Tackles: Alex Hoffman-Ellis (88)
Sacks: Travis Long* (4)
Interceptions: Damante Horton* (4)

Spring answers
1. Tuel steps up: Remember that whole quarterback-competition thing? While Mike Leach hasn't officially named Jeff Tuel his starter, given the quickness with which he picked up the offense and the numbers he put up during the spring, it's likely that a proclamation that Tuel is the guy will come early in the fall. He's looked very good to date.

2. Plenty of weapons: Lots of them. Marquess Wilson returns as one of the top wide receivers in the conference -- and he showed in the spring game what he's capable of. Converted tight end Andrei Lintz had an outstanding spring at wide receiver and showed real chemistry with Tuel throughout the 15 practices. Gino Simone, Dominique Williams and Blair Bomber add depth to a very deep group.

3. New role for running backs: Can you catch? That's what Leach is looking for out of his guys. With the ball in the air 70 to 75 percent of the time, guys like Marcus Mason and Rickey Galvin will need to shift their focus from downhill to soft hands. There will be chances to run the football, but most of those will be after the catch.

Fall questions
1. Lineup: What's the offensive line going to look like? With players like Wade Jacobson (missed the final eight games last year with a back injury) and Matt Goetz (started nine games at center last season) missing time this spring, the starting five is likely to change. Which five and at what positions remains a question.

2. New-look D: With the Cougars switching to a 3-4 front, there is more focus on the linebacking corps. Travis Long should flourish in this system (12 tackles for a loss last season), but there are depth and position questions. Eric Oertel was a pleasant surprise this spring, as were Chester Su'a and Darryl Monroe -- though both saw their springs end early with injuries. Expect some growing pains as the group comes together in the odd front.

3. D-line depth: Xavier Cooper had a very good spring, but outside of him, Lenard Williams and Anthony Laurenzi (6.5 tackles for a loss last year), there are a lot of untested players. Matthew Bock saw some reps during the spring, but defensive coordinator Mike Breske will have to develop some more guys for the unit to be sound. A pair of Samoans in the recruiting class -- Robert Barber and Destiny Vaeao -- could be forced into action early.

Change keeps coming at Washington State as athletic director Bill Moos continues to put his stamp on the football program.

The school announced major changes Monday on its football broadcast team. Out is color commentator Jim Walden, a former Cougars coach, and in is Bud Nameck and Shawn McWashington, who both will join longtime play-by-play man Bob Robertson in the booth. The broadcast also will add Jessamyn McIntyre as a sideline reporter.

Further, football and men's basketball will move to 710 ESPN radio in Seattle.

Robertson is returning for his 46th season. That Walden is not will bother more than a few Cougs -- as well as some reporters who found him endlessly amusing -- but Walden's outspoken defense of former coach Paul Wulff rubbed some important folks the wrong way.

“Jim Walden and I have been friends for over 30 years and continue to be friends,” Moos told The Spokesman-Review. “I just thought we needed a fresh approach. Basically everything having to do with Cougar football is being revamped, from uniforms to the stadium to the coach to our replay boards to our marketing – everything – and the changes in the radio broadcast format is just a part of it.”

The press release said Cougar gameday broadcasts will include a two-hour pregame and one-hour postgame football show and a 30-minute pre- and postgame show for men's basketball. 710 ESPN also will air a weekly, season-long segment featuring coach Mike Leach heard during the “Kevin Calabro Show with Jim Moore” along with special Cougar Athletics programming on both 710 ESPN Seattle and KTTH 770 AM.
,

Sometimes football players come from unexpected places.

Washington State's Andrei Lintz grew up frolicking outside his mom's office: The Catherine Palace, the Rococo summer residence of the tsars just outside of St. Petersburg -- yes, the Russian one, not the one in Florida.

"I remember walking around there. That was my place to hang out," Lintz said. "It was a cool backyard compared to Pullman, where you've got hills and five minutes out of town and you're in the middle of nowhere."

Lintz moved to the U.S. when he was 6. He grew up playing soccer and didn't play football until his freshman year of high school. But he did enough at Meridian High in Bellingham, Wash., to earn a scholarship to Washington State, where he was part of former coach Paul Wulff's first recruiting class.

The next four years weren't much fun. Though the Cougars steadily, if slowly, improved, Wulff was fired last winter after going 9-40 overall and 4-32 in conference play.

"It was heartbreaking from a personal standpoint -- these were the coaches who believed in you, trusted in you," Lintz said. "It is a business and that's the ultimate reality. If you don't win at the Division I level, you're going to get fired."

Then athletic director Bill Moos tapped former Texas Tech coach Mike Leach as Wulff's replacement, which generated plenty of positive buzz in Pullman.

Unless you played tight end, as Lintz did. His initial thought was he might disappear as a fifth-year senior in a spread offense. Heck, Leach didn't even have a tight ends coach.

"I had no idea what was in store for me," Lintz said. "I was pretty worried. I watched [Texas Tech] highlights and they very rarely had a tight end on the field. It was all four-wides and the receivers were small, quick guys."

Ah, but sometimes football players come from unexpected places. Or 6-foot-5, 252-pound tight ends become inside receivers.

Some might see the move as a gimmick. Clearly talented sophomore tight end Aaron Dunn wasn't impressed with his prospects. He quickly transferred after Leach's hire.

But Lintz was a revelation this spring, arguably the Cougs' most consistent receiver. In the final two scrimmages, he caught 12 passes for 145 yards and two touchdowns. Leach's "Air Raid" offense neglect a guy with a tight end's body? Well, last year as the No. 1 tight end, Lintz made just seven catches for 96 yards and one touchdown -- all season.

If you are looking for a breakout player next fall, a guy who could give opposing defenses fits and make them think they are trying to cover the second-coming of former Stanford tight end -- and potential first-round NFL draft pick -- Coby Fleener, look no further than Lintz. He's not as fast as Fleener -- not nearly so -- but he's plenty athletic. And he's capable of playing a jack-of-all-trades role -- receiver, tight end and H-back.

In other words, he's another guy who can help force a defense to do what Leach wants to force it to do: account for the entire field.

But will that be enough to get the Cougs to the postseason for the first time since 2003? Lintz said what has distinguished Leach's first spring, which ends with Saturday's spring game, was a sense of urgency.

"It's almost cutthroat," he said. "It's all go, go, go, now, now, now. We can't be the welcome mat of the Pac-12 anymore."

Lintz likely meant "doormat," but his point is clear. He might hail from Russia, but he's fully aware that the Cougars head into 2012 with an eight-year bowl drought, longest in the Pac-12.

The chances that Washington State linebacker Sekope Kaufusi might be reinstated to the team got better this week, as marijuana possession charges have been dropped.

Further, Kaufusi's attorney told Cougfan.com that "there were questions on both sides about the legality of the search of Kaufusi’s apartment by Pullman Police."

Kaufusi's arrest came after Pullman Police pursued an anonymous tip about the smell of marijuana smoke allegedly coming from Kaufusi's apartment. More than a few folks around the program immediately recalled the peculiar, controversial arrest by Pullman Police of former Cougars QB Marshall Lobbestael on Because We Can charges.

While new coach Mike Leach has taken a hard-line approach with discipline, the Cougs could really use Kaufusi. Leach previously booted linebacker C.J. Mizell after he was arrested on an assault charges on Feb. 5, and Alex Hoffman-Ellis graduated.

Therefore, the Cougars are trying to install a 3-4 defense this spring despite losing the three starting linebackers from 2011.

Kaufusi, a promising junior, recorded 42 tackles and two sacks in 11 games last year at strongside linebacker.

It didn't exactly take clairvoyance to see a coaching change coming at Washington State in the wake of a 4-8 season. But that's not why Jeff Tuel was expecting a shakeup.

The Washington State quarterback played in four different offenses under four different head coaches in high school, so shaking hands with a new skipper and opening a new playbook have become as clockwork to Tuel as the passing of the seasons.

"I think for some other guys it would be easy to get frustrated, having to learn a whole new system," Tuel said, who begins his senior season in September. "But it's actually something I've gotten used to. I never really had the chance to become accustomed to an offense and really know the ins and outs. Change is something I'm used to so I haven't really struggled picking it up because I'm used to it with my past experiences."

And if you're a quarterback learning a new system, what better scheme to study than Mike Leach's vaunted passing attack, which makes its debut in Pullman this season.

"Playing for coach Leach is a daily surprise," Tuel said with a laugh. "You never know what he's going to say or what his commentary is going to be about this play or that play. He demands perfection, which I love. He doesn't ever tell you how great you are, but he never tells you how much you suck, either. He's pretty level-headed and it's a good medium."

For now, Tuel is just happy to be back on the field. After an injury-plagued 2011 campaign limited him to just three appearances, he's finally healthy and eager to showcase what he can do. He admits it was frustrating last season -- watching his team start the year 3-1, only to close out the year by losing seven of eight.

"I tried to stay positive, 24/7, but that's not always easy," Tuel said. "I was doing whatever I could to get healthy or help teammates and I helped Marshall [Lobbestael] whenever I could. Really, I was just trying to stay positive. It's all you can do. It's easy to hang your head and get down and go into that hole and get out of shape. So I just focused my concentration on doing anything I could to help the team."

When healthy, Tuel is considered an NFL-caliber quarterback. He's 6-foot-3, 225 pounds, has a big arm and can also make plays with his feet. But he also has the attitude to match. There's speculation that Tuel and sophomore Connor Halliday, who missed the majority of spring recovering from a lacerated liver, are headed for a quarterback competition in the fall. If that's the case, Tuel says he's ready.

"The way I look at it, it's my job to lose," Tuel said. "I'm not going to sit back at all. If coach Leach says there is a quarterback competition, there's a competition. In my mind, there is always a competition. I'm still going after it 100 percent. I go into every spring and every practice the same and practice the best I can -- whether I'm a starter or it's a competition. But competition brings out the best in all people. For someone to press me for the job is a blessing and it's going to make me better."

Tuel's roommate, wide receiver Gino Simone, said Tuel has responded to all adversities like a pro.

"If he has any insecurities, he hasn't let anyone see that," Simone said. "I think he's continued to be the confident guy that he is. He's ready to work every day. If there is a quarterback competition, he's going to be ready to fight for his job -- as I know Halliday would be. We've got guys who are ready to work hard right now."

Tuel said he's confident with his progress in learning the new offense. But stressed that it will take "reps and reps and then more reps" during the summer to get to a point where they can call it polished.

"I'm the head of this thing," Tuel said. "If I'm not 100 percent confident or if I don't know exactly what's going on, it's going to spread. It's important for me and the offense to get a grasp on the plays and concepts so we don't have to think and we can just fly around."

The current number is six. That is six Pac-12 players projected to go in the first round of the NFL draft, according to Mel Kiper's latest mock draft .

They are the usual six you'd expect; Andrew Luck, David DeCastro, Jonathan Martin and Coby Fleener from Stanford along with Matt Kalil and Nick Perry from USC. The last time a school from the conference had four players taken in the first round was USC in 2008 (see list below).

Oregon's LaMichael James is the lone Pac-12 player projected for the second round (this is Kiper's first swing at a two-round mock this season).

So is six for the first round good? Bad? Par for the course? As Ted Miller is so fond of saying, glad you asked.

Since 2000, the Pac-10 (since we're not including Colorado or Utah from previous drafts) has only had six or more players taken in the first round twice. There was the monster draft in 2003 where eight Pac-10 players were taken in the first round. And then in 2008, six players were taken.

Here's a look at the conference's first round picks since 2000:

• 2011 (3): Jake Locker (Washington, No. 8 overall); Tyron Smith (USC, No. 9); Cameron Jordan (Cal, No. 24)
• 2010 (2): Tyson Alualu (Cal, No. 10); Jahvid Best (Cal, No. 30)
• 2009 (4): Mark Sanchez (USC, No. 5); Brian Cushing (USC, No. 15); Alex Mack (Cal, No. 21); Clay Matthews (USC, No. 26)
• 2008 (6): Sedrick Ellis (USC, No. 7); Keith Rivers (USC, No. 9); Jonathan Stewart (Oregon, No. 13); Sam Baker (USC, No. 21); Antoine Cason (Arizona, No. 27); Lawrence Jackson (USC, No. 28)
• 2007 (1): Marshawn Lynch (Cal, No. 12)
• 2006 (4): Reggie Bush (USC, No. 2); Matt Leinart (USC, No. 10); Haloti Ngata (Oregon, No. 12); Marcedes Lewis (UCLA, No. 28)
• 2005 (3): Mike Williams (USC, No. 10); Aaron Rodgers (Cal, No. 24); Mike Patterson (USC, No. 31)
• 2004 (3): Reggie Williams (Washington, No. 9); Kenechi Udeze (USC, No. 20); Steven Jackson (Oregon State, No. 24)
• 2003 (8): Carson Palmer (USC, No. 1); Terrell Suggs (Arizona State, No. 10); Marcus Trufant (Washington State, No. 11); Troy Polamalu (USC, No. 16); Kyle Boller (Cal, No. 19); Kwame Harris (Stanford, No. 26); Nick Barnett (Oregon State, No. 29); Nnamdi Asomugha (Cal, No. 31)
• 2002 (4, also the first year with 32 picks): Joey Harrington (Oregon, No. 3); Levi Jones (Arizona State, No. 10); Jerramy Stevens (Washington, No. 28); Robert Thomas (UCLA, No. 31)
• 2001 (4): Andre Carter (Cal, No. 7); Adam Archuleta (Arizona State, No. 20); Freddie Mitchell (UCLA, No. 25); Todd Heap (Arizona State, No. 31)
• 2000 (4): Deltha O'Neal (Cal, No. 15); Erik Flowers (Arizona State, No. 26); R.Jay Soward (USC, No. 29); Trung Canidate (Arizona, No. 31).

So to answer the question, yes, six would be an impressive haul. Here's Kiper's latest Big Board and his updated top 5 at each position .

Todd McShay also offers his latest top 32 , which doesn't include Fleener.

Starters in, starters out. That's college football. Players' eligibility expires, and they leave for the rest of their lives, whether that includes the NFL or not.

And they leave behind shoes of various sizes that need to be filled.

Our concern with this series? The biggest shoes -- in some cases Shaq-like size 23s.

Biggest shoes: Linebacker Alex Hoffman-Ellis

Hoffman-Ellis started all 12 games last season and led the Cougars with 88 tackles, earning second-team all-conference honors along the way. His 68 solo tackles were tops in the Pac-12 through the regular season. He tied for sixth in the conference in solo tackles for a loss with 10, tallied a pair of sacks and had a 67-yard pick-six in the season opener against Idaho State.

Stepping in: Chester Su'a

Exactly where Su'a fits into the scheme is still to be determined as the Cougars move away from the 4-3 and more into a 3-4 set. He has the size and speed to lineup on the outside -- but the ball instincts to go inside. All indications are that he's having a solid spring. The 6-foot-1, 226-pound Su'a, from Pearl City, Hawaii, had 13 solo tackles last season and nine assisted, giving him 22 for the year. He made his first collegiate start last year against Stanford, then ranked No. 7, and recorded four tackles and recovered a fumble.