As fall camp has come and gone and week one is finally upon us, coach Jake Dickert’s message has stayed consistent: control what can be controlled and focus on right now.

The continued demise of the Pac-12 may overshadow whatever result comes of the 2023 WSU football season but there are many valuable things to watch for nonetheless.

Extending the Bowl Game Streak

Since WSU started playing football back in 1894, the Cougars have made it to a total of 18 bowl games. Prior to the 2015 season, the Cougs were only bowl-eligible in back-to-back seasons once, in a three-year streak from 2001–03

The current run of seven consecutive bowl games since 2015 is not only the Cougar’s all-time best and more than double the previous record, but it also accounts for almost 40% (38.9) of the program’s all-time bowl game appearances. 

Therefore, the streak is once again on the line in 2023. The current threshold for becoming bowl-eligible is a six-win season, something the Cougs not only expect to do, but take extreme pride in as well.

Do the puzzle pieces fit?

There has been a lot of talk about the immense staff and roster turnover this offseason. With game one knocking, it is time to see results.

The most obvious changes expected to make a big impact are new offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle and defensive coordinator Jeff Schmedding. 

Arbuckle led an offense last year at Western Kentucky that was second in the nation in pass yards per game. He also coached the leading passer in the country Austin Reed, who threw for over 4,700 yards. Can WSU quarterback Cam Ward register similar numbers?

On the defensive side, Schmedding was the defensive coordinator at Auburn University last year, a prominent program in the most dominant football conference in the country right now, the SEC. 

Can Schmedding pair with a defensive-minded head coach in Dickert to slow down the elite QBs and offenses the Pac-12 has to offer this year?

The other piece is the players. The wide receiver position lost several key cogs to the transfer portal but gained four new weapons. The linebacking core lost Daiyan Henley to the NFL and more to the portal, gaining a veteran in Devin Richardson from Texas.

There are also transfers in the defensive secondary and on the defensive and offensive lines that figure to have extensive roles this season as well. If the pieces fit, magic can happen.

Making a statement

While the bowl streak shows the growth in WSU’s football program, the disrespect never stops. As the Pac-12 dismembers, WSU and Oregon State are left in the dust. Both schools may not have a shiny new conference in their future, but they can make a statement this season regardless.

WSU has not won a conference championship since 2002. While the projections do not suggest the Cougs as any sort of favorite, or even a contender, wilder things have happened. 

The point is, WSU may not be given much of a chance and may seem to be an afterthought in the bigger picture, but the motto ‘Cougs vs. Everybody’ is a power that drives this team. How far can it take them?

If not a conference championship, there is a great chance to play spoiler. The Cougs have late-season matchups with both Oregon and Washington. While both are expected to be in contention for the conference title and potentially the College Football Playoff, WSU can help crush those hopes.

Aside from just that, the Cougs have a chance to leave a particularly sour taste in the mouth of both programs when they look back at how the in-conference rivalries ended. 

Pro hopes and breakouts

Only one Coug was drafted this offseason, and two more signed undrafted free-agent contracts. Which Cougs can put themselves on the NFL radar this season? 

Veteran edge rushers Ron Stone Jr. and Brennan Jackson were named to the Reese’s Senior Bowl watch list along with defensive backs Chau Smith-Wade and Sam Lockett III and running back Nakia Watson.

The other name on the list was Ward, who now also experiences a coordinator in Arbuckle who as previously mentioned, coached the nation’s leading passer a year ago. And of course, redshirt freshman safety Jaden Hicks, who is a top-five safety in next year’s early draft rankings according to Pro Football Focus.

Then there are the breakouts. The less recognized names looking to burst onto the scene and prove their professional worth this season. A few candidates are Konner Gomness, senior center, and team captain, Richardson, who is looking to follow Henley’s path and Lincoln Victor, senior slot receiver and fellow team captain.

Like any season, there will be ups and downs. But the 2023 WSU football team has a chance to prove to many who doubt, that all we got, truly is all we need.