It’s still early, but why not take a look at how the Cougars might stack up in 2025 against their mixed bag of opponents next season.
The Cougars have successfully hired a full slate of coaches and have brought in enough transfers and recruits to fill out the team. Working behind the clock, Jimmy Rogers successfully built out his staff, but the team still has some major questions.
Zevi Eckhaus appears to be locked in at quarterback, but after that, there are plenty of holes on the roster. The team has eight running backs, but no clear starter at the position. At receiver, it looks like Josh Meredith and Tre Shackelford will need to step up into the starting roles. Defensively, the team is replacing nearly the entire starting lineup.
Rogers did a good job bringing players with him from South Dakota State, but notably could not convince his star quarterback or wide receiver to join him in Pullman. He also struggled to keep starters from 2024 in the house. Even after Rogers was hired, multiple starters, including a pair of linemen in Devin Kylany and Rodrick Tialavea, jumped ship.
That is not to say Rogers made any mistakes; he is a newly hired Power 5 coach and lacks the financial resources that other schools boast. However, the future will need to improve. WSU’s recruiting class is ranked outside the top 80 for the first time. That can not continue to be the case.
In year one, it is an acceptable outcome, especially when half of the school’s initial recruits followed Jake Dickert to Wake Forest. In the future, WSU needs to commit enough financial resources to help Rogers bring in recruiting classes that are at least in the top 70, if not the top 60.
Still, against a fairly easy schedule, the Cougars should be able to hold their own in 2025. Here is my guess for how each game will play out in 2025, still eight months away from the beginning of the season.
VS Idaho Vandals: Win (1-0)
VS San Diego State Aztecs: Win (2-0)
AT North Texas: Loss (2-1)
VS Washington: Loss (2-2)
AT Colorado State: Loss (2-3)
AT Ole Miss: Loss (2-4)
AT Virginia: Loss (2-5)
VS Toledo: Win (3-5)
AT Oregon State: Loss (3-6)
VS Louisiana Tech: Win (4-6)
AT James Madison: Loss (4-7)
VS Oregon State: Win (5-7)
The Cougars will finish 5-7, going 5-1 at home but struggling on the road, where I think they will go winless. Still, they come one win away from a bowl game and have a lot of good things to build on for 2026.