College Football Playoff Top 25: Final Championship Week Projections

Washington State missed its chance to play for the Pac-12 championship for a second straight year, as they fell big against rival Washington in the Apple Cup over Thanksgiving weekend. Coming so close to the Pac-12 North title yet again, the Cougars will look back at a season that was simultaneously positive yet disappointing.

Once again, Mike Leach’s Air Raid offense finished the regular season as one of the top passing offenses in the country. That was despite a hit-or-miss campaign from senior quarterback Luke Falk. He was benched several times for poor play, and will finish under 4000 yards for the first time since his freshman season unless he puts up a huge performance in the bowl game.

Still, for a school that was the laughingstock of the Pac-12 under Bill Doba and Paul Wulff, it has been a great turnaround under Leach. His work in Pullman has Leach courted for other Power Five positions, so Washington State needs to enjoy its time in the College Football Playoff rankings while it can.