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Pac-12 football: Midseason awards and superlatives

By Patrick Mayhorn

GENE, OR - OCTOBER 13: Linebacker Justin Hollins #11 of the Oregon Ducks, place kicker Peyton Henry #47 of the Washington Huskies, punter/holder Race Porter #46 of the Washington Huskies and cornerback Thomas Graham Jr. #4 of the Oregon Ducks watch as Henry's field goal attempt to win the game misses in the final seconds of the regulation at Autzen Stadium on October 13, 2018 in Eugene, Oregon. The Ducks won the game in overtime 30-27. (Photo by Steve Dykes/Getty Images)
GENE, OR - OCTOBER 13: Linebacker Justin Hollins #11 of the Oregon Ducks, place kicker Peyton Henry #47 of the Washington Huskies, punter/holder Race Porter #46 of the Washington Huskies and cornerback Thomas Graham Jr. #4 of the Oregon Ducks watch as Henry's field goal attempt to win the game misses in the final seconds of the regulation at Autzen Stadium on October 13, 2018 in Eugene, Oregon. The Ducks won the game in overtime 30-27. (Photo by Steve Dykes/Getty Images) /
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(Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
(Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) /

Best coach: Mike Leach, Washington State

Ultimately this came down to Mike Leach and Mario Cristobal, and while what Cristobal has done with Oregon this season has been impressive, he’s doing it with an NFL caliber quarterback, and talent that he didn’t recruit. Oregon was supposed to be good this year, he’s just made them a little better a little sooner than expected.

Leach, on the other hand, has taken a team that lost most of its production from last season, nearly all of its coordinators, and had little to nothing at quarterback coming into that season. Thanks to the addition of Gardner Minshew, some adjustments to the offense to fit the personnel, and the excellent hire of Tracy Claeys to run the defense, the Cougars are 5-1, and set to host College GameDay this weekend.

That’s all a huge credit to Leach, a man who many thought may be in for a rough season, and possibly his last at Wazzu after flirting with Tennessee this offseason. The Cougars, in losing their quarterback, one of two running backs, their top two receivers, and seven coaches, have improved in nearly every statistical category.

Now, are the Cougars a legitimate contender? Probably not. Their best win is against Utah, they lost to USC, and still have to host Oregon and Washington, while traveling to Colorado and Stanford. They should beat Cal and Arizona, and grabbing one or two of those tough games puts them at eight or nine wins on the year. Given the obstacles this team has gone through, that’s pretty impressive.

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