3 reasons Washington State Cougars will win the Pac-12

PULLMAN, WA - SEPTEMBER 29: The Washington State Cougars celebrate with Jamal Morrow #25 after his touchdown in the second half of the game against the USC Trojans at Martin Stadium on September 29, 2017 in Pullman, Washington. Washington State defeated USC 30-27. (Photo by William Mancebo/Getty Images) /

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After their huge upset over USC, Washington State seems to be a serious contender. Here are three reasons why they can win the Pac-12 conference.

Washington State came into Friday night’s matchup against USC ranked No. 16 and starting to get some national attention. After their upset win over the Trojans, the Cougars are in the conversation for being the best team in the Pac-12 and even finding themselves in the CFB Playoff mix.

Given their 5-0 start and win over USC, Washington State has put themselves in contention to win the Pac-12 conference title. Here are three reasons why it’s not crazy to think that they win the conference.

3. The defense looks outstanding through five weeks

Coming into the Friday night showdown against USC, many pundits were questioning Washington State’s defense. But that was ignorant if you judged them based on past teams. They were allowing only 18.5 points before playing USC, but the Cougars didn’t play any of the top teams in the country, thus many may have written them off as a team that puffed their stats against inferior opponents.

On Friday night, the Cougars held Sam Darnold to a career-low 164 yards passing and without a touchdown pass, and 327 yards total. The Trojans came into the game with a potent offense behind their dynamic quarterback, but they were stymied by the Cougars defensive blueprint set by Alex Grinch who has remastered this unit into one that can challenge as one of the league’s best.

Washington State also held USC to 2-11 on third downs and also picked off Sam Darnold once. It’s a defense that’s fast, aggressive and takes on the persona of their coach. Leach, while being an offensive-minded coach, is still extremely tough and hard-nosed. The Cougars’ defense takes that on and has been playing fantastic through five weeks.

Their superstar has been pass-rusher Hercules Mata’afa, who’s quick and going to be one of the top NFL Draft prospects. They’re good up front and in the back end and should be able to stop these Pac-12 offenses. If their defense can keep up what they’re doing, they’ll always be in games to try and win. Even if Luke Falk isn’t on his game, defense travels, so the Cougars will always have a shot to find a W.

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