Originally published August 31, 2010 at 8:17 PM | Page modified August 31, 2010 at 8:17 PM

Cougars' football schedule offers few breaks in action

The final schedule avoids a poorly attended pre-Thanksgiving weekend, but gives the Cougars 11 consecutive games without a break.

By Vince Grippi

Spokane Spokesman-Review

Saturday

WSU @ Oklahoma State, 4 p.m., FSN

Today's Question

PULLMAN — When the 2010 Pac-10 football schedule was first coming together, Washington State's was daunting, but not impossible.

The Cougars were scheduled to play their three nonconference games, then six consecutive conference contests before getting a bye Nov. 6.

There would then be two more conference games, another bye, and the Apple Cup in Pullman on Dec. 4.

Tough, but doable.

One problem. That schedule left WSU with a game against California on Nov. 20 in Pullman.

That's the Saturday before the Thanksgiving break. The last two times a non-Apple Cup game was played in Pullman that weekend they drew 22,660 — most of whom left at halftime — and 16,167, both against Oregon State.

But it just so happened California also had a bye Nov. 6, and wanted to play Stanford on Nov. 20. Talks occurred and a change was made. The Cal-WSU game was moved to the first Saturday in November.

So the final schedule avoids the poorly attended pre-Thanksgiving weekend, but gives the Cougars 11 consecutive games without a break.

"It can be real difficult, especially if you have a year where you have a lot of injuries," WSU coach Paul Wulff said. "If you can stay healthy and you have some depth, then you can make it."

The Cougars neither had depth nor stayed healthy in the past few years.

"It's a hell of a test for us," Wulff said.

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