The Washington St. Cougars had a rough go of it last year, finishing a meager 2-7 in conference play and 4-8 overall. They weren't the only ones in the cellar though as both the Arizona Wildcats and Colorado Buffaloes provided the scarlet RED and grey with some company as conference doormats. That, my friends, was the 2011 Cougars. There is a new pirate in town, and with him comes enough hype for the shopkeepers in Pullman to keep their shops open an extra hour to 6pm! While many of the names sound the same, there is a renewed sense of spirit in the Palouse that's hard to ignore.
While the defense was pretty brutal at times in 2011, Wazzu had a good passing attack that provided for some stunning offense. If the ball had bounced differently in the UCLA and Utah games, we could have been looking at a 6-6 bowl eligible team. Already a team on the rise, you have to think that Washington St. is in for the makings of a run to bowl eligibility with Mike Leach taking over the heading coaching duties. With that being said, how high of a rise do the Cougars make in 2012? Here's your Fact or Fiction question...