COUGARS

FROM PULLMAN -- Yet another Thursday is upon us, which means the last practice for Washington State before it travels tomorrow to Stanford. There's plenty to read this morning to get you started, so read on.

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In today's newspaper, we spoke with Stanford running back Stepfan Taylor -- because such things are permissible there -- and wrote a feature about his pursuit of greater flexibility. We also have our Pac-12 picks for the week, a recap of our live chat and a blog post from last night with some notes from practice. ... Mike Leach reportedly said yesterday that Ray Ford hasn't been cleared by the NCAA and won't be returning to the team this year. ... Jon Wilner breaks down some Pac-12 TV scheduling issues. ... Here's a preview of the game from the Pac-12 Networks. ... From Stanford: the Cardinal has a special package.

Around the Pac-12 ... Washington's Austin Seferian-Jenkins is making his case as one of the Huskies' best tight ends. UW played its first exhibition basketball game last night, and beat Western Washington. ... Cal will have its hands full with Utah's Star. ... It's a week of opportunity for UCLA. ... Interesting comments from USC's athletic director here about coach Lane Kiffin. A Trojans linebacker leads the team with four interceptions. ... A Utah tight end is earning a larger role. The Utes want to see more impact plays. ... Colorado's defensive coordinator is frustrated with the Buffaloes' struggles. Well jeez, you'd hope so. ... An Arizona State freshman receiver is adjusting to college football. ... Even if the route hasn't always been perfect, an Arizona receiver has found his way. ... Oregon State's offensive line coach is staying in the coaches' box. ... It doesn't bother Oregon that opponents are gearing up for De'Anthony Thomas.

Christian Caple can be reached at christianc@spokesman.com. Twitter: @ChristianCaple

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