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It's been a long, tough ride for WSU's Alex Brink. The senior QB has shot up the Washington State record books, passing the likes of Jason Gesser, Drew Bledsoe, Ryan Leaf, Timm Rosenbach, Mark Rypien and Jack Thompson to become the all-time leader in passing yards and TD passes among many school records.

But the one thing that sticks out like a sore thumb to WSU fans has always been his inability to lift the team onto his shoulders and win the big one, however that is defined. Alex Brink tonight, however, showed all the doubters, the "Brinkhaters" and all others, that he could in fact have that shining senior QB moment that everyone had been waiting for.

In a seesaw battle that saw both teams combine for nearly 1,000 yards of total offense, Brink lit up the brisk Seattle evening with 399 yards and five TD passes. The last throw was maybe his best, as he beat a corner blitz and threw a rainbow 35-yard TD pass to a streaking Brandon Gibson with 31 seconds left in the fourth quarter, leading the Cougars to a 42-35 victory. That now gives Brink a 3-1 record in his four Apple Cup starts, the best WSU starting QB ever in terms of wins and losses in the 100-year history of the rivalry. That's more wins than Bledsoe, Leaf, Gesser, you name it.

If you are a fan of prominent passing attacks, then tune in Saturday night as WSU faces Arizona down in Tucson. Both teams love to air it out, and while the Cal-Oregon game gets the hype this week for Pac-10 offensive fireworks, the Cougars and Wildcats aren't to be overlooked.

Arizona leads the Pac-10 in passing offense, at just over 318 yards per game. But WSU is third, at 282 yards per game, so, doing a little math, that's 600 total passing yards combined that is a regular day at the office for these teams. With the game starting at 7 PM pacific time, Bill Doba quipped "We might not get back until Monday".

However, often in match-ups like this, it's not necessarily the obvious strengths that will decide this one, but more so it's how teams handle their weaknesses that factor in the most. The most troubling thing from a Cougar angle is that WSU's defense, especially against the pass, has been not only among the worst in the conference, but one of the worst pass defenses in the nation so far this year. As we pointed out earlier this week, WSU is 101st in the country in passing yards allowed, and dead last at 119th in opponent third-down rate, allowing an unfathomable 57.9 percent. That third down rate is especially troubling, as everyone knows, in that it shows how long the opposing team can keep their offense on the field. That's really bad news in that it also plays keep-away from the WSU offense, which is clearly the strength of the team in 2007.

The USA Today/Coaches Poll was released on Sunday and the top 10 looks the same as it did a week ago. But when you dig a little deeper, you realize what a true joke this poll really is. First off, why is the Coaches Poll a component in the BCS Standings? Does anyone believe that coaches have time to evaluate other schools on Saturday?

Being an Auburn writer, I spend most all of my time following my team. On Saturday, I'm in the stadium watching Auburn. I rarely watch more than a few other games on the weekends. Most of my day is tied up at Auburn. I get most of my highlights from Reese Davis and his group on ESPN's College GameDay Final Show.

My guess is, even with me being in Auburn on most Saturdays, I still have more time to follow other teams than say the head coach at USC, Georgia or Texas. Is that a stretch? I think not. So why in the world does college football allow a coaches poll determine who plays for the national championship?

Does anyone really believe that college coaches actually vote themselves. Do the powers that be really think fans are that naive? We all know that it's the sports information department submitting the poll - if we are lucky. Do you think they have agendas? Exactly.

Let's look at this week's Top 25 USA Today/Coaches Poll. Ohio States remains the number one team. Fair enough. In the number two spot is Southern Cal. Now USC beat Washington State 28-22 on Saturday. Auburn beat South Carolina 24-17 on Thursday. As a result, the Trojans lost 14 points overall and two first place votes in the poll. Auburn, after beating a 3-1 Gamecock team on the road lost 23 points overall and one first place vote.

If you are comparing apples to apples, how does USC remain number two? If memory serves me correct, Auburn defeated Washington State 40-14 earlier this year. Yet Auburn loses more points than USC this week? Can somebody please explain this to me?

It's obvious that the coaches don't take the voting seriously. It's time for SEC commissioner Mike Slive to get off his butt and start making some noise about this whole BCS system. It's his year to manage the BCS system and he's remained quiet all season - much as he did in 2004. He turning out to be a disaster as a commissioner.

Meanwhile, Lee Corso and Lou Holtz's darling team Michigan, gained 38 points in the poll this week. It really pays to beat a Notre Dame team that nearly lost to Michigan State (who this week lost to a 2-3 Illinois team). Don't tell me that ESPN doesn't wield too much power.

College football is in crisis. It's time for a few good men to step up and make a difference. That means you, Mike Slive.

Link: Football Saturday In The South

The opening-week jitters are now behind Western Athletic Conference teams as they await week two opponents.

Thursday Night Special

Boise State has already played their game this week, defeating Pac-10 foe Oregon State 42-14 before a raucous home crowd.

Pac-10 Battles

WAC teams are looking to take advantage of a limping Pac-10. The conference saw preseason top 10 member California get demolished at the hands of Tennessee, saw Oregon State lose to Boise State last night, saw Arizona State tied with Northern Arizona heading into the fourth quarter before rallying and Washington nearly toppled by the WAC's own San Jose State.

All times Eastern.

Idaho vs. Washington State (3:45 p.m.) FSN Northwest, FCS Pacific
Stanford vs. San Jose State (6:00 p.m.) Comcast West, WAC.TV
Nevada vs. Arizona State (10:00 p.m.) FSN Arizona, KREN, FCS Atlantic, Comcast West
Oregon vs. Fresno State (10:00 p.m.) ESPN2, ESPN2 HD

SEC Battle

Utah State will hit the road to face a wounded Arkansas team, last seen losing another blowout to USC, 50-14.

Utah State vs. Arkansas (7:00 p.m.)

In-State Battle

New Mexico State takes on in-state foe New Mexico on Saturday.

New Mexico vs. New Mexico State (8:00 p.m.) KRQE, WAC.TV, ESPN GamePlan, DirecTV 780, Dish Network