Led by third-year head coach Bill Doba, WSU played its home games at on campus Martin Stadium in Pullman, with one at Qwest Field in Seattle.

as a sleeper pick for the national championship, with Alex Brink at the helm.

In the Pac-10 opener at Oregon State, Brink passed for over 500 yards, but WSU lost by eleven.

After a blowout loss in Los Angeles to top-ranked USC,[2] three-point setbacks at home to Arizona State and #11 Oregon followed, as the conference losing streak extended to seven games.

[3] In the Apple Cup at Seattle, they defeated struggling rival Washington by four points to finish at 4–7 overall.