I don't mean to shock you guys with new and unexpected information, but our head football coach tends to have strong opinions and he's not afraid to share them.

I know... I'll give you a moment to let that new information sink in.

During an interview with John Canzano on 750 AM The Game in Portland, Leach was asked about what he thought the shutdown that is still leaving a lot of Americans without a paycheck. He told Canzano what he thought and he didn't hold back in the least.

"The government shutdown, we all know that's a sham. I mean, are they really going to just go to the entire Army and Navy and say, 'You're fired,"? And then, all these government buildings... and then of course, Obama's going to say, 'Government's shutdown, I'm just going to go home to Chicago and play basketball.' I don't think that's going to happen and I don't think anybody really buying that. Both parties are posturing. It's hard to say any one party is more guilty than the other."

Sure, that's pretty harsh, but he gets into it even more.

"Obama is trying to protect Obamacare, and then obviously even in his own party a bunch of people are against it. I mean, you know, everybody knows the issues. The Democrats haven't balanced the budget, and the Republicans don't believe they can so then they want to aggressively pursue it because they want to make the Democrats look as bad as they can at the expense of the American people."

That's why we love you coach. You don't have a filter you will speak your mind on anything from government to dog advice. If you want to hear the whole interview, you can find it here. If you just want to read a recap, you can find it here.

Anyway, on to today's links. There isn't much that is overly exciting, but we have updates on Beaver starters on Saturday, WSU basketball (including a photo gallery prominently featuring Neil Stover), golf, and another edition of actual hot cougars.

Football

Cougs, Halliday put handle on ball - Spokesman.com - Oct. 8, 2013

PULLMAN – If you thought the Stanford game was rough for Washington State quarterback Connor Halliday, go back and watch last year’s game against Oregon State. The teams combined to turn over the ball eight times, including three interceptions from Halliday, who was benched in the second quarter of the 19-6 loss.

WSU football: Cougars rising back to respectability - Pacific Takes

Washington State showcased their potential against Cal. Our Jack Follman and Patrick Flower debate.

Oregon State football: Woods, Enger expected to start at Washington State | Statesman Journal | statesmanjournal.com

Oregon State offensive guard Grant Enger is so happy to be playing again that he’s having difficulty finding the words.

Basketball

SLIDESHOW: WSU Cougars Basketball - Spokane, North Idaho News & Weather KHQ.com

A photo slideshow from KHQ featuring WSU basketball players being interviewed by media members.

Golf

Men’s Golf Takes Second at Firestone Invitational - Washington State University Official Athletic Site

Sang Lee finished even with par (216) to lead the Cougars.

Women's Golf 13th at Edean Ihlanfeldt Invitational - Washington State University Official Athletic Site

Facing the strongest competition of the season, Washington State women's golf sits in 13th after the first two rounds of the Edean Ihlanfeldt Invitational with a score of 638, +62.

Actual Hot Cougars

Actual Hot Cougar

Look at this Cougar.... Man, this Cougar is showing so much skin, it's almost ridiculous.