When Jake Dickert stepped into the role of interim head coach at Washington State, it was the beginning of a six-week interview in the midst of chaos.

Washington has fired football coach Jimmy Lake, less than two years after he was chosen to succeed Chris Petersen.

The Associated Press preseason college football poll has been released and Alabama is No. 1.

Washington has pulled out of the Pac-12 football championship game due to COVID-19 issues in the Huskies program, and Oregon will now play No. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren, File)Washington has pulled out of the Pac-12 football championship game due to COVID-19 issues in the Huskies program, and Oregon will now play No. We cannot play football. Now the Ducks, the preseason Pac-12 favorites, will take a two-game losing streak into the title game, and Colorado is left without an opponent this weekend. Colorado could schedule another game outside the conference for Saturday, but the Buffaloes also need to remain on standby for the Pac-12 title game until later in the week.

___Utah State’s men’s basketball team is pausing full team activities and has canceled its game against Weber State on Saturday due to positive COVID-19 tests within the program. Texas (6-3, 5-3) returned three positive tests after blowing out Kansas State last week, prompting school officials to shut down practice. ___Citing a surge of positive COVID-19 cases and contact tracing in the football program, West Virginia has paused all football activities for the next seven days and will not host No. ___South Carolina has called off its men’s basketball game at George Washington on Monday because of a positive COVID-19 test. ___Georgia has canceled its women’s basketball game against Radford because of a positive COVID-19 test within the Highlanders’ program.