Coming off a 9-4 season, Washington State is expected to again have one of the most explosive offenses in the country in 2016, Mike Leach's fifth season as Cougars coach.

The national media is certainly taking notice of the Air Raid. Thursday, ESPN.com ranked Washington State's trio of quarterback Luke Falk, wide receiver Gabe Marks and running back Gerard Wicks as the best 'offensive triplet' in the Pac-12.

Falk led the nation in passing average (380.5 ypg) last season and was third in total offense (370.9 ypg), completing 69.4 percent of his passes, second best nationally. He was fourth in the nation, and second in among all Power 5 schools, in passing touchdowns (38). He enters 2016 as the FBS active career leader in career passing yards per game (356.9) and second in total offense per game (346.7).

Marks is already Washington State’s all-time receptions leader with 227, putting him within range of 300 catches. A year ago, he had 104 receptions for 1,192 yards and a school record 15 touchdowns. Marks is the most recognizable name of a talented and deep WSU receiving corps.

Wicks led Washington State in rushing in 2015 with 610 yards on 107 carries, an average of 5.7 yards per carry. He is one of four running backs expected to make a major contribution to the Cougars offense in 2016 both running and catching the football.

Marks and Wicks combined for 2,036 all-purpose yards and 18 touchdowns in 2015.

Here is what ESPN.com wrote about Falk, Wicks and Marks:

"QB Luke Falk: In his first year as the starter, all Falk did was lead the Cougars to their best season in over a decade. Along the way, he shared first-team All-Pac-12 honors with the draft’s No. 1 overall pick, Jared Goff, was named the Sun Bowl MVP and engineered three last-minute game-winning touchdown drives. Whatever stigma exists in regards to Mike Leach quarterbacks being products of a pass-happy system shouldn’t apply here: Falk is the real deal. The one-time walk-on is a legitimate candidate for every major honor headed into a season in which the Cougars’ offense will be expected to be among the highest scoring in the country.

RB Gerard Wicks: Those outside the WSU fan base will be caught off guard by this, but the Cougs actually have one of the deepest stables of running backs in the conference and Wicks (107 carries, 610 yards, three touchdowns last year) is the headliner. The Cougars went 47 games without a 100-yard rusher under Leach before Wicks ran for 123 yards on 13 carries against Colorado last year. He’s shifty, he can break tackles, he can pass protect and caught 38 passes as a safety valve in his sophomore year. Jamal Morrow and Keith Harrington compliment him well and many believe the most talented running back on the roster might be James Williams, who redshirted as a true freshman last season.

WR Gabe Marks: A potential All-American and Biletnikoff candidate, Marks already owns the WSU career receptions record (227) and is on pace to break the Pac-12’s career mark set by Colorado’s Nelson Spruce last year (294). He led the Pac-12 in touchdown receptions (15) – including this game-winner against UCLA with three seconds left. Like Falk, it’s easy to get bogged down with the numbers, but Marks is one of the more complete receivers in the country and is surrounded by several other talented pass-catchers.

Evaluation: The Cougars clearly have the most proven group of skill guys in the Pac-12. There is high-end talent along with impressive depth and while that, of course, doesn’t guarantee anything, it has raised expectations considerably in Pullman. Not since the early Bill Doba years has there been as much optimism going into a season."

Best Pac-12 Offensive Triplets - Team Ranking (Top 6)

1. Washington State

2. Washington

3. Stanford

4. USC

5. UCLA

6. Oregon