SEATTLE — When Paul Wulff returned to his alma mater at Washington State, he inherited the shell of a football program, beset by poor recruiting, academic sanctions that led to scholarship reductions and a level of apathy.

Whether he’s done enough in four years to bring the Cougars closer to the level of respectability their fans demand is a polarizing debate among the crimson-and-gray faithful, and a decision that ultimately lies in the hands of Washington State athletic director Bill Moos.

It’s with that backdrop that the Cougars enter the 104th Apple Cup tonight against rival Washington at Seattle’s CenturyLink Field.

Any tangible significance at stake in this version of the Apple Cup escaped a week ago when Utah pulled out a 30-27 overtime victory over the Cougars, ensuring Washington State (4-7) of another year without a trip to the postseason.

Washington (6-5) wrapped up a bowl trip a month ago, though it’s looked far from bowl-worthy while dropping its past three.

That leaves Wulff’s future as the ultimate unknown. It’s a debate Cougars’ players and coaches attempt to avoid, but can’t help but hear. Moos indicated that a decision on whether Wulff will return for the final year of his five-year contract could come early next week.

“Of course you hear it, but I don’t pay attention to it,” Cougars junior safety Tyree Toomer said. “It’s something you can’t control. You just have to focus on the task at hand.”

There are arguments on both sides of the Wulff debate. He took over a program at one of its lowest points in the school’s history and while the results haven’t been evident on the field, the Cougars are undoubtedly a more talented and more competitive team than Wulff’s first two seasons. The Cougars have already doubled their win total from a year ago and had a pair of three-point losses to UCLA and Utah decided in the final moments.

“They play confident, they play hard, they believe in what they’re doing and that early on I think it was hard to do,” Washington coach Steve Sarkisian said. “You inherit a football team that’s not all your guys, you come with a different style, a different brand, a different approach, but I think Paul has done a nice job of building that. I’m sure he’d be the first one to tell you he would like there to be more wins to show that, but when you watch the film it’s evident they’ve gotten better.”