Let me try to oversimplify this so it's easier to understand:
It's been generally agreed for years that playing FCS teams has pretty limited upside. If you win, nobody cares - you're supposed to. If you lose, the sky is falling. There's minimal satisfaction in beating an FCS team by 40...it's much more fun to beat a P5 team by 3 (for proof, look at one of our worst teams - in 2008 we beat Portland State 48-9, and UW 16-13. Which one of these does anyone really remember from that season?). Playing low-end G5 teams has generally been seen as only slightly better.
This season, our schedule is half (or more) FCS and low-end G5 teams. We're supposed to win these games. Doing it just meets expectations. Maybe it would feel better if we were destroying them every week, but in 3 of our last 6, we've done just barely enough to win...and even the Utah State win that was by a comfortable margin wasn't a very good performance.
People want to temper expectations by pointing out that the team is young or the QB is a sophomore. Fine, do that. But realize that that sophomore QB is probably our best player...which is a problem. And then realize that a young team should get better every week...and we're not. We still can't block, we still can't get pressure on the QB, and we're probably worse at covering receivers than we were in our first 3 games. We apparently had to take our bye week to work on tackling...which is so fundamental that it should never have to be an emphasis in college ball.
People also want to point out that 'we've 2 P4 teams and the #12 team' as if that means something. I'll tell you that I enjoyed the UW and TT wins at the time, but they're not looking that great anymore. UW isn't very good (they need to beat UCLA to get bowl eligible), and Texas Tech benefited from a soft early schedule. They've now lost 3 of 4 and may be looking at 6-6. And, we lost to BSU. Oh, and we used to play 9-10 P4 teams every year.
In spite of all this, people are bringing up this "best season in history" BS. Not by a long shot. We might end up with a pretty good record. 12-1 might look pretty good in the books, especially when all of us and our perspective are gone. But in the moment, and in the reality, it's artificial.
To be the best, you have to beat the best. We're not doing that. We're beating the teams we should beat...probably by less than we should.
This is a FALSE NARRATIVE.
Of the teams played so far, only Portland St, Utah St, meet your NARRATIVE criteria. SJSU THIS SEASON(Not in the past, as in past, they USUALLY SUCKED, but not so THIS SEASON).
UW, Texas Tech, Fresno St, SDSU, SJSU ARE NOT FCS, Bottom, Low end G5 programs, teams, etc.
Fresno St is about 5-4, and have had a extremely tough schedule, injuries, etc, or they would be 8-1, 7-2, 6-3 right now like they USUALLY are in past. And they have almost been practically UNBEATEN at home(17-3), and WSU beat that, them on the road. That was a TOUGH opponent, Not a FCS, Bottom, low level G5 program.
SJSU was 4-0, UNBEATEN at the time WSU beat them(SJSU is about 7-2, 6-3 now). SJSU is, was a TOUGH opponent, is NOT FCS, Bottom, low level G5 program THIS SEASON. THIS SEASON SJSU is a TOUGH, HIGH LEVEL G5 program, team.
SDSU is about HALF the time in past a semi tough, mid to semi high level G5 team, program, in football. This season, they played a TOUGH schedule, had injuries, etc, and despite that they are about 5-4, 4-5, probably go 6-6, bowl game, and like Fresno St, are tough at home, have been tough at home.
UW is 5-4, 4-5, will semi probably be a bowl team in Big 10 this year. And the game in Seattle was pretty much ROAD game, not a neutral site, so WSU pretty much beat UW on the road. At anytime in PAC history, anytime WSU beats UW on the road, and that's a great win, not a FCS esque level, not a low esque G5 esque level.
Texas Tech is about 7-2, 6-3, that's not FCS esque, not Low esque G5 esque level, etc. Texas Tech, was a tough, quality win.
Only PSU, and 2-7 Utah St, were, are the only FCS, low level G5.
That's who played so far.
Upcoming:
OSU: Lost Smith, lost a lot, lot of new faces, despite that, they started out ok. Then they started to do bad, largely because of record number of INJURIES, INJURIES, INJURIES. Now they are starting to heal, recover, etc, and will probably do better. Will probably get to 6 win, be bowl eligible, goto bowl game, will be a tough opponent, not a FCS esque level, not a low esque G5 esque level program, team, but is, will probably be a tough, quality opponent, when WSU plays them.
Wyoming: Is a FCS level, low G5 level team.
Don't remember: Alleged I remember is that they are 1 of the FCS level, low level G5 Bottom Dweller, feeder of MWC.
Only 4 of the 12 games were, are FCS level, low G5 level.
4 of the 12 games are, were mid level teams.
4 of the 12 games are, were high, higher level teams.
The notion that the schedule is, was WEAK, WEAKER, was, is a FCS level, low G5 level schedule is a FALSE NARRATIVE.
The schedule was, is between a mid to semi high, between mid and semi tough, schedule.
