WSU with easiest P-12 schedule
- Thread starter chinookpirate
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We do have 5 conference road games, but we drew the 2 weakest teams in the South Division (Colorado and Arizona), and Oregon State, UW, and Cal aren't expected to be world beaters.
I agree with the article, at least at this stage of the season.
I agree with the article, at least at this stage of the season.
I won't argue that our schedule is tough, but I don't think it's the weakest in the conference.
Colorado and UCLA both have schedules that arguably lay out better. UCLA has to travel for some of its toughest games, but they get 12 days to prep for Stanford, and their stretch run is CU, @OSU, WSU, @Utah, before going to USC...so November looks pretty manageable on paper. Colorado has a pillowy soft non-conference (@Hawaii, UMass, Colorado State, Nicholls State), and gets Oregon, Arizona, Stanford, and SC all in Boulder.
Cal has the toughest draw.Their OOC isn't that daunting (Grambling, SD State, @Texas), but what follows those is tough for prep. They go from Texas to @UW, WSU, @Utah in consecutive weeks. Those are pretty different offensive styles to prep for in a short time. After that, they get a bye before @UCLA, USC (after 9 days off), @UO, OSU, @Stanford, ASU.
UW's "rigorous tone" starts at a weakened Boise State, then runs past Utah State and Sacramento State. I don't think that's much tougher than our OOC. The @USC, UO, @Stanford bit seems brutal, but they travel to USC coming off a bye week, and it gives them 9 days to prep for UO at home (SC is on Thursday). If they survive that, they close with UA, Utah, @ASU, @OSU, and WSU. Solid, but I don't think it's #1.
USC is solid too, but their tough road games (Notre Dame and UO) both have long weeks ahead of them - 9 days for ND and 8 for UO
Colorado and UCLA both have schedules that arguably lay out better. UCLA has to travel for some of its toughest games, but they get 12 days to prep for Stanford, and their stretch run is CU, @OSU, WSU, @Utah, before going to USC...so November looks pretty manageable on paper. Colorado has a pillowy soft non-conference (@Hawaii, UMass, Colorado State, Nicholls State), and gets Oregon, Arizona, Stanford, and SC all in Boulder.
Cal has the toughest draw.Their OOC isn't that daunting (Grambling, SD State, @Texas), but what follows those is tough for prep. They go from Texas to @UW, WSU, @Utah in consecutive weeks. Those are pretty different offensive styles to prep for in a short time. After that, they get a bye before @UCLA, USC (after 9 days off), @UO, OSU, @Stanford, ASU.
UW's "rigorous tone" starts at a weakened Boise State, then runs past Utah State and Sacramento State. I don't think that's much tougher than our OOC. The @USC, UO, @Stanford bit seems brutal, but they travel to USC coming off a bye week, and it gives them 9 days to prep for UO at home (SC is on Thursday). If they survive that, they close with UA, Utah, @ASU, @OSU, and WSU. Solid, but I don't think it's #1.
USC is solid too, but their tough road games (Notre Dame and UO) both have long weeks ahead of them - 9 days for ND and 8 for UO
Boise State beat Arizona in the bowl game and will be a dark horse candidate for the playoff (they won't make it in though). They lost their two best offensive players but if the mutts sleep on them, they will get crushed. The donkos rarely lose at home and I'll be surprised if UW wins. Utah State beat BYU, Air Force, and UTEP. The significance? They were all bowl teams. UW had zero wins against bowl teams last year. UW has a far more difficult OOC than us. This could be a dark season for Peterson and the mutts.
You might be right that CU has an easier schedule than us. Hawaii is a mess and CSU is probably about equal to Rutgers.
I'm not sure why you'd mention USC in the same breath as us though. Boston College, Notre Dame and Fresno State easily trump our OOC. They miss WSU and OSU from the north. No question we have it better than them.
UCLA is tough to say. BYU is tougher than anyone on our OOC but missing Oregon is a good thing for them. If they had UW instead of Stanford I'd say that theirs was easier.
Sure, BSU came out on top, but it seemed to me that UA lost that game more than Boise won it. Not that I really think UW will win there, especially not in week 1. USU should be OK, but might be shaky early with new systems on both sides of the ball...and they're still a middle of the road team. Even though UW might not be middle of the road this year, I think it's tough to hold up their OOC as being "rigorous"...but I agree it's tougher than ours. Wyoming and PSU should be relatively easy wins.
I wasn't suggesting USC's non-conference schedule is weaker than ours, there's no way it is. The article said UW was #1, USC was #2 (I think USC>UW). Mostly I commented on them to show why Cal's schedule is tougher. I think that even if they were a top-tier team, Cal's schedule would be the toughest in the conference.
Fair enough about USC. As much as I hate Boise State, they know how to win at home. According to wikipedia, they are 100-4 at home since 1999. They haven't lost at home to a team with fewer than 9 wins in that time. 10-2 WSU, 9-3 Boston College, 9-4 SDSU and 11-2 TCU are their only home losses. I don't see UW being that good. Frankly, I'll be surprised if we leave Boise with a win next year.
Several years ago the south was the weak division. For the last few years the north had two premier teams, Stanford and Oregon, and the UW, Cal, OSU were very vulnerable. Utah was beatable. Too bad CU wasn't on our schedule. I think the lesson from 2014 is you have to win your non conference schedule.
The kiss of death last year was going 1-2 in out of conference games. The Cal game was a killer too. I'd love to know the Vegas "win" percentage when a Power-5 conference school is lining up a 19 yard FG to win a game.
I don't like the ifs and buts game.....BUT....IF we split against Rutgers and Nevada and kick that damn FG against Cal, the season would have ended with 5 wins, and we would have played the Apple Cup with a possible bowl birth on the line.
This year, I don't think Rutgers is a must win, but we absolutely need to start 2-1. IF we do start 3-0, and stay relatively healthy in the process, I think 6 wins will be our minimum.
I don't like the ifs and buts game.....BUT....IF we split against Rutgers and Nevada and kick that damn FG against Cal, the season would have ended with 5 wins, and we would have played the Apple Cup with a possible bowl birth on the line.
This year, I don't think Rutgers is a must win, but we absolutely need to start 2-1. IF we do start 3-0, and stay relatively healthy in the process, I think 6 wins will be our minimum.
