WSU football schedule: five opponents ranked in preseason top 25

We've always known the Pac-12 schedule is difficult enough and if the preseason coaches poll is any indication, that certainly holds true for 2015. Five of the nine games WSU will play in their conference schedule are against a team in the preseason top-25, rivaled in difficulty perhaps by just a few SEC teams.

Just two teams in the weaker Pac-12 North are in the top-25, Oregon at No. 5 and Stanford at No. 21. Stanford is viewed as the sleeper pick to win the division next year so I'd expect their ranking to go up by the time they play WSU in Pullman on Halloween.

Lucky for WSU, they miss No. 10 USC this year but pick up No. 14 UCLA. The Cougs will get No. 16 Arizona State in Pullman but have to travel to Tucson to face the other half of the Territorial Cup at No. 22.

Lets make this a little easier to visualize with a schedule table and OHMYGOD, that late October/early November:

9/5 v. Portland State: NR
9/12 at Rutgers: NR
9/19 v. Wyoming: NR
10/3 at California: NR
10/10 at Oregon: 5
10/17 v. Oregon State: NR
10/24 at Arizona: 22
10/31 v. Stanford: 21
11/7 v. Arizona State: 16
11/14 at UCLA: 14
11/21 v. Colorado: NR
11/27 at Washington: NR

Just one brief respite but against a team that has played well in Pullman recently will make for a very difficult five weeks for WSU. Get your wins early and late, gents.