CougCenter Roundtable: 2017 football schedule

The 2017 WSU football schedule was released earlier today and it’s ... interesting. We fired up the ol’ Slack roundtable machine to talk about it. Here’s another look at the schedule for your reference before you get started.

bkransford

if we don't #drop70 in september i'm done

jeffnusser

Seriously though, that's the obvious thing about this schedule -- it's one thing to go full SEC and never leave your state for the first half of the season, quite another to play five home games all in the same month. How y'all feel about that? Good/bad/indifferent?

goldenthroat

We play at home twice in October and November. Not great

bkransford

i'm pretty indifferent to schedules, in general. i take it one week at a time, you know?

just gotta focus

sherwood

I think the long gaps will make us appreciate that 11/4 home game.

cassino

Meh. At least it ramps in difficulty, save OSU; that should keep fans engaged somewhat. I worry about fatigue though.

goldenthroat

I’ll admit, most of my anger comes from driving back and forth across the state every weekend

jeffnusser

Yeah, for me -- I'm not a season ticket holder like a lot of you guys, so I'm just like "meh" about it, for the most part. But I do empathize with you guys who shell out all that money and then have to figure out a way to make that trip five times in 27 days

goldenthroat

Football wise, yeah, it’s nice to be in friendly confines five weeks in a row when you’re probably not going to be as good as last year

sherwood

i love september home games. i'm gonna love it for three weeks and then be completely burned out in week 4 and then hoof it over for a Friday night game against USC.

goldenthroat

But I woke up too late to make the run for rooms on Expedia so I’m irrational.

bkransford

two apple cup hate weeks, though

sherwood

I don't expect huge things from the team next year, so for me i just want nice weather and a shot at the Cactus Bowl.

jeffnusser

I'm actually considering taking that Friday off and going over for the game, then spending the weekend

(USC, that is)

sherwood

guess who has seven hotel rooms this season already!?!?!?!?!

bkransford

my guess is you, sherdog

jeffnusser

I'm thinking that USC will be super fun if I can get that day off -- weather should be great, I'll get to enjoy Saturday, then make a leisurely drive back on Sunday

brian_anderson

I don't really like not having a bye until before the last week of the season...and didn't really like having a bye as early as we did the past couple years.

cassino

Yeah, 11 straight is a griiiiind.

Between the two, early bye is better.

goldenthroat

Going to Eugene and then a short week down to Cal isn’t ideal (although Cal probably isn’t going to be very good)

brian_anderson

WSU could be 4-0 heading into USC and their most assuredly well-oiled hype machine. That is if they leap over that FCS opener hurdle.

bkransford

yeah, but what about gameday guys

cassino

I'm as pro-CFBGD as they come, but it ain't happenin' this year.

That USC game would be the one, if 4-0 happens. But Friday things happened.

goldenthroat

At least we already know the game will be at night?

cassino

DO WE?

brian_anderson

Right. Maybe not worry about GameDay this year. Colorado will probably be quite a bit down and Nov 4th is usually a big SEC weekend if I remember right

goldenthroat

Is it the next weekend or the one after that’s their “play another cupcake or FCS team”?

brian_anderson

Pretty sure that's the weekend when we have the bye, right before rivalry weekend.

The first week in November might be when they have their cross-divisional stuff

craigpowers

How is Falk gonna do his usual "pick up his game post-bye-week" if the bye week isn't until week 12?

goldenthroat

We #drop70 on UW, obviously

bkransford

beat the huskies for the first time in his career?

brian_anderson

Maybe if Wazzu has the most insane start ever and beats USC to go 5-0 and Oregon has enough players out of the hospital to field a team, Eugene gets CGD on Oct. 7th.

craigpowers

"beat the huskies?" I don't understand

brian_anderson

it happens sometimes

cassino

Eeeehhhh.... is Oregon going to be Oregon again?

brian_anderson

we'll see what a $10MM coaching staff can do!

goldenthroat

“Beat the Huskies?”

jeffnusser

I'm not sold that there's going to be immediate improvement there, since I'm not sold that coaching was the issue outside of talent procurement/development

(at Oregon)

brian_anderson

I also think it could take a season or two

cassino

Ibid.

jeffnusser

Is there any thought that maybe 5 straight home to start the season saves the legs a bit for the end-of-season grind, or am I reaching?

bkransford

i would like to run for 300 and 6 TD on their new defensive line coach, plz.

they likely won't recruit defensive tackles, so should be doable.

goldenthroat

Eh

craigpowers

I'm thinking the two home games in the final two months actually makes the late season grind harder

cassino

I think 11 straight negates any positive effect there.

goldenthroat

Looking at the schedule again in the table … I’m not quite as mad

brian_anderson

Yeah, 11 straight is ridiculous

goldenthroat

Even though we only have two homes games in October and November, they’re only the road for two games at most

The bye, as everyone else noted, is the hardest thing

But the longest they’re away from Pullman despite the front loaded home games is two weeks which isn’t terrible

cassino

Yeah, if the bye were middle-ish, this would actually be an ok-to-good schedule.

5 out of 7 away isn't fun, but no more than two straight on the road isn't awful.

brian_anderson

It'd be UW's last year

bkransford

7 wins, 5 losses.

craigpowers

This schedule definitely sets up for "early season excitement, late season sadness"

brian_anderson

Kinda think if they don't start 3-1 they'll be in some trouble

craigpowers

But at least early season excitement gets butts in the seats

jeffnusser

If we remove fans and attendance ... from a purely developmental standpoint -- on a team that I think most of us agree is maybe not as strong as this year's was -- I think 5 at home to start the year is flat awesome

goldenthroat

We go for, what, three straight seasons without a weeknight game and then we get two in one year, both within 3 weeks

craigpowers

We had a Friday game last year - Boise

goldenthroat

Like Jesse said, if the bye was in, say, mid-November, I’d agree with you Nuss

craigpowers

And at least they aren't Thursday games

brian_anderson

Stanford-Utah back-to-back to end that 11 game stretch terrifies me a little

goldenthroat

That’s right, forgot that

Yeah, the ASU Halloween game was sparsely attended

Although that dude dressed as a nun was having fun

brian_anderson

there's always a banana that has a good time. some college kid is always a banana.

sherwood

Apple Cup was on a Friday last year

goldenthroat

What Apple Cup?

sherwood

touche

cassino

Yeah, Stanford and Utah to finish that stretch is getting through the meat grinder to end up in another, bigger meat grinder.

craigpowers

they didn't play the Apple Cup last year

brian_anderson

shut up, I was there, it happened, it was awful

bkransford

confirmed.

craigpowers

yes, we had the saddest beers ever at halftime. I was sober after the game. What a mess.

sherwood

I think we go 4-0 against Cal, Arizona, Montana State and Nevada

I think we go 0-3 against USC, Stanford and UW

I think we go 1-2 against Oregon, Utah and Colordao

I think we go 1-1 against OSU and Boise

So there's your road to 6-6 and a Cactus Bowl.

goldenthroat

Those super baskets we’re pretty good though, even if it took an hour to get to us

craigpowers

Wait, we aren't calling Montana State an automatic loss?

brian_anderson

@sherwood that's kinda my line of thinking too

although I think we could snag another from UO/CU/UU

sherwood

So I have us exiting the five game homestand at 3-2. If we're 4-1, that's gravy

craigpowers

Colorado is gonna take a big step back this year, I imagine

sherwood

We got to play against four backup QBs last year. Maybe we'll get to do that again!

brian_anderson

real big

cassino

Are we that high on #NerdNation this year?

brian_anderson

I'm not all that sold on them yet

goldenthroat

I am every year until David Shaw proves me wrong by going 6-6

cassino

Fair. I think we clip them at home though.

goldenthroat

I have no idea if this will be a fun exercise or not but if you think WSU will be bowl eligible, what game do they get to 6 wins on?

I’m going with Arizona on 10/28

sherwood

me too

craigpowers

Arizona was my guess

cassino

Cal. Don't @ me.

sherwood

Arizona 10/28 and enter the Stanford game 6-3 before our eventual belly flop

brian_anderson

Definitely could beat Stanford. They are Bye-@OSU-@WSU-UW-Cal. Maybe a little look ahead spot

sherwood

we beat them by four touchdowns in their house last year; they're not looking past us

brian_anderson

Colorado is my guess, but I'm an optimist

yeah that's true

craigpowers

So, how many half-empty stadiums will we have this year? I'm guessing there will be no one at Nevada

goldenthroat

Nevada was going to be empty already, it’s going to be emptier-er

Speaking off, I have great seats available if anyone wants them!

cassino

MSU on Labor Day weekend doesn't sound great.

brian_anderson

Why would Nevada weekend already be empty? What else is happening?

craigpowers

No DMB this year, right?

goldenthroat

Guns N Rose though

craigpowers

Empty because three straight Pullman weekends before and another Pullman weekend after. 10 hours of driving every weekend in September is gonna hold some folks back

I don't think the kids will go to GnR, so that helps

goldenthroat

I figured no one would be overly enthusiastic to come see the Nevada Wolf Pack even if the weekend before we’d been out of town

OSU the weekend before makes that an empty weekend lock

sherwood

I'M GOING TO GNR

goldenthroat

I think Nevada is the only game that you’re going to see a fairly empty stadium

USC will be a big draw, even on a friday

If the game can kick off at like 7:15, a ton of people can take half days at work

jeffnusser

@sherwood I assume you're taking the whole family?

sherwood

gotta smell weed for the first time somewhere

craigpowers

You haven't taken them to Seattle yet?

sherwood

only the zoo and that's strictly an edible locale

goldenthroat

I get a contact high driving down 4th Ave in Sodo

jeffnusser

OK, let's wrap this monstrosity up. Last question: Now that you've seen the schedule, does it make you more optimistic about the number of wins next year's team can achieve, less optimistic or no change.

goldenthroat

No change, 7 and the Vegas Bowl

brian_anderson

No change really but now I'm more concerned about staying healthy in late October and early November.

cassino

No real change. 9-3. /eternaloptimist

jeffnusser

I'll say more optimistic. I think playing all those games at home early will allow some of the younger positions to develop faster. I'll go 8 wins for the third consecutive season.

craigpowers

No change. 7-5 is my thinking.

sherwood

No change. 6-6

bkransford

I just want them to go 1-0 every week.

sherwood

stop

craigpowers

My work travel schedule has me going to Chicago, SoCal, Detroit and Vegas in September so my outlook on my own health and prosperity is bleaker for that month.

goldenthroat

Zombie Craig for USC