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A lot of folks on this site and others around the internet have put low expectations on the Cougars next season. Well if the team has a rough season next year it won’t be due to having a terribly imposing schedule. Jon Wilner of the San Jose Mercury News took a look at every conference team’s schedule and ranked WSU’s 10th out of 12 in difficulty. Arizona is his pick for the easiest schedule with ASU ranking as the toughest. Here is his breakdown of WSU.
10. Washington State
Noncon lineup: at Wyoming, vs. San Jose State, vs. Eastern Washington
Conference misses: UCLA and Arizona State
Toughest stretch: A Friday night roadie against USC — payback — followed by a visit from Utah form a difficult finish to the first half.
Soft spot: The start, with those three highly-winnable noncons.
Comment: The Cougars got treated right in that they avoid back-to-back road games. With seven at home and the manageable noncon lineup, the schedule is ideal for a team in rebuild mode.
This favorable schedule is why I am more bullish on the Cougars than most and think they will win seven next year. I project them to sweep the noncon’s and to beat Arizona, Cal and Utah at home and Oregon State on the road. Seems do-able to me, what do you guys think?
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