33 days to Cougar football: How would you schedule?

If you haven't read Brian Anderson's post on the 2014 football schedule, you should probably do that. In the comments of that post, WSU's scheduling goal of an A game against a top opponent, a B game against a mid-level opponent and a C game against a non-major came up.

As woolybugger pointed out, WSU's 2014 schedule is more like a B-C-D with the B being a bottom conference team from a power five conference, the C moving to a mid-level opponent and the D being the Portland States of the world. A lot of schools opt for a similar A-B-C/B-C-D approach but it varies. Some schools really challenge themselves in the non-conference while others ... well do not.

For this discussion, let's put you in charge of creating WSU's 2015 schedule. That schedule is already full, so stay with me in this hypothetical and say that every 2015 schedule is wiped out and every team is building a new one. How would you approach it? Would you try to schedule a major conference opponent likely to contend for the playoff? Maybe you'd take WSU's B-C-D approach.

The 2015 season will be an interesting one four the Cougars. Barring injury, the Cougars will have to break in a new starting quarterback. The offensive line should mostly return as will much of the defense. With a new starting QB in the fold, I think I'd tend to go on the easier side and schedule something like  C-C-D non-conference. A Mountain West school or two then whatever directional Idaho team wants to come to Pullman.

Going beyond 2015, I would settle into something like the current B-C-D system. A school from a power five conference to headline the schedule, but not a body bag opponent or a National Championship contender. Then a mid-level school and one FCS or or lower tier school.

You are in charge of the 2015 schedule, who are the Cougs playing?