WSU football schedule 2016: Another Black Friday Apple Cup in Pullman

The Washington State Cougars aren't done with the 2015 season just yet (how neato is that?), but we already know what their schedule for the 2016 season will look like. The non-conference schedule was already known but now we've got the conference schedule from the Pac-12 nailed down.

Here you go, as released by the Pac-12 tonight:

• Saturday, 9/3 vs. Eastern Washington Eagles
• Saturday, 9/10 at Boise State Broncos
• Saturday, 9/17 vs. Idaho Vandals
• BYE
• Saturday, 10/1 vs. Oregon Ducks
• Saturday, 10/8 at Stanford Cardinal
• Saturday, 10/15 vs. UCLA Bruins (Homecoming)
• Saturday, 10/22 at Arizona State Sun Devils
• Saturday, 10/29 at Oregon State Beavers
• Saturday, 11/5 vs. Arizona Wildcats (Dad's Weekend)
• Saturday, 11/12 vs. California Golden Bears
• Saturday, 11/19 at Colorado Buffaloes
• Friday, 11/25 vs. Washington Huskies

If you're a visual learner, WSU's got your back, too.

Our 2016 schedule has been announced! https://t.co/UnZXlRJjzg #GoCougs pic.twitter.com/YSVEVEr7CX

— WSU Cougar Football (@wsucougfb) December 16, 2015

If you're counting at home, that's seven games at Martin Stadium -- the first time that's happened since 1999. For a team looking to announce itself as a national presence with a veteran squad returning, that's pretty huge.

Of course, there's that pesky week four bye (AGAIN), which means the Cougs will have to play nine straight weeks against Pac-12 opponents. They managed to get through it relatively injury free in 2015, but I'm always wary of playing that many games in a row.

You'll also notice that the Apple Cup is, once again, on Black Friday in Pullman. That certainly hurt attendance pretty badly in 2012 when WSU wasn't too good, but assuming both teams keep up their end of the bargain in 2016, that could actually be a match-up of ranked teams. Playing the game late in the day would certainly make things a little easier, though we likely won't know the time of the game for a while.

Outside of those two complaints though, this schedule actually looks pretty nice for a team that should be on the rise again next year. Both Oregon and Stanford will have new quarterbacks so catching them early in the year is a big blessing. It's always hard for either team from Washington to win in Tempe, but ASU will also have a new quarterback. It's the last month of the season where Washington State really gets a break, though, with three of four inside the friendly confines of Martin Stadium. The only road game in November should be your second easiest game of the year, as well.

Go ahead and do what we know you want to do: prognosticate nine months before the season even starts.