Wilner Ranks the Schedules

[Scscsc89]

http://www.mercurynews.com/2017/06/05/college-hotline-ranking-the-pac-12-schedules-defending-champ-washington-faces-a-loaded-lineup-err/

 

12. Washington
Noncon: at Rutgers, vs. Montana, vs. Fresno State
Comment: The parade of creampuffs is followed by a conference lineup that misses USC, has an ideal bye (midseason), four of the last five at home and only one significant challenge: a short-week trip to Stanford. It’s too bad, really, that one of the top rosters in the country will face such modest resistance.

11. Arizona
Noncon: vs. Northern Arizona, vs, Houston, at UTEP
Comment: Another soft non-conference lineup, with depleted Houston (no Greg Ward or Tom Herman) providing the only notable hurdle — and it’s a knee-high one, at that. The Wildcats also miss Washington and Stanford, have a well-placed bye (after Week 4) and no short weeks in Oct./Nov.

10. Washington State
Noncon: vs. Montana State, vs. Boise State, vs. Nevada
Comment: The Cougars open with five in a row at home. That’s right: Five. In. A. Row. They don’t play a roadie until Oct. 7 (Eugene), which means a fast start is essential. They also get USC and Stanford in Pullman. There’s a short-week road back-to-back (Oregon and Cal) and a too-late bye.

9. Colorado
Noncon: vs. Colorado State (Denver), vs. Texas State, vs. Northern Colorado
Comment: Disappointingly-soft non-conference lineup — much like that of the Pac-12’s other defending division champion — gives way to an intra-league schedule that brings USC and Washington to Boulder and misses Stanford. The bye is late, before the season ender at Utah.

8. Utah
Noncon: vs. North Dakota, at Brigham Young, vs. San Jose State
Comment: Plenty to like if you’re a Utes fan, starting with no non-conference flights, an ideal bye (before Stanford/USC back-to-back) and three home games in November, when it will be nice and balmy in SLC. But there is one thing to not like very much: Utah and UCLA are the only teams that play both division favorites, USC and Washington, on the road.

7. Oregon State
Noncon: at Colorado State, vs. Portland State, vs. Minnesota
Comment: The trip to Fort Collins was moved to Week Zero (Aug. 26) to assist CSU, but it creates two open weeks for the Beavers: in late-September, between dates with the Washington schools, and in late Oct. before a Thursday affair at Stanford. For a program hoping to build momentum, the schedule is manageable.

6. Stanford
Noncon: vs. Rice (Sydney), at San Diego State, vs. Notre Dame
Comment: The overseas trip is Aug. 26, which gives Stanford two weeks to prepare for the Sept. 9 date in the Coliseum. There’s a late-season short week against the Washington schools, but the back end of that assignment (UW) is at home. Only two road games in the second half (OSU and WSU).

5. Arizona State
Noncon: vs. New Mexico State, vs. San Diego State, at Texas Tech
Comment: While Arizona dodges Stanford and Washington, the Sun Devils get both as part of a rugged four-games-in-five-weeks stretch that also has USC and Utah. (And as soon as it ends, the Devils get a visit from Colorado.) At least Texas Tech won’t have Patrick Mahomes and SDSU will be without Donnel Pumphrey.

4. Oregon
Noncon: vs. Southern Utah, vs. Nebraska, at Wyoming
Comment: Trip to Laramie to face QB Josh Allen, a potential first-round pick, makes this much tougher than it might look. Then add Nebraska, a too-late bye (mid-November) and the difficult league road lineup (Stanford, Salt Lake City and Seattle). If not for the Ducks missing USC miss, they might have landed in the top spot.

3. Cal
Noncon: at North Carolina, vs. Weber State, vs. Mississippi
Comment: Two dates against quality Power Five opponents? Welcome to Cal, Justin Wilcox. (At least the Tar Heels and Rebels will be breaking in new QBs.) The Bears also have a difficult road slate in conference (Washington, Stanford, Colorado) and the bye comes too late (mid-November) to provide much relief.

2. USC
Noncon: vs Western Michigan, vs. Texas, at Notre Dame
Comment: Potentially one of the toughest schedules in the nation if Texas and Notre Dame prove top-25 worthy. The start is challenging with WMU, Stanford, and Texas in succession, but all three are in the Coliseum. There’s no Oregon and no Washington, but those misses are offset by the fact that there is also no bye (for the fist time since 1995).

1. UCLA
Noncon: vs. Texas A&M, vs. Hawaii, at Memphis
Comment: Not the easiest lineup on which to produce a bounce-back season with Memphis serving as a sneaky-tough assignment (as compared to the obviously-tough duel with A&M). The Bruins also visit Stanford and USC and have the dastardly short-week road back-to-back, with late-season trips to Seattle and Salt Lake City.

[Mano]

While Utah's OOC lineup is meh, I think they may have the toughest conference schedule, not playing Cal or the Beavers, and playing USC, Washington and Oregon on the road.

[glduck]

27 minutes ago, Scscsc89 said:

Oregon
Noncon: vs. Southern Utah, vs. Nebraska, at Wyoming
Comment: Trip to Laramie to face QB Josh Allen, a potential first-round pick, makes this much tougher than it might look. Then add Nebraska, a too-late bye (mid-November) and the difficult league road lineup (Stanford, Salt Lake City and Seattle). If not for the Ducks missing USC miss, they might have landed in the top spot.

 

never look to wilner in making your travel plans. though the ducks do travel to palo alto and seattle, we do not make the trip to SLC this year. we also hit tempe, pasadena, and laramie.

all things considered, i kind of like our schedule. wyoming may have a good quarterback, but if we can't beat wyoming then fuck this season. i'm not yet willing to concede any home games, and with road games at wyoming and arizona, that's eight wins with four other games that range from "toss-up" to "try to lose by less than 40 this time" (arizona state, ucla, stanford, washington). if we lose ALL of them, that's 8-4. if we can win one or two, huzzah.

this team has talent, but we've been fucked so hard by god awful defensive recruiting i'm not dreaming of anything higher than a sun bowl. he's starting out in a better position than his other stops, but the willie taggart effect also seems to be a slow burn, not insta-gratification. 

[Scscsc89]

I think I say this ever year, but who knows what to expect from Stanford.

[Mano]

Just now, Scscsc89 said:

I think I say this ever year, but who knows what to expect from Stanford.

Seems that they have been pretty much the most consistently good team in the Pac over the past decade.

[Scscsc89]

Their collection of seasons with 11 wins or better is pretty amazing

[glduck]

*forgotten so soon*

[PAC MAN]

41 minutes ago, Mano said:

While Utah's OOC lineup is meh, I think they may have the toughest conference schedule, not playing Cal or the Beavers, and playing USC, Washington and Oregon on the road.

Ouch man...that's a tough conference schedule especially the last half plus Utah travels to UW then faces CU (who will have the previous weekend off).  Also Stanford & USC back-to-back.  I think Utah's #8 schedule ranking is too low and should be considerably higher.  At least Utah has a senior QB who has had experience in this conference.

[PapaG]

USC's OOC would have been awesome if it was 1977 instead of 2017, but these days a WMU team losing one of the greatest WRs in FBS history may be the best team of their OOC three. Notre Dame won 4 games last year and Texas won 5.   Wilmer ranked on name and not merit.  Plus USC misses UDub so that puzzling to me.

[PAC MAN]

Could the lack of a bye week be the reason for Wilner's #2 ranking for USC?  Plus USC also misses UO as well.  That's an easy conference schedule and perhaps why they could be the unanimous pick for the South.

[Scscsc89]

His top games ...

http://www.mercurynews.com/2017/06/07/college-hotline-the-10-best-pac-12-football-games-of-2017-and-they-dont-all-involve-usc/

 

no Oregon vs. Nebraska?  Lame

[PAC MAN]

Nebraska's over/under is six games this year.  Could be a brutal season for the Corn this year so that is why Wilner didn't include that game.  UO will cream those corn.

CU @ WSU could be a shootout with CU having Montez & the conference's top group of WRs versus the great Falk.

[EastCoastFan]

The Pac-12 would be a lot more interesting if more teams scheduled challenging out-of-conference games like Cal and USC.

[glduck]

i'd like to agree with that, but we'd probably lose most of them.

[Scscsc89]

A lot more interesting ... but fewer opportunities to play in the CFP

[PAC MAN]

25 minutes ago, Downthefield said:

The Pac-12 would be a lot more interesting if more teams scheduled challenging out-of-conference games like Cal and USC.

CU's schedule is looking better in the coming years.  Buffs play CSU, New Hampshire, and @Nebraska next year.

[All Hail]

33 minutes ago, glduck said:

i'd like to agree with that, but we'd probably lose most of them.

We've done a decent job at making the rest of the conference look good recently.  We swept Texas and then got neutered by pretty much everyone else in conference. 

[All Hail]

8 minutes ago, Jalapeno said:

CU's schedule is looking better in the coming years.  Buffs play CSU, New Hampshire, and @Nebraska next year.

That schedule is still trash. 

[Scscsc89]

It'd be one way to solve Wazzu's FCS problem.

[glduck]

16 minutes ago, All Hail said:

We've done a decent job at making the rest of the conference look good recently.  We swept Texas and then got neutered by pretty much everyone else in conference. 

 

for sure. i know i'm generalizing, but it just seems like if the pac has an opportunity to trip over our own feet in a marquee early season non-conference showdown then by god, trip we shall.