What Are The Easiest and Toughest Games for 2024?
WoolleyDoog
Member, Swaye's Wigwam Posts: 2,706
Starting with the easiest…
12. Weber State - I know nothing about them, but they're FCS and they went 6-5 last year.
11. Eastern Michigan - They used to regularly be one of the worst teams in FBS but they've gotten much better under Chris Creighton. This is a game that could be tougher than we think if the team isn't that great.
10. Apple Cup -This shows it's not an easy schedule. I look at WSU's roster and they would be in big trouble if the Pac-12 was still going. They're going to play their hearts out and it could be a neutral field.
9. at Indiana - Penix' old school is regularly one of the worst power conference teams in the nation and that shouldn't change. Playing on the road adds some more challenge though.
8. Northwestern - This could be a tougher game than I though. I forgot they went 8-5 last year and beat Utah in the Las Vegas Bowl last year in their first year under David Braun.
7. at Rutgers - They're better under Greg Schiano again and this could quietly be a bigger win than you think if UW can get it on the road, kind of like Arizona was last year. Fear the hot tub.
6. UCLA - I am tempted to put this at #10 given how questionable UCLA's depth chart is, it's at home and Deshaun Foster in his first year. It's UCLA though so they're gonna go 3-9 and this will be one of the three.
5. USC - This might be one of the easier games too as USC is getting a lot of credit off name. Their depth chart isn't scary and Lincoln Riley feels like a guy who might be getting exposed.
4. at Iowa - Facing Iowa's defensive prowess on the road is already a challenge and coming the week after Michigan it feels like a loss.
3. at Penn State - playing this game on the road in November feels like a loss. It's not impossible though they could make it one of those games where's it's 14-10 in the fourth and they just need to get a break to win.
2. Michigan - Michigan's defense returns some excellent cornerstones. They should still be really good. Their offense is a major question mark though, opening the door to UW a chance, especially if their QB isn't ready for a road challenge.
- at Oregon - This doesn't mean I think it's some game they can't win. Hard to get around saying this isn't the toughest game on the schedule though. I do like it's the last game of the season give UW time to put things together more like they did in 2022.
Comments
Call me Debbie Downer, but I just think it's hard to come up of an off the charts greased up Autzen Stadium two games in a row with a win when you lose 10 guys to the NFL.
I'd move Indiana to 10, UCLA to 9, and Wazzu to 8. Feel like flipping USC and Iowa and Michigan and Penn St, too.
Should be a fun season
The one thing possibly helping us vs. Penn State is that PSU loses at home to tOSU the week prior.
PSU should be better than us but we have better coaches and a QB until it is proven otherwise.
No this is fair. It's a super challenging game and Oregon is to be beyond greased. I just want to be clear I don't think it's some game that should be conceded yet.
”All that Talent” in Autzen
Oregon has been greased the last three games against UW. Maybe too much grease?
Penn St. jumps Oregon just for having an actually intimidating environment.
I actually thought UW caught Oregon a little off-guard in 2022 with how greased up UW was. Everyone knew the first one in 2023 was the game of the century and were up then the P12CG I felt like Oregon wasn't as lit up as I would have thought but it may have been part of getting hit in the mouth early and having to recover.
I would flip 1 and 3.
Fucking vanilla.
It's hard.
Yeah, I was in a bar in Southern California watching that 2022 game and so it is hard for me to properly recall the grease gauge. However, it was at Autzen, and I seem to recall the big screen being filled with a lot of craziness emanating from Lanning and the Duck troops. It appeared that UW was very confident in what they were doing all game long, and managed to keep cooler heads prevailing, thanks to Deboner and his mind tricks.
Yeah but what was the line on DraftKings at that point?
All the screenshots I need. Oregon is going to prison rape UW.
3 might be the hardest place to play in the nation. Way better than Autzen.
You probably should with… “All that Talent”
Seems like a generation ago now.
If UW coaches really think that then they will run the ball a bunch and with the new clock rules Oregon would need a bunch of turnovers to make that happen.
The Duck fans and circle jerker media and twitter types do this great thing of puffing up Oregon so any level of failure makes them look stupid. The bar for next year is now if they don't boat race Washington it's embarrassing. We're now set up if Washington wins the game it will be even funnier than the past three.