College Football: Ranking the 10 easiest Power Five schedules in 2017

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Sep 3, 2016; Seattle, WA, USA; Washington Huskies wide receiver Dante Pettis (8) outruns the Rutgers Scarlet Knights punt team including tight end Nick Arcidiacono (42) for a 68-yard return for a touchdown during the third quarter at Husky Stadium. Washington won 48-13. Mandatory Credit: Jennifer Buchanan-USA TODAY Sports /

One of the biggest knocks against Washington last year was their strength of schedule relative to other College Football Playoff contenders. Should the Huskies win the Pac-12 again and do so with a similar number of losses to other hopefuls, that will become a talking point again. This year’s schedule features just four bowl teams, none out of conference. Any slip-up could give the selectors a reason to keep Chris Petersen’s team out of the playoff.

That’s because Washington’s non-conference slate features Rutgers (2-10 in 2016), FCS Montana (6-5), and Fresno State (1-11). Added together, Washington plays three opponents outside the Pac-12 that won just nine combined games. Half were by a team that finished eighth in the Big Sky and missed the FCS playoffs. If anything, the Huskies (whether fair or not) will be graded on style points in these contests.

They do play at Colorado (10-4) in September and finish the year against Stanford (10-3), Utah (9-4), and Washington State (8-5). To have another shot at the College Football Playoff, Washington needs to be prolific against one of the weakest schedules in the country (Power Five or otherwise).

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