It isn’t easy to break down which true college football contenders have the easiest non-conference schedules too far in advance. We can only base the projections on what we know at this point including which teams we feel will have the best chance to contend in their respective conferences and on the national stage as well as which teams we think will not be talented enough to make any significant noise. Here is a look at the projected college football contenders with the easiest non-conference schedules.
Washington Huskies
The Huskies undoubtedly benefited from one of the easier non-conference schedules among the top contenders a year ago and it appears that will be the case again in 2017. Washington will make a return trip to Rutgers for their season opener and from there they will face FCS opponent Montana and Fresno State. The Huskies will play quality opponents like Michigan and BYU on their future schedules but the 2017 slate was assembled before Chris Petersen arrived at Washington and as a result they have another easy slate.
Baylor Bears
Baylor football has been in the news for all of the wrong reasons over the past couple of years and that likely won’t change anytime soon. However, the Bears do have an easy non-conference schedule that could lead to them ending up in the headlines based on their strong start to the season. Baylor will play UTSA early and then travel to Duke in the third week of the season so there is a good chance they sweep that non-conference slate. The Bears will have a tough road in the Big 12 but their non-conference schedule should be very easy to navigate. As they rebuild their program following one of the most disgusting scandals in recent memory, having an easy schedule should help them get through some of the 2017 season. Only time will tell whether it markedly makes a difference in their 2017 season in terms of where they end up.
Penn State Nittany Lions
The Nittany Lions surprised everyone a year ago when they won a Big Ten title. While they will have a difficult time winning another conference championship in 2017 they should benefit from a relatively easy non-conference schedule. Penn State will play each of their non-conference games at home with dates against Akron, Pittsburgh and Georgia State. Sure, the Nittany Lions lost to the Panthers last season but they aren’t nearly as likely to be caught off guard for the second year in a row against a Pittsburgh team they should be able to beat at home.
Having an easy non-conference schedule will help this young team build some more confidence and momentum, but their season will be defined on what they do against the Michigan Wolverines and Ohio State Buckeyes. They’ll host the Wolverines on October 21st and then will have to go to Ohio State the following week. That’s about as a two-week stretch as any team will have in 2017 – not to mention that they’ll have to face Michigan State the following week too.
Kansas State Wildcats
Kansas State could be one of the most underrated teams in the country with a chance to make some real noise in the Big 12 in 2017. The Wildcats have a legitimate chance to get to 10 wins and their easy non-conference schedule is a big part of that. Kansas State will open the season with home dates against Central Arkansas and Charlotte that should produce a 2-0 start. Their trip to Vanderbilt in the third week isn’t as big of a lock for a win but they should be able to take care of business in that matchup as well.
While the Wildcats have an easy time of things in the non-conference portion of their schedule, what they do in Big 12 play will obviously decide whether or not their 2017 season is a success. They key will be their October 21st game with Oklahoma, which they’ll get to host. The Wildcats are positioned well to contend in the Big 12 and a relatively easy non-conference slate should help them in 2017.
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