Soft Schedule = Hope for ’09?

Wolverine opens this weekend. Early reviews? Eh. Sounds as though it’s just OK. Maybe the lone Wolverine angle can’t quite carry an entire movie? But a little something for the ladies, I’m sure there are plenty of shots of HUUUUUUUGGGEEE Jackman without his shirt on. And the X-men geeks can, well, get their GEEK on. So enjoy, as the summer blockbuster season is now officially upon us!

Meanwhile, looking at the WSU football schedule for this year, one thing hit me like a 2×4 across the face. Is it me, or does it NOT look all that difficult? Now the PAC-10 slate is it’s usual toughness, in the round-robin approach that is now the norm. In-conference road games at USC, Oregon and Cal won’t be a walk in the park. And for what it’s worth, the great Ted Miller weighed in on the craziness of the round-robin scheduling of the PAC-10.

But getting back to the schedule for a second. I know in recent seasons, we’ve had what was regarded as a difficult schedule, at least according to Phil Steele. Last year, not so bad, but still rated as the 28th most difficult schedule of 2008 (*out of 120 teams). But 2007 was entirely more difficult, coming in as the 3rd toughest in the country. So, I thought I would see what old Phil had to say about the 2009 schedules, etc. And guess what? He’s already got something up on ’09, including a breakdown of toughest to weakest schedules for the upcoming season.

And the hunch was absolutely correct – WSU is rated as having the 96th most “difficult” schedule based on win percentages from last year! Replacing Okie State with 1-11 SMU might have something to do with it….but still, when you are coming off 2-11 yourself, having a strength of schedule rating in the 90’s doesn’t sound too bad.

Side note – the school that hates us right now with the hotness of a thousand suns (UW)? They were rated as having the most difficult schedule in the country in both 2007 and 2008. But 2009? 84th most difficult. What’s weird is that includes having LSU to open their season. But they also added Idaho, so, there you go. But whatever.

In that same rivalry mode, Jerry Brewer of the Times tries to pour gasoline on the hate-fest. But it didn’t really go anywhere.

“I hate to burst your bubble, but there’s no animosity between me and Jim,” Woodward said Wednesday, adding that the two will probably have fun with this controversy during the Pac-10 Conference meetings in Phoenix next week. “I think the world of Jim.”

And our own favorite, Jim Moore, tried the same approach, to try and instigate things. This time, both sides were a little more blunt, with Woodward sticking to his “they should have told their alums to zip it” view, while Sterk saying it was just insane for an AD to criticize a school President:

“It was so unbelievable, the statement,” Sterk said. “It’s one thing to say something about a coach or an AD, but to make a statement about a president really crosses the line.

“In the higher-education world, the president is held in high esteem. Us ADs, no one gives a rip about us … I’m joking, but (ripping a) president is in a completely different category. You don’t do that.”

Maybe they can stick them both in a jar, shake it up a little bit, see if they will fight!

But you know what? It makes for good copy, but I’m over it already. Just move on. But one can imagine their handshake when they see each other next week, that Jim Sterk just might give the grip a little extra squeeze?

That’s about it for a slow Thursday. Still hoping for some news on the Martin Stadium fundraiser in the next day or so. ENJOY YOUR THURSDAY, and GO COUGS!