LOS ANGELES, CA - OCTOBER 08: Anthony Sarao #56 of the USC Trojans tackles Myles Gaskin #9 of the Washington Huskies during the second half of a game at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on October 8, 2015 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Sean Haffey/Getty Images)

ESPN says one contender has the easiest out-of-conference schedule in 2017

That's not going to help the strength of schedule at all.

While Chris Petersen and the Washington Huskies managed to crack the top four in order to reach the 2016 College Football Playoff, many were skeptical of the reigning Pac-12 champions. Much of that skepticism stemmed from the fact that, well, the Huskies didn't play anyone out of conference a season ago. With that in mind, it appears that Washington is taking a similar tact in 2017, at least according to Chris Low of ESPN.

Low identified the ten teams with the breeziest path through non-conference play and Washington sits atop the list. After a 2016 campaign in which the Huskies faced Rutgers, Idaho and Portland State before embarking on a nine-game Pac-12 slate, the 2017 schedule includes Rutgers (on the road this time!), Montana and Fresno State.

While Fresno State has a solid reputation, the Bulldogs were just 1-11 in 2016 and Rutgers, despite being in the Big Ten, is one of the worst power-five teams in the land. Teams like Colorado (who Washington slid past in the Pac-12 title game), Baylor and Penn State also made the top-10 list, but this is becoming a trend for Washington.

It remain to be seen if the Huskies can replicate the level of performance that saw them claim conference glory a year ago but, even if they do, detractors will point to yet another comically easy non-conference schedule.