Talk about brutal.
The Washington Huskies football team is going to endure what is being considered the second-toughest schedule in the country for the 2012 season, according to CBS Sportsline. In the midst of overhauling a below-average 2011 defense, the new cogs will be tested early and often. The San Diego St. Aztecs, LSU Tigers, Stanford Cardinal, Oregon Ducks and USC Trojans are all on the schedule with the latter three coming in the final three games of the season because it's apparently completely okay to have the three most talented teams in the Pac-12 back-to-back-to-back. That's completely cool.
USC, LSU and Oregon will be ranked in or around the preseason top 5 and Oregon and LSU are both road games. Head coach Steve Sarkisian will have his work cut out for him. The confidence level of his team will be something to keep an eye on if they struggle early. But at least you can't say they're shying away from competition.