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A recent conversation on the Football Four podcast with my colleague Dan Wolken touched on Washington State coach Mike Leach’s eventful Father’s Day, which began with his tweet of an edited video of former President Barack Obama and somehow got more surreal from there.

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Tucked in that larger conversation was a question: Aren’t Washington State and Texas Tech – Leach’s stops as a head coach – two of the toughest places to win on the Power Five level?

That’s true. Winning with the Cougars and Red Raiders isn’t nearly as easy as doing the same at Washington and Texas, for example.

Today’s Top 10 list takes a deeper dive into the topic. What are the hardest places to win consistently on the Power Five level of the Football Bowl Subdivision?

1. Oregon State

A listless three-year turn at Nebraska soured Mike Riley’s national reputation, but that shouldn’t change the fact that his time at Oregon State stands in direct contrast to the rest of the program’s last 50 seasons, Dennis Erickson’s short stint notwithstanding. Since joining the Pac-12 in 1978, the Beavers have nearly three times as many years with nine or more losses than nine-win finishes. OSU plays second fiddle by a distinct margin in a state already short on talent. Every conference win is cause for celebration.

2. Vanderbilt

Two issues. One is the Commodores’ lack of historic success: Vanderbilt is under .500 overall as program – currently 92nd nationally in career winning percentage – and more than 200 games under water in SEC play. The second issue is the program’s place in the SEC itself, where it has historically occupied the lowest spot on the totem pole.

3. Duke

David Cutcliffe is showing that carving out a successful program at Duke isn’t impossible, merely improbable. What has Cutcliffe done? Well, he’s won a division title. Finished in the Top 25. Had four winning seasons. That’s great. But it also proves something: For Duke to win means finding and hiring a coach of Cutcliffe’s ability. Easier said than done.

4. Indiana

Indiana shares something with another pair on this list – Kentucky and Kansas – in that football runs a distant second to the school’s basketball program. With all due respect to Rutgers, which doesn’t appear on this list, IU is the toughest place to win in the Big Ten. The Hoosiers carry into 2018 a winning percentage of 41.9 percent, 120th out of 130 in the FBS, and has just two conference championships in its history.

5. Kansas State

About three decades ago – a time that coincides nicely with the start of Bill Snyder’s tenure – Kansas State would’ve topped this list. Now? That Snyder has won at such a high rate has changed the equation. Not that Snyder’s success will ever be matched; he’s one of the greats of his or any generation. But his success has brought better facilities, increased national recognition and the foundation his successor can lean on to maintain some degree of continuity entering the next era of Kansas State football.

6. Kansas

KU gets bonus credit – if that makes any sense – for being the toughest place in the Power Five to win today. It’s been eight long years at the bottom of the country with no real end in sight. But Kansas won under Glen Mason in the 1990s and again under Mark Mangino in the 2000s. Conceivably, the Jayhawks will win again. But when?

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7. Iowa State

The Cyclones are quickly gaining ground on Iowa, though there remains a distinct gap in historic success between the two rival programs. Since the end of the World War II, only one ISU head coach has ended his tenure with a winning record – Hall of Fame pick Earle Bruce. Dan McCarney was good, relatively speaking, and Paul Rhoads had some bright spots. Everyone else didn’t come very close. Matt Campbell provides a bunch of hope for the future.

8. Kentucky

Kentucky’s the second-toughest place to win in college football’s toughest conference. It’s hard, though Rich Brooks and now Mark Stoops have shown that putting together back-to-back bowl trips is possible if given enough time to cobble together a competent roster. But Kentucky is notable for how hard it has been for coaches to maintain success.

Fran Curci got things rolling in the mid-1970s but petered out through the rest of the decade. Jerry Claiborne’s consistency from 1982-89 gave way to the frustrating Bill Curry era. Brooks ceded to Joker Phillips and the bottom dropped out. Meanwhile, Stoops enters a crucial season for his tenure in 2018.

9. Texas Tech

The program’s biggest advantage is staring you right in the face: Texas Tech is located in, yes, Texas. There’s talent to go around in this state, even if enticing prospects to trek out west is a challenge. The Red Raiders have combated that fact this century by being different, first under Leach and now Kliff Kingsbury, though the team’s offensive philosophy isn’t quite as unique as it was a decade or so ago.

10. Washington State

Pullman is ... well, not on the beaten path. In terms of a recruiting base … well, the Cougars don’t really have one. But the stadium is nice. Recent renovations have drastically updated the facilities. And despite some inherent disadvantages, both Mike Price and Leach have proven just in the past 20 years that it’s very possible to put together extended stretches of winning seasons at Washington State. It’s not an easy job, but nor is it the hardest out there.

IMAGES FROM COLLEGE FOOTBALL SPRING PRACTICE

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College football spring games in 2018