Inside college football's toughest schedules.
Brad Crawford
College football schedules are not created equally. For members of the SEC or Big Ten, a tough 2024 path is here, according to updated numbers from ESPN's preseason Football Power Index. The FPI ranks the most difficult schedules by overall strengthfrom the perspective of an average FBS team.
Surprisingly, South Carolina and Arkansas — two teams of the top-five toughest 247Sports schedules— were not among those mentioned by the FPI's interpretation.Shane Beamer and Sam Pittman beg to differ.
Failing to reach bowl eligibility could spell doom for some, but the litany of nationally-ranked opponents on respective slates could be an impossible task based on the rosters coming back for each.
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Hereare the country's 10 most difficult schedules per ESPN's FPI...
10. Texas Longhorns
247Sports schedule difficulty rank: N/A
Relative to roster talent, the Longhorns have the firepower to get through an arduous slate during their debut season in the SEC. Adding a trip to defending national champion Michigan in Week 2 is daunting, but Texas will be a double-digit favorite in every other contest during September. Oklahoma, Georgia, Kentucky and Texas A&M are the other marquee games on the schedule for Steve Sarkisian, who doesn't have to deal with Alabama, Missouri, Tennessee or LSU — four other SEC teams we're expecting to be inside the preseason top 15.
9. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
247Sports schedule difficulty rank: 6th toughest
Georgia Tech has a difficult road ahead, especially in November when the Yellow Jackets play Miami, NC State and Georgia to end the year. Brent Key must have this team ready to go every week, or else getting to bowl eligibility will be a challenge. September is treacherous too with Florida State to open, a trip to Syracuse a few weeks later and a road game at Louisville prior to an open date.
8. Tennessee Volunteers
247Sports schedule difficulty rank: N/A
This is your run-of-the-mill, tough SEC slate for the Volunteersto which Tennessee fans are accustomed, with one catch — the showdown with NC State. If Josh Heupel's team loses that one before opening their conference schedule two weeks later at Oklahoma, the chances are Tennessee fails to impress. The Vols aren't going to miss Alabama or Georgia either, despite the randomness of the 2024 slate within the conference.
7. Oklahoma Sooners
247Sports schedule difficulty rank: 4th toughest
The Sooners only leave Norman once in September, but that's when the difficult stretch begins if Oklahoma gets past Tennessee in the SEC opener for a potential 4-0 start. What follows is a trip to Auburn, then five games against top-25 teams over the final seven to close it out. Few teams face the late-November gauntlet that Oklahoma must endure with trips to Missouri and LSU with a home bout against the defending SEC champion in the middle.
6. Alabama Crimson Tide
247Sports schedule difficulty rank: 9th toughest
Before any "welcome to the SEC" wisecracks are tossed in the direction of first-year Alabama coachKalen DeBoer, consider this: His schedule at Washington in 2024 would have been equally difficult in the Big Ten.
5. Auburn Tigers
247Sports schedule difficulty rank: N/A
The first four games are manageable and should help Hugh Freeze get off on the right foot in Year 2. The final two battles against Texas A&M and Alabama could decide Auburn's finish in the SEC race.
4. Kentucky Wildcats
247Sports schedule difficulty rank: 11th toughest
The first two weeks of the 2024 season are crucial for Mark Stoops and the Wildcats, who entertain top-ranked Georgia in Week 3 with a chance to crack the top 10 with a victory. After that, Kentucky plays three top-15 teams away from Lexington — Ole Miss, Tennessee and Texas — and closes it out with Louisville, which won 10 games last season, in the finale. Kentucky's won five-straight in the rivalry with the Cardinals, one of Stoops' most impressive feats during his long tenure.
3. Georgia Bulldogs
247Sports schedule difficulty rank: 8th toughest
One would be hard-pressed to find a tougher road schedule than whatKirby Smartmust overcome. They play away from Sanford Stadium five times, including the neutral-site opener against Clemson. The others include Alabama, Texas and Ole Miss — three preseason top-10 teams. That's brutal, even for a program well-equipped to handle heavyweight fights like Georgia. This challenging road isn't going to keep the number of futures bets on the Bulldogs to win the national title from being high, however.
2. Mississippi State Bulldogs
247Sports schedule difficulty rank: 7th toughest
Forfirst-year coachJeff Lebby, overlooking non-conference tilts with Arizona State and Toledo prior to the SEC home opener against Florida is a bad idea. Those won't be easy games for the Bulldogs. At least there's an open date between battles with Texas and Georgia on the road, right? Mississippi State will be double-digit road underdogs in both contests. And like the No. 1 team in this schedule ranking, the final few games of the season are incredibly tough against Tennessee, Missouri and Ole Miss. Getting to bowl eligibility will not be easy for Lebby and company.
1. Florida Gators
247Sports schedule difficulty rank: No. 1 toughest
One ofonlythree teams in college football tasked with facing 11 Power-conference teamsthis fall, the Gators have their work cut out for them during what amounts to a contract season for Billy Napier. Miami and Texas A&M appeared in post-spring rankings, bringing the total of ranked opponents toeight. The brutality includes five straight games in November against top-25 opponents, beginning with Georgia and ending with defending ACC champion Florida State in Tallahassee. Florida's trip to Texas in November is sandwiched between the Georgia game and a home showdown with LSU.
