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The calendar has turned to August, meaning the 2024 college football season begins this month! This is sure to be one of the most exciting college football seasons in years due to conference realignment and the expanded 12-team College Football Playoff. With 12 teams making it to the end-of-year showdown, more regular-season games could act as playoff eliminators and qualifiers.
Unlike the NFL, the schedules for each team can be significantly more difficult than other squads around the country. The College Football Playoff Committee strongly values strength of schedule, so under the new playoff format, a three-loss team with a brutal path could still reasonably compete for a national championship.
In this article, we'll list the top 25 teams with the toughest schedule in 2024, via ESPN's (SOS Remaining) metric. By no surprise, the loaded SEC and Big Ten conferences take up 24 of the top 25 spots. Let's dive in!
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College Football Strength of Schedule Rankings: 11-25
25. Maryland Terrapins
Key Games: vs. USC, at Oregon, vs. Iowa, at Penn State
24. Wisconsin Badgers
Key Games: vs. Alabama, vs. USC, vs. Penn State, at Iowa, vs. Oregon
23. LSU Tigers
Key Games: vs. USC, vs. UCLA, vs. Ole Miss, at Texas A&M, vs. Alabama, vs. Oklahoma
The 2024 LSU Football Schedule pic.twitter.com/OV4OcCmzsm
— LSU Football (@LSUfootball) December 14, 2023
22. Ole Miss Rebels
Key Games: at LSU, vs. Oklahoma, vs. Georgia
21. Arkansas Razorbacks
Key Games: at Oklahoma State, vs. Tennessee, vs. Texas, vs. Ole Miss, at Missouri
20. Texas A&M Aggies
Key Games: vs. Notre Dame, vs. Missouri, vs. LSU, at Texas
19. Michigan State Spartans
Key Games: vs. Ohio State, at Oregon, vs. Iowa, at Michigan
18. Michigan Wolverines
Key Games: vs. Texas, vs. USC, at Washington, vs. Oregon, at Ohio State
17. South Carolina Gamecocks
Key Games: vs. LSU, vs. Ole Miss, at Alabama, at Oklahoma, vs. Missouri, vs. Clemson
16. Ohio State Buckeyes
Key Games: vs. Iowa, at Oregon, at Penn State, vs. Michigan
15. Illinois Fighting Illini
Key Games: vs. Kansas, at Penn State, vs. Michigan, at Oregon
14. Vanderbilt Commodores
Key Games: vs. Virginia Tech, at Missouri, vs. Alabama, vs. Texas, at LSU, vs. Tennessee
The 2024 schedule is here ⚓️⬇️ pic.twitter.com/y0m2yaSfZk
— Vanderbilt Football (@VandyFootball) December 14, 2023
13. Washington Huskies
Key Games: vs. Michigan, at Iowa, vs. USC, at Penn State, at Oregon
12. UCLA Bruins
Key Games: at LSU, vs. Oregon, at Penn State, at Washington, vs. USC
11. Purdue Boilermakers
Key Games: vs. Notre Dame, vs. Oregon, at Ohio State, vs. Penn State
College Football Strength of Schedule Rankings: 1-10
10. Texas Longhorns
Key Games: at Michigan, vs. Oklahoma, vs. Georgia, at Texas A&M
9. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
Key Games: vs. Florida State, at Louisville, vs. Notre Dame, vs. Miami, vs. NC State, at Georgia
8. Tennessee Volunteers
Key Games: vs. NC State, at Oklahoma, vs. Alabama, at Georgia
7. Oklahoma Sooners
Key Games: vs. Tulane, vs. Tennessee, vs. Texas, at Ole Miss, at Missouri, vs. Alabama, at LSU
Where does OU football stack up in SEC strength of schedule for 2024 season? https://t.co/MAdaf4nhEA
— Oklahoman Sports (@OklahomanSports) July 26, 2024
6. Alabama Crimson Tide
Key Games: at Wisconsin, vs. Georgia, at Tennessee, vs. Missouri, at LSU, at Oklahoma
5. Auburn Tigers
Key Games: vs. Oklahoma, at Georgia, at Missouri, at Alabama
4. Kentucky Wildcats
Key Games: vs. Georgia, at Ole Miss, at Tennessee, at Texas, at Ole Miss
3. Georgia Bulldogs
Key Games: vs. Clemson, at Alabama, at Texas, at Ole Miss, vs. Tennessee
2. Mississippi State Bulldogs
Key Games: at Texas, at Georgia, at Tennessee, vs. Missouri, at Ole Miss
1. Florida Gators
Key Games: vs. Miami, at Tennessee, vs. Georgia, at Texas, vs. LSU, vs. Ole Miss, at Florida State
CBS Sports says Florida's 2024 football schedule is toughest of 21st century https://t.co/zx4JQTpImY pic.twitter.com/dJTF2nwPYb
— Gators Wire (@GatorsWire) July 29, 2024
