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College Football Strength of Schedule Rankings - Top 25 Toughest Schedules (2024)

CFP Logo - College Football Playoff ESPN Logo

Which college football programs have the toughest strength of schedules in 2024? Read the top 25 teams with the most difficult schedule in 2024 college football.

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


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


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


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

More College Football Analysis

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