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Mike takes a look at the easiest schedules among Power 4 teams in the 2026 College Football season. Whose road to the championship will be the easiest in 2026?
We already covered which teams will have the toughest road to glory this year. What about the inverse? We're only going to cover Power 4 teams since the schedules for Group of 6 teams are inherently easier.
Believe it or not, there are teams in power conferences who only play one or two ranked teams. We're not calling them out. If these conferences were a washing machine load, it would never finish the cycle because of the severe unbalancing. Such is the state of college football and the curse of the super-mega-big-ass conferences.
We'll take a look at which Power 4 teams have the easiest path to the CFP this season. It was Indiana and SMU in 2024 and Texas A&M last year. Who can follow that same path in 2026? The schedule analysis is based on the preseason AP Poll released on Monday.
25. Baylor
Two of the three ranked opponents that Baylor faces are road games. The good news is that Baylor doesn't play a ranked team until Week 10.
The price to be paid for the easier early season is a trip to No. 14 BYU on November 14, No. 12 Texas Tech heading to Waco for the Butt Bowl, and a trip to No. 23 Houston to end the season.
24. TCU
TCU faces three ranked teams, but two of those are at home. No. 14 BYU comes to Fort Worth on October 3, and No. 21 Utah comes calling on November 21. The Frogs face off with No. 12 Texas Tech in Lubbock in the Battle for the Saddle to close the regular season on Thanksgiving night.
23. West Virginia
The bad news is that the new-look offense of Michael Hawkins Jr. and Cam Cook has to face three ranked teams this year, with two of those tilts coming on the road.
The good news is that the Mountaineers don't have to face their first ranked opponent until a November 7 trip to No. 12 Texas Tech. They'll have plenty of time to get things figured out.
WVU QB Michael Hawkins Jr. to WR Jaden Bray. pic.twitter.com/OtFje3GYh9
— Spencer Ripchik (@RipchikSpencer) August 14, 2026
The Mountaineers close the season with back-to-back games against ranked opponents when No. 23 Houston comes to Morgantown on November 21. West Virginia closes the season with a Black Friday trip to No. 21 Utah.
22. Iowa State
Too bad Matt Campbell and the offense didn't stay put in Ames. The Cyclones have a favorable schedule this year. They do play three ranked teams, but only No. 14 BYU is in the top 20. That's a road trip to Provo on October 9.
The Cyclones also travel to Iowa City for ¡El Assico! against in-state rival No. 22 Iowa on September 12. No. 21 Utah visits Ames on September 26. The Cyclones' schedule is frontloaded this year.
21. Clemson
Clemson only faces two ranked teams, but both of them are ranked in the top 12. The Tigers open the season in the other (more famous?) Death Valley in a night game on September 5. No. 7 Miami heads up to Clemson on October 3.
We'll know if Clemson has a good shot at the CFP or not after the first five weeks of the season.
20. Syracuse
The Orange face three ranked teams, but all three of them are at home. No. 24 Louisville visits on October 17, No. 19 SMU comes to the Loud House on Halloween, and No. 4 Notre Dame ends the regular season in Syracuse on November 28.
Steve Angeli will get a chance to get his feet back under him before the schedule gets tough.
Steve Angeli is so back folks! pic.twitter.com/9KRNfI3w1b
— SyracuseOn247 (@SyracuseOn247) August 17, 2026
19. Kansas
Kansas does play three ranked teams this year, but two of them are at home. They still managed to dodge Texas Tech and Arizona.
No. 25 Missouri heads to Lawrence for the Border War on September 11. A trip to No. 21 Utah looms on October 10. Kansas gets No. 14 BYU at home before ending the season in Stillwater.
18. Wake Forest
The Deacons struggled last year, but the schedule is there for a rebound season if Gio Lopez can finally live up to his potential in the slow mesh offense.
@UNCFootball QB transfer Gio Lopez from South Alabama had a 105.5 passer rating against LSU last year as a redshirt frosh. Completed 17-23 passes #GoHeels pic.twitter.com/fC68x8ikPS
— Clint Brewster (@clintbrew247) April 18, 2025
Watch the tape of Lopez when he was at South Alabama. The talent is there. He just wasn't a great fit at North Carolina.
Wake does face three ranked teams, but No. 7 Miami is at home. The Deacons travel to No. 24 Louisville on September 26 and No. 19 SMU on November 14.
17. Penn State
As far as Big Ten schedules go, this is a good one for first-year Penn State coach Matt Campbell. Penn State plays three ranked teams, but none are ranked higher than 14.
No. 14 USC comes to visit on October 10. Next week, Penn State heads to the Big House and No. 16 Michigan. They make a trip to No. 17 Washington on November 7.
16. Colorado
Colorado does play three ranked teams, but all three of them come visiting Folsom Field. The Ralphies welcome No. 12 Texas Tech on October 3, followed by No. 21 Utah for the Rumble in the Rockies the next week.
No. 23 Houston comes calling on November 13. A road game in Stillwater on October 24 could be trouble, but if Julian Lewis takes steps this year, this schedule is manageable enough for Colorado to get back to a bowl game.
Julian Lewis Fall Camp Highlights ?
Trust ? pic.twitter.com/oGAvnjwAzU
— BuffBoy ? (@skobuffss) August 20, 2026
15. SMU
Things are looking favorable for SMU to make another CFP run with QB Kevin Jennings. SMU only plays two ranked teams, but both are on the road.
One is a date with No. 4 Notre Dame on November 21. They also play at No. 24 Louisville on September 19. You know, the day they SHOULD be playing the Battle for the Skillet...
14. Virginia Tech
Virginia Tech only plays two ranked teams, but they are both on the road. That's about as tough as it gets for the ACC teams who don't face Notre Dame. The Hokies travel to No. 19 SMU for a Friday game on November 6. They head to No. 7 Miami on November 21.
13. Pittsburgh
The Panthers only face two ranked teams, but they are both on the road. Pitt has to travel to No. 7 Miami on October 24, but they face No. 24 Louisville on the road during a long week.
Pitt plays Florida State at home on the Friday game on November 13. The main distinction about Pitt's schedule is that they are the only school to play both Miami teams.
Closing out the season in Berkeley could be more than a minor inconvenience. We'll give Pitt a little credit for at least trying out of conference. Pitt hosts Central Florida on September 12.
12. Houston
Houston only gets two ranked teams as well. Both are on the road, with Houston heading to No. 12 Texas Tech on September 18 and to No. 21 Utah on October 24.
The reason Houston is above the ACC teams is that their out-of-conference slate is rather easy (Oregon State, Southern, and Georgia Southern). At least the Georgia Southern game is on the road.
11. BYU
BYU added a home game against No. 4 Notre Dame on October 17. It's a good thing they did. Once again, the schedule doesn't do BYU any favors when clamoring for an at-large bid.
The only other ranked team BYU plays is No. 21 Utah in Salt Lake City for the Holy War. Both games against the Arizona schools are at home, and they miss upstarts Oklahoma State and Kansas State.
10. Louisville
Louisville has a tough September. They open with No. 9 Mississippi in Nashville and get No. 19 SMU at home two weeks later. The rest of the slate is a cakewalk.
Louisville avoids Miami, Notre Dame, and Clemson. The only possible pitfall is a trip to Raleigh on October 3. A trip to Lexington for the Commonwealth Cup could be tough, but Kentucky is still an unknown right now.
9. Miami (FL)
The Hurricanes are gifted a return trip to the CFP with this schedule. Even if Miami loses to No. 4 Notre Dame in South Bend on November 7, they're in as a one-loss team.
The Hurricanes miss both SMU and Louisville and get rival Florida State at home. The only other possible tough game is a trip to Clemson on October 3.
8. Duke
The ACC must feel sorry for Duke. The Blue Devils have to travel to No. 7 Miami and face their former star QB (and WR) on November 14.
However, Duke doesn't face any other ranked teams (SMU or Louisville) and gets Clemson at home. A trip to Illinois on September 12 may be tough, but that's about it.
7. Central Florida
The Knights only play two ranked teams this season, and they don't have to deal with Texas Tech or Utah. The Knights travel to No. 23 Houston on October 3 and get No. 14 BYU at the Bounce House on October 24.
Arizona State and TCU also play in the Bounce House. The only other threatening games are games at Oklahoma State (October 10) and a season-closing trip to Boulder.
6. Utah
Utah plays two ranked teams, but both games are at home. The Utes host No. 23 Houston on October 24 and host No. 14 BYU for the Holy War on November 7.
A road game at Arizona the next week could be tough, but the Utes can't complain. They don't have to deal with Texas Tech this year.
5. California
The rebuilt Bears only have to face one ranked team this season. They play No. 19 SMU in Dallas on October 24. They don't play Miami or Louisville and get Clemson at home.
The only other somewhat challenging game might be UCLA in the season opener on September 5.
4. Virginia
SMU had a similar schedule in 2024 and rode it all the way into the College Football Playoff. Virginia's only ranked opponent is No. 19 SMU in Dallas. The Wahoos avoid Miami, Louisville, and Clemson in the regular season. They also avoid North Carolina State.
3. Kansas State
Kansas State gets legacy hire Collin Klein as the head coach. He was one of the most decorated quarterbacks in K-State history and is the perfect guy to get the most out of Avery Johnson.
Avery Johnson ➡️ Garrett Oakley
Oakley's six touchdowns last season tied the school’s single-season record among tight ends.#KStateFB pic.twitter.com/UfQcPdQ4I7
— Kole Emplit (@KoleEmplit) August 18, 2026
He also gets a soft landing. Kansas State dodges Texas Tech, Utah, and BYU in the regular season. The only ranked matchup is No. 23 Houston at home on October 10.
The Wildcats aren't above Tech because they have to go to Tempe to face the Sun Devils and scheduled a decent Go6 school out of conference (Tulane).
2. North Carolina State
The Pack should be ranked because they are going to win a lot of games. Quarterback CJ Bailey returns, and he only has to face one ranked team this season.
The Pack gets No. 24 Louisville at home. NC State avoids Miami, Notre Dame (they play half the ACC, so they're basically an ACC school), Clemson, and SMU. They do have possibly tough road games at Vanderbilt (September 19), Florida State (November 21), and North Carolina (November 28).
That's why Texas Tech is still in front of them despite playing a higher-ranked team.
1. Texas Tech
This is honestly embarrassing, and it's why Texas Tech should be higher in preseason polls. They're winning at least 11 games.
The only ranked team that Texas Tech plays is No. 23 Houston on September 18. It's also at home. The Red Raiders dodge BYU and Utah and get both Arizona schools at home.
If this team doesn't win 11 games, they should just contract the program. Schedules don't get any easier than this.
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