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Mike's 2025 college football strength of schedule rankings breakdown and analysis. Which programs have the toughest schedules for the 2025 NCAA season?
Top 25 Toughest CFB Schedules
Toughest schedules are tough to gauge. They are all subjective, based on a rankings system that is biased towards teams that did well the previous season or on teams that are traditionally good. Don’t even get me started on the conference bias. Real or not, everyone mentions it.
Unbalanced conferences have caused this. We have some Power 4 teams who will not even face a ranked team this year! Conference realignment broke college football, and the CFP committee is content to let it stay broken. We’re not here for that argument. That’s for another time.
These are based on the preseason AP rankings, which we may not all agree on, but they are a common baseline for us to look at. Many of you will think my rankings are crazy as well. That’s just the way it is. None of us know anything about how 2025 will turn out. For the moment, these are the 25 teams that the AP thinks will have the toughest road to glory in 2025.
25. Indiana
The Hoosiers caught a lot of grief for their easy schedule last year. It’s not as easy this year. The Hoosiers play three top 12 teams, including two on the road (No. 7 Oregon and No. 2 Penn State). 12th-ranked Illinois visits the Hoosiers in the season’s first month.
24. Auburn
Auburn plays four teams in the Top 20, but the two highest-ranked teams on their schedule (No. 5 Georgia and No. 8 Alabama) are at home. Auburn heads to College Station and Norman within the first six weeks of the season.
23. Tennessee
The Vols will face four teams in the top 20 of the AP Poll. Tennessee gets to face fifth-ranked Georgia and 18th-ranked Oklahoma at home. They travel to No. 8 Alabama and No. 15 Florida.
22. Washington
Washington faces four teams ranked in the AP top 15 to begin the season, but three of those games are at Husky Stadium. Washington’s only road game against a ranked team is at No. 14 Michigan in October. The Huskies get Ohio State (3), Oregon (7), and Illinois (12) all at home with SRO Sailgating outside Husky Stadium.
21. Florida State
It’s going to be hard for the Seminoles to get back on track when they stare down four teams in the top 15 of the preseason AP Poll. Florida State welcomes eighth-ranked Alabama in Week 1 and 10th-ranked Miami at the beginning of October. They have to travel to No. 4 Clemson at the beginning of November and to the Swamp for Rivalry Week.
20. Northwestern
The Wildcats also have to face four teams inside the AP top 15. They get seventh-ranked Oregon at home in Week 3, but have to travel to Beaver Stadium and No. 2 Penn State in October. Northwestern technically gets 14th-ranked Michigan at a neutral site (Wrigley Field) in November before closing the season in Champaign for Rivalry Week.
19. USC
USC also plays four teams in the AP top 25, but the three against the top 12 teams are all on the road. Michigan heads to L.A. in October for USC’s lone home game against a preseason-ranked team. SC heads to No. 12 Illinois in October and No. 6 Notre Dame two weeks later. They head up to Eugene to face the seventh-ranked Ducks in late November.
18. Ohio State
If the Buckeyes are going to win the National Championship again, they will certainly earn it. Ohio State plays both teams in front of them in the AP Poll this year. Fortunately for the Buckeyes, they are both at home (Texas in Week 1 and Penn State in October). Ohio State heads to Champaign in early October and closes the season in Ann Arbor for The Game during Rivalry Week.
17. Rutgers
I gave Ohio State a bit of a break since they face the top two teams at home. Rutgers closes the season at No. 3 Ohio State, followed by a home game against second-ranked Penn State. The Scarlet Knights face a third top-10 team in Oregon at the end of October. They also have to travel to Champaign in mid-November.
16. Georgia
The Bulldogs play five teams in the AP top 25 preseason poll, but the only road game is at No. 24 Tennessee in Week 3. The Bulldogs get No. 8 Alabama, No. 21 Mississippi, and top-ranked Texas all between the hedges. Georgia plays 15th-ranked Florida in Jacksonville for the World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party on November 1.
15. Alabama
The Tide do have to travel to No. 5 Georgia in October and to No. 13 South Carolina, but they get No. 24 Tennessee, No. 18 Oklahoma, and No. 9 LSU at home. The road game at Florida State in Week 1 could be tougher if FSU is truly “back.”
14. Purdue
Purdue’s toughest game is at No. 6 Notre Dame near the end of September. They also have to play in The Big House in November. The Boilers get No. 12 Illinois, No. 3 Ohio State, and 20th-ranked Indiana at home this year.
13. Mississippi
Ole Miss plays five teams in the top 20, but only two of them are on the road. The Rebels head to Georgia in October and Oklahoma the week after. They get to enjoy home games against No. 15 Florida, No. 9 LSU, and No. 13 South Carolina, not to mention a home game against Tulane, the toughest non-conference opponent. More bad news: Ole Miss has Kentucky and the Egg Bowl on the road.
12. Texas A&M
The Aggies have to play five AP top 15 teams. All three of them against top-10 foes (No. 6 Notre Dame, No. 1 Texas, and No. 9 LSU) are on the road. At least the Aggies get No. 15 Florida and No. 13 South Carolina at Kyle Field.
11. Texas
If Texas is to turn its first-ever AP Preseason No. 1 ranking into a National Championship, it will have to go through five ranked teams, with only one of them at home. That would be against No. 19 Texas A&M to close the season. Texas has to open the season at third-ranked Ohio State. They also travel to No. 5 Georgia in November. 15th-ranked Florida in October doesn’t look as bad compared to the rest, but the bad news is that game is the Week before the Red River Shootout in Dallas against 18th-ranked archrival Oklahoma.
10. Vanderbilt
The SEC must be mad that Diego Pavia and company knocked off top-ranked Alabama in Nashville last year because the Commodores have to play two top 10 teams on the road (top-ranked Texas and No. 8 Alabama). Vandy also travels to No. 13 South Carolina in mid-September before closing the season at Neyland Stadium for Rivalry Week. Hey, at least they get No. 9 LSU at home!
9. Syracuse
Some ACC teams may have a soft schedule, but the Orange aren’t one of them. All five top 25 matchups are on the road. Syracuse picked a fight with anything Orange this year. The Tennessee game is technically at a neutral site in Atlanta, but that’s still a road game. Syracuse heads to No. 4 Clemson at the end of September. They head to Dallas to take on No. 16 SMU a couple of weeks later. If that isn’t enough, the Orange play No. 10 Miami and No. 6 Notre Dame on the road in November. Even the Georgia Tech game is on the road!
8. Kentucky
Half of Kentucky’s schedule is against preseason top 25 teams. If there is a silver lining, it’s that four of those six are at home. Kentucky does have to travel to No. 13 South Carolina and No. 5 Georgia on back-to-back weeks in late September and early October. Fortunately, Kentucky gets No. 21 Mississippi, No. 24 Tennessee, No. 15 Florida, and top-ranked Texas all at home.
7. South Carolina
This is why South Carolina will have a tough time making the CFP this year as well. Half of their schedule is against ranked teams in the preseason. Fortunately for the Gamecocks, the “easier” ones are on the road. They travel to No. 21 Mississippi, No. 19 Texas A&M, and No. 9 LSU. They get No. 18 Oklahoma, No. 8 Alabama, and No. 4 Clemson at home this season.
6. Arkansas
Unfortunately, Arkansas fans will have to be yelling “Woo Pig Sooie” at four road games against ranked teams this year. Arkansas does get No. 19 Texas A&M and No. 6 Notre Dame in Fayetteville. The bad news is that they have to travel to Mississippi (21), Tennessee (24), LSU (9), and top-ranked Texas. They also have to go to the Liberty Bowl to face Memphis in Week 4.
5. Wisconsin
Out of Wisconsin’s six ranked opponents, they have to travel for four of them, including a trip to Tuscaloosa in Week 3. They also battle for Paul Bunyan’s Axe in Minneapolis this year. Wisconsin gets to Jump Around for No. 3 Ohio State and No. 12 Illinois, but they also travel to No. 14 Michigan, No. 7 Oregon, and No. 20 Indiana this year.
4. Mississippi State
The Bulldogs face seven ranked teams this year, one of them being No. 11 Arizona State in Week 2. That game is in StarkVegas, as are games against top-ranked Texas, No. 5 Georgia, No. 24 Tennessee, and the Egg Bowl against No. 21 Mississippi. The road games against No. 15 Florida and No. 19 Texas A&M don’t seem so bad compared to the home games.
3. Oklahoma
As if the 2024 season weren’t bad enough, it may not matter how much better Oklahoma is this year, with seven of their 12 games coming against ranked teams. Oklahoma does get No. 14 Michigan at home in Week 2. The Red River Shootout against top-ranked Texas is at a neutral site in Dallas. The Sooners also welcome 21st-ranked Mississippi and ninth-ranked LSU to Norman this year. The Sooners have to travel to No. 13 South Carolina, No. 24 Tennessee, and No. 8 Alabama. Fortunately, all of those road games are in the second half of the season.
2. Florida
The Gators also play seven ranked teams this year. The schedule isn’t quite as brutal as last year, but it’s close. Florida has road games against No. 9 LSU, No. 10 Miami, No. 19 Texas A&M, and No. 21 Mississippi. The World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party is a neutral game in Jacksonville. What could be the saving grace for the Gators is that they get No. 24 Tennessee and top-ranked Texas at home.
1. LSU
We’re just splitting hairs at this point, as LSU’s schedule is equally brutal. I give the Tigers the edge since their home games (No. 13 South Carolina, No. 19 Texas A&M, and No. 15 Florida) are comparatively weaker than Florida’s. LSU also has to travel to the other Death Valley to open the season against fourth-ranked Clemson. Other road games at No. 8 Alabama, No. 21 Mississippi, and No. 18 Oklahoma to close the season give the Tigers the edge that they didn’t really want.
