Started By
Message
SI CFB Strength Of Schedule (*Texas Not Listed)
Posted on 8/13/25 at 5:57 pm
Posted on 8/13/25 at 5:57 pm
Strength Of Schedule Rankings
College football strength of schedule rankings for 2025 season
Your look at the rankings for the easiest and hardest schedules across the 2025 college football season among all 136 FBS teams.
James Parks | Aug 12, 2025
The easiest and hardest schedules in college football this coming season, ranked among every single teams in the nation.
The easiest and hardest schedules in college football this coming season, ranked among every single teams in the nation. / Brett Davis | Imagn Images
Playing a high-quality schedule in college football is more important now than ever before as the playoff selection committee puts more weight onto teams’ opponents before deciding whether to include them in the final rankings every year.
Which leaves the question: How do you determine a quality schedule? One way is to simply count up the wins and losses of your opponents from the season before.
But that method is far from perfect: the transfer portal, changes in recruiting results, prospects not panning out, injuries, the loss of players who exhausted eligibility or turned pro, all mean that schools are doing major surgery to their rosters just about every offseason.
Plus, there are just the changes that teams organically go through every year as their fortunes improve or worsen from season to season. Not to mention pure luck.
More: AP top 25 preseason college football rankings for 2025
Also, not all wins are created equally, meaning that a team can play an opponent with fewer overall wins but against quality competition, while another team can play a school with more wins but against substandard opposition.
All that said, at this stage of the preseason with no actual tape to watch of teams in their current form against other teams, adding up the Ws and Ls for each team on the schedule is simply the best we can do with the information we actually have.
Who has the easiest schedule of any Power Four team this coming season? That just might be Texas Tech, one of several genuine contenders in the wide-open Big 12 title race, and arguably college football’s most improved team this offseason.
Michigan, two years removed from winning the national championship, isn’t far behind, either, which could put this Big Ten power back in the conversation in 2025.
As expected, the SEC clogs up much of the very top of these standings given the quality of competition in that conference every season: six of the top dozen teams in this strength of schedule rankings hail from the Southeastern Conference, and three of the top five.
Here’s the complete list, from the easiest to the hardest.
College football strength of schedule rankings for 2025 season
T-91. Missouri — 76-76 (50%)
T-86. Tennessee — 77-75 (50.7%)
68. Ole Miss — 81-73 (52.6%)
T-57. Vanderbilt — 83-71 (53.9%)
T-55. Alabama — 82-70 (53.9%)
37. Georgia — 87-67 (56.5%)
T-29. Florida — 90-66 (57.7%)
21. Auburn — 91-65 (58.3%)
19. Texas A&M — 92-65 (58.6%)
T-12. LSU — 94-63 (59.9%)
9. South Carolina — 94-61 (60.6%)
8. Oklahoma — 96-61 (61.1%)
T-3. Mississippi State — 103-56 (64.8%)
2. Kentucky — 102-55 (65%)
1. Arkansas — 106-53 (66.7%)
*Unless I missed them, I didn't find Texas listed in the article.
College football strength of schedule rankings for 2025 season
Your look at the rankings for the easiest and hardest schedules across the 2025 college football season among all 136 FBS teams.
James Parks | Aug 12, 2025
The easiest and hardest schedules in college football this coming season, ranked among every single teams in the nation.
The easiest and hardest schedules in college football this coming season, ranked among every single teams in the nation. / Brett Davis | Imagn Images
Playing a high-quality schedule in college football is more important now than ever before as the playoff selection committee puts more weight onto teams’ opponents before deciding whether to include them in the final rankings every year.
Which leaves the question: How do you determine a quality schedule? One way is to simply count up the wins and losses of your opponents from the season before.
But that method is far from perfect: the transfer portal, changes in recruiting results, prospects not panning out, injuries, the loss of players who exhausted eligibility or turned pro, all mean that schools are doing major surgery to their rosters just about every offseason.
Plus, there are just the changes that teams organically go through every year as their fortunes improve or worsen from season to season. Not to mention pure luck.
More: AP top 25 preseason college football rankings for 2025
Also, not all wins are created equally, meaning that a team can play an opponent with fewer overall wins but against quality competition, while another team can play a school with more wins but against substandard opposition.
All that said, at this stage of the preseason with no actual tape to watch of teams in their current form against other teams, adding up the Ws and Ls for each team on the schedule is simply the best we can do with the information we actually have.
Who has the easiest schedule of any Power Four team this coming season? That just might be Texas Tech, one of several genuine contenders in the wide-open Big 12 title race, and arguably college football’s most improved team this offseason.
Michigan, two years removed from winning the national championship, isn’t far behind, either, which could put this Big Ten power back in the conversation in 2025.
As expected, the SEC clogs up much of the very top of these standings given the quality of competition in that conference every season: six of the top dozen teams in this strength of schedule rankings hail from the Southeastern Conference, and three of the top five.
Here’s the complete list, from the easiest to the hardest.
College football strength of schedule rankings for 2025 season
T-91. Missouri — 76-76 (50%)
T-86. Tennessee — 77-75 (50.7%)
68. Ole Miss — 81-73 (52.6%)
T-57. Vanderbilt — 83-71 (53.9%)
T-55. Alabama — 82-70 (53.9%)
37. Georgia — 87-67 (56.5%)
T-29. Florida — 90-66 (57.7%)
21. Auburn — 91-65 (58.3%)
19. Texas A&M — 92-65 (58.6%)
T-12. LSU — 94-63 (59.9%)
9. South Carolina — 94-61 (60.6%)
8. Oklahoma — 96-61 (61.1%)
T-3. Mississippi State — 103-56 (64.8%)
2. Kentucky — 102-55 (65%)
1. Arkansas — 106-53 (66.7%)
*Unless I missed them, I didn't find Texas listed in the article.
30
Posted on 8/13/25 at 6:02 pm to southernboisb
Texas gets all grief but Mizzou’s schedule is also a joke
Posted on 8/13/25 at 6:06 pm to southernboisb
Texas just doesn't get enough coverage, IMO.
Posted on 8/13/25 at 6:08 pm to southernboisb
According to ESPN FPI, Texas has the 4th-ranked SOS going into the season.
Posted on 8/13/25 at 6:10 pm to southernboisb
quote:
*Unless I missed them, I didn't find Texas listed in the article.
You are correct, I did not see Texas listed.
But unless teams like Ohio State, Georgia, aggy, and OU are actually pushovers (I believe these teams are all in the top 25), leaving Texas totally out was a mistake.
Toledo for example is listed at 132, and their non SEC schedule is not going to be stronger than Texas’ SEC schedule plus Ohio State…
This post was edited on 8/13/25 at 6:19 pm
Posted on 8/13/25 at 6:15 pm to Old School Tex
quote:
You are correct, I did not see Texas listed.
From so many people ranking y'all so high, you'ld think it WOULD be there.
Posted on 8/13/25 at 6:18 pm to southernboisb
quote:
From so many people ranking y'all so high, you'ld think it WOULD be there.
Yeah, although I’m sure many would be happy for us not to be there, leaving us out of this list was a definite oversight…
Posted on 8/13/25 at 6:18 pm to southernboisb
Not sure I can take this list seriously. Mich in the 120’s while playing okie osu and usc. Fsu at 116 with Clem Miami Florida and bama?! Zero chance anyone outside the sec or big ten is playing anything close to Florida Miami bama Clemson
Posted on 8/13/25 at 6:20 pm to AUTiger789
quote:
Texas gets all grief but Mizzou’s schedule is also a joke
Away from home, Texas plays Ohio State, Georgia, Florida and Oklahoma. That is a joke?
Posted on 8/13/25 at 6:22 pm to southernboisb
Adding up wins and losses of opponents is not a great barometer of strength of schedule. 8-4 in the SEC is not the same as 8-4 in the SWAC or MEAC.
I get that we don’t know what teams will be good until the season starts but you can almost eyeball what teams are playing the most cupcakes. That’s pretty easy to see.
I get that we don’t know what teams will be good until the season starts but you can almost eyeball what teams are playing the most cupcakes. That’s pretty easy to see.
Posted on 8/13/25 at 6:34 pm to southernboisb
quote:
1. Arkansas — 106-53 (66.7%)
Well, shite…
Posted on 8/13/25 at 6:36 pm to SneezyBeltranIsHere
quote:
Away from home, Texas plays Ohio State, Georgia, Florida and Oklahoma. That is a joke?
Yes, Texas playing OU in Dallas and counting that as an away game is definitely a joke.
Posted on 8/13/25 at 6:52 pm to southernboisb
I have fingers and toes crossed Kentucky is as good as the local media is hyping them to be. Schedule is tough, but some winnable games against ranked teams could happen. We'll know a lot after week 2.
Posted on 8/13/25 at 6:59 pm to southernboisb
So… this methodology says Sam Houston State and Marshall (both 10--3 last season) are tougher games than South Carolina and LSU (both 9-4 last season).
That doesn’t seem correct.
That doesn’t seem correct.
Posted on 8/13/25 at 7:13 pm to Clark14
quote:I mean, what else is new?
Well, shite…
Posted on 8/13/25 at 7:38 pm to NFLSU
Crybaby
Posted on 8/13/25 at 7:52 pm to NFLSU
He didn't call it an away game. He said it was a game played away from home, Which it is. Georgia versus Florida isn't a road game. But it's not a home game, either.
Posted on 8/13/25 at 8:06 pm to SL Xpress
That list is an outlier from the others I’ve read
Phil Steele and others had Texas in the 20s
At Ohio St, UGA and Florida could be 3 losses plus OU
Their win total is only 9.5 so even Vegas thinks they lose 3
Phil Steele and others had Texas in the 20s
At Ohio St, UGA and Florida could be 3 losses plus OU
Their win total is only 9.5 so even Vegas thinks they lose 3
Posted on 8/13/25 at 8:06 pm to Drewbie
quote:
I mean, what else is new?
Yep, look at the teams with the toughest schedules and look at the coaches on the hot seat. Then look who the one is with the weakest schedule….that’s ridiculous….
Posted on 8/13/25 at 8:12 pm to dallastiger55
A more accurate way of saying it is that Vegas believes half the bettors will think Texas loses no more than 2 games, and half the bettors will think Texas loses at least 3.
At whatever point that's not the case, they'll move the line.
The schedule is fine for the purposes it's intended. If SEC fans want to make fun of it, have at it. But in terms of making the playoffs it's plenty competitive.
At whatever point that's not the case, they'll move the line.
The schedule is fine for the purposes it's intended. If SEC fans want to make fun of it, have at it. But in terms of making the playoffs it's plenty competitive.
Page 1 of 4
Back to top
Follow SECRant for SEC Football News