Incredibly, the 2024 college football season is nearly upon us.
We are well under two months away from kickoff and I think I speak for all of us when I say it can’t possibly get here soon enough.
Speaking of the brand-new season, ESPN recently revealed their strength of schedule rankings as computed by their famous Football Power Index.
The top 10 toughest schedules in all of college football goes as follows…
#1. Florida Gators
#2. Mississippi State Bulldogs
#3. Georgia Bulldogs
#4. Kentucky Wildcats
#5. Auburn Tigers
#6. Alabama Crimson Tide
#7. Oklahoma Sooners
#8. Tennessee Volunteers
#9. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
#10. Texas Longhorns
HERE is ESPN’s complete strength of schedule rankings…
Florida kicks off the season with a high-stakes non-conference game against the rival Miami Hurricanes.
The Gators also face a grueling November, taking on Georgia, Texas, LSU, and Ole Miss, before ending the regular season against a Florida State team fresh off an ACC championship.
Mississippi State, coming off a disappointing season with just one SEC win, has a daunting road ahead.
The Bulldogs will travel to face Texas, Georgia, Tennessee, and Ole Miss.
Georgia’s quest for yet another national title won’t be easy to say the least.
The Dawgs open against Clemson and finish September at Alabama. October sees them traveling to Austin to welcome Texas into the SEC, and in November, they face a critical game against Ole Miss in Oxford.
Georgia Tech is the only non-SEC team in the top ten.
The Yellow Jackets open against Florida State in Dublin, Ireland. They host Notre Dame in October and conclude their season against rival Georgia. (They haven’t beaten the Bulldogs in their annual rivalry game since 2016.)
On the other end of the spectrum, Missouri enjoys the SEC’s easiest schedule, ranked 29th overall.
While the Tigers must visit Tuscaloosa, they avoid playing Georgia, Texas, LSU, and Ole Miss this season.
The strength of schedule ranking also highlights the dominance of the SEC and Big Ten, with teams from these conferences occupying most of the top 25 spots.
Notably, Purdue, UCLA, and Washington narrowly missed the top ten, while Ohio State and Michigan are ranked 16th and 18th, respectively.
What are your thoughts on the strength of schedule rankings?
Who got off super easy? … Who got too brutal of a road?
Most importantly, how do you see the upcoming season playing out?
When it’s all said and done, who will win the national championship???