This season's toughest — and easiest — schedules in college football
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Chris Low, ESPN Senior Writer
Wrapping your mind around all the movement in college football is maddening as we look ahead to the 2024 season.
Can you imagine suggesting to somebody as we entered the 21st century that Oregon would be in the Big Ten, Oklahoma in the SEC, Stanford in the ACC and UCF in the Big 12? Welcome to the world of superconferences, or as one former conference commissioner called them, “associations.”
The ACC, Big 12, Big Ten and SEC will all have new looks in 2024, and the Pac-12 has been picked apart to the point that it consists of just two teams — Oregon State and Washington State. None of the remaining Power 4 conferences will feature divisions, and the overhaul of rosters via the transfer portal makes NFL free agency look tame.
As we do every year at this time, we’ll recognize some schedule superlatives for the 2024 season — some flattering and some not so flattering. All rankings referenced are from ESPN’s post-spring Top 25. And yes, it’s important we all remember that the strength of schedules typically looks a lot different in the summer than in late October.
Toughest overall Power 4 schedule: Florida
No, it’s not a bad dream for Billy Napier and the Florida football program. The schedule is again brutal as Napier enters a critical third season in Gainesville with the Gators trying to avoid their fourth straight losing season, which hasn’t happened since the 1930s. They play seven Top 25 teams, and three of their four nonconference games are against Power 4 teams. They face four top-15 teams away from home, with a three-game stretch of No. 1 Georgia (in Jacksonville) on Nov. 2, No. 3 Texas on the road on Nov. 9 and No. 14 LSU at home on Nov. 16.
Georgia Tech also belongs in this conversation. The Yellow Jackets open the season in Dublin against No. 11 Florida State and close the season on the road against No. 1 Georgia. In between, they face four more ranked opponents, including No. 5 Notre Dame in Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on Oct. 19.
Easiest overall Power 4 schedule: SMU
It didn’t take Rhett Lashlee long to win a championship at SMU. The Mustangs won the AAC title a year ago in his second season in Dallas, the program’s first conference championship since 1984. Now comes life in the ACC, and the schedule is manageable enough that the Mustangs could again be in position for double-digit wins. Their only Top 25 foe (Florida State) is at home on Sept. 28. In fact, four of their first five games are at home, and they end the season against Pittsburgh, Boston College, Virginia and Cal. Only the Virginia game is on the road.
Missouri and Syracuse both get “honorable” mentions here. The Tigers’ nonconference schedule is particularly soft.
Toughest overall non-Power 4 schedule: Louisiana-Monroe
Louisiana-Monroe has always been a tough job, and Bryant Vincent doesn’t get any breaks with the schedule in his first season as coach. The Warhawks, who last had a winning season in 2012, travel to No. 3 Texas on Sept. 21, then square off against two of the top Sun Belt Conference teams the next two weeks — at Troy on Sept. 28 and against James Madison at home on Oct. 5. Then late in the season, ULM goes back on the road against SEC foe Auburn on Nov. 16 and ends the season at home against Louisiana, one of the favorites to win the Sun Belt’s West Division.
Easiest overall non-Power 4 schedule: Liberty
Jamey Chadwell guided Liberty to a Fiesta Bowl berth and unbeaten regular season a year ago. The pathway back to another big season doesn’t appear overly treacherous. There are no nonconference games against Power 4 opponents, and two of the Flames’ toughest conference tests (Western Kentucky and Jacksonville State) are both at home. The schedule is tailor-made to challenge for a second straight Conference USA title and the Group of 5’s spot in the expanded 12-team playoff.
Toughest Power 4 nonconference schedule: USC
Not only is USC moving to the Big Ten, but the Trojans also have some heavy lifting to do out of conference. They open the season on Sept. 1 against No. 14 LSU in Las Vegas and close the season Nov. 30 at home against No. 5 Notre Dame. The Irish have won five of the past six games in the series, and it’s never easy to play a game of that magnitude coming off a rivalry game — USC faces UCLA the week before in Pasadena. This also would be the first time since 2018 that USC has played two nonconference games against teams nationally ranked in the preseason.
Let’s not forget Florida, either. As if the Gators’ SEC slate weren’t enough, they face No. 24 Miami at home to open the season, play UCF at home midway through the season and end the season on the road against No. 11 Florida State.
Easiest Power 4 nonconference schedule: Ohio State
Last year, Michigan got the nod here. This year, it’s Ohio State that shouldn’t break a sweat in its three nonconference games, all at home against non-Power 4 opponents. The Buckeyes open the season against Akron and Western Michigan, then have a week off before facing Marshall on Sept. 21. In other words, Ohio State is already 3-0. The Buckeyes do have a brutal Big Ten schedule with road games at Oregon and Penn State and home games against Iowa and Michigan. Ohio State was originally scheduled to face new Big Ten member Washington in 2024 and 2025, but canceled that home-and-home series in 2023 and paid a $500,000 penalty to get out of those games and add an eighth home game this season.
Toughest non-Power 4 nonconference schedule: Kent State
The Golden Flashes won one game a year ago in Kenni Burns’ first season as coach. It won’t get any easier in Year 2, at least in terms of the nonconference schedule. The opener is Aug. 31 at Pittsburgh, and after a home date with FCS opponent Saint Francis, Kent State travels to No. 15 Tennessee on Sept. 14 and to No. 12 Penn State on Sept. 21. That makes three trips to Power 4 schools in a span of four weeks. The Golden Flashes deserve every penny they’re getting for their buy games.
We’re considering only true road games here, and Jeff Lebby and the Bulldogs win the grand “prize” as Lebby embarks on his first season in Starkville. If there’s such a thing as an easy game in this gauntlet, it’s a cross-country trek to face Arizona State in Week 2. Then in SEC play, Mississippi State visits three top-10 teams — No. 3 Texas on Sept. 28, No. 1 Georgia on Oct. 12 and No. 6 Ole Miss on Nov. 29 to close the season. There’s also a trip to No. 15 Tennessee on Nov. 9. And if that’s not enough, Mississippi State gets No. 8 Missouri at home on Nov. 23 to set up a short week before playing the Egg Bowl the following Friday. Mississippi State is the only SEC team that has to play both Georgia and Texas on the road this season.
Arizona State’s away schedule isn’t as hard as Mississippi State’s, but the Sun Devils play six true road games.
Toughest open to the season: Clemson
It doesn’t get much tougher than facing No. 1 Georgia in the Aug. 31 opener at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. A week later, Appalachian State comes to Death Valley. The Mountaineers are perhaps the Sun Belt Conference’s best team and no stranger to making life tough for the big boys. After a bye, Clemson faces a pair of top-15 teams over the next three weeks — No. 13 N.C. State at home Sept. 21 and No. 11 Florida State on the road Oct. 5. The schedule is top-heavy for the Tigers, meaning we should know by mid-October if they’re a serious playoff contender.
Toughest close to the season: Florida
Yep, the Gators again. From Oct. 12 on, they play six of their final seven games against Top 25 foes — four of those away from home. They end the season by playing five straight weeks, all against top-15 teams. Napier said earlier this month that this will be the best team he has had since he has been at Florida. It’s going to need to be, and then some, if the Gators are going to emerge from the swampy waters of the past few seasons.
Cushiest open to the season: Ole Miss
Rat poison alert! Ole Miss’ schedule to open the season sets up for what should be some serious partying in the Grove. The Rebels, ranked in the top 10 in most preseason polls, play four of their first five games at home, against Furman, Middle Tennessee, Georgia Southern and Kentucky. The away game in that stretch is Wake Forest in Week 3. If we stretch our view out to six weeks, Ole Miss travels to South Carolina on Oct. 5, meaning there are going to be a lot of long faces in the Sip if the Rebels aren’t 6-0.
Toughest three-game stretch: UCLA
The criteria for this category is three games in three consecutive weeks with no byes. DeShaun Foster, in his first season as head coach at his alma mater, is rewarded with the most grueling three-game gauntlet in college football. The Bruins travel across the country to take on No. 14 LSU in Baton Rouge on Sept. 21, then come back home to face No. 4 Oregon on Sept. 28, then fly back across the country to play No. 12 Penn State at Beaver Stadium on Oct. 5, all in the middle of six straight weeks without a break.
Must-see nonconference games
For this list, we’re considering only games that are played on campus, not at a neutral site:
• Miami at Florida, Aug. 31
• Notre Dame at Texas A&M, Aug. 31
• Penn State at West Virginia, Aug. 31
• Texas at Michigan, Sept. 7
• Colorado at Nebraska, Sept. 7
• Alabama at Wisconsin, Sept. 14
• Oregon at Oregon State, Sept. 14
• UCLA at LSU, Sept. 21
• Florida State at Notre Dame, Nov. 9
• Florida at Florida State, Nov. 30
• Notre Dame at USC, Nov. 30
Better be careful
Some sneaky good games matching Power 4 teams against Group of 5 teams:
• Boise State at Oregon, Sept. 7
• Kansas State at Tulane, Sept. 7
• Appalachian State at Clemson, Sept. 7
• Arizona State at Texas State, Sept. 12
• UNLV at Kansas, Sept. 13
• Colorado at Colorado State, Sept. 14
• Memphis at Florida State, Sept. 14
• Tulane at Oklahoma, Sept. 14
• Miami at South Florida, Sept. 21
• South Alabama at LSU, Sept. 28
• Syracuse at UNLV, Oct. 4
• Fresno State at UCLA, Nov. 30
Power outages
Ohio State Buckeyes and Syracuse are the only two Power 4 schools not playing a nonconference game against another Power 4 school, Notre Dame or the Pac-12’s remaining two schools. It’s the first time Ohio State has not played a “marquee” nonconference game in the AP poll era, dating back to 1936. Every other year, the Buckeyes have played a school that is either currently in a Power 4 conference or the Pac-12, or Notre Dame. In 2019, Ohio State’s toughest nonconference game was against Cincinnati, which at the time was a member of the AAC. But that Cincinnati team won 11 games and finished the season ranked No. 21 in the AP poll. This scenario changes considerably the next few seasons for the Buckeyes, who play Texas in 2025 and 2026 and Alabama in 2027 and 2028.
Frequent flyer miles
Forgive Cal if the Bears get a touch of jetlag this season. And now that we’re in the world of NIL, the players should get some frequent flyer points. Cal plays Sept. 7 at Auburn (2,466 miles), Sept. 21 at Florida State (2,575), Oct. 12 at Pitt (2,572), Nov. 8 at Wake Forest (2,769) and Nov. 30 at SMU (1,754). That’s a total of 12,136 miles for five away games.
Welcome to the SEC
Between SEC newcomers Texas and Oklahoma, the Sooners got the short end of the stick in terms of the league schedule in Year 1. Six of the Sooners’ eight SEC games are against Top 25 teams whereas only two of the Longhorns’ eight SEC games are against Top 25 foes.
Welcome to the Big Ten
Washington faces five Top 25 teams in league play, including Oregon, Penn State and Iowa on the road. Michigan and USC come to Seattle.
No party for Sparty
In the new-look Big Ten, Michigan State is the only school that will play No. 2 Ohio State, No. 4 Oregon and No. 10 Michigan. The Ohio State and Oregon games are in back-to-back weeks, Sept. 28 and Oct. 4, which is a Friday, making it a short week for the Spartans. Both the Oregon and Michigan (Oct. 26) games are on the road.
Alabama‘s SEC five-pack
Alabama is the only SEC team that faces conference opponents in five consecutive weeks — Sept. 28 vs. Georgia at home, Oct. 5 vs. Vanderbilt on the road, Oct. 12 vs. South Carolina at home, Oct. 19 vs. Tennessee on the road and Oct. 26 vs. Missouri at home. The Tide get a bye on each end of that stretch, at least. But prior to those byes are two tough road games — at Wisconsin on Sept. 14 and at LSU on Nov. 9.
The Scarlet Knights managed to avoid Iowa, Ohio State, Oregon, Michigan and Penn State this season, the only team in the Big Ten to do so. Rutgers is also one of four teams in the league, along with Maryland, UCLA and Wisconsin, that won’t have to play either Michigan or Ohio State.
City-hopping Hogs
Arkansas will play five games in five cities to open the season. The Hogs face Arkansas-Pine Bluff in Little Rock on Aug. 29, Oklahoma State in Stillwater, Oklahoma, on Sept. 7, UAB in Fayetteville, Arkansas, on Sept. 14, Auburn in Auburn, Alabama, on Sept. 21 and Texas A&M in Arlington, Texas, on Sept. 28.
Carolina on their mind
North Carolina plays only one game outside the state of North Carolina before traveling to face Virginia on Oct. 26. The Tar Heels open the season at Minnesota on Thursday, Aug. 29, then play six straight games in their home state before having an off week. Then they finally hit the road to face the Cavaliers.
Catching up with old teammates
With the transfer portal an integral part of college football, players going against their former schools and former teammates has become commonplace. Some of the more notable examples this season:
• Kentucky quarterback Brock Vandagriff and linebacker Jamon-Dumas Johnson vs. Georgia on Sept. 14 in Lexington.
• Florida State quarterback DJ Uiagalelei vs. Clemson on Oct. 5 in Tallahassee.
• Kansas State running back Dylan Edwards vs. Colorado on Oct. 12 in Boulder.
• UCF safety Deshawn Pace vs. Cincinnati on Oct. 12 in Orlando.
• LSU safety Jardin Gilbert vs. Texas A&M on Oct. 26 in College Station.
• Michigan safety Jaden Mangham vs. Michigan State on Oct. 26 in Ann Arbor.
• Georgia running back Trevor Etienne vs. Florida on Nov. 2 in Jacksonville.
• Penn State receiver Julian Fleming vs. Ohio State on Nov. 2 in State College.
• N.C. State running back Jordan Waters vs. Duke on Nov. 9 in Raleigh.
• Missouri offensive tackle Cayden Green vs. Oklahoma on Nov. 9 in Missouri.
• Oregon cornerback Jabbar Muhammad vs. Washington on Nov. 30 in Eugene.
Friday night lights
Duke plays three Friday night games — Elon at home on Aug. 30, at Northwestern on Sept. 6 and Florida State at home on Oct. 18.
Conference chaos
Looking for that one weekend that could shake things up and provide some clarity for the conference races? Week 7 has definite possibilities:
• American: Memphis at South Florida
• Sun Belt: Appalachian State at Louisiana
• SEC: Ole Miss at LSU
• SEC: Florida at Tennessee
• SEC: Texas vs. Oklahoma at Dallas
• Big Ten: Ohio State at Oregon
• Big Ten: Penn State at USC
• Big 12: Kansas State at Colorado
Conference foes, nonconference games
Arizona and Kansas State, despite being Big 12 members in 2024, will play a nonconference game Sept. 13 in Manhattan, Kansas. The teams already had a home-and-home series scheduled before Arizona moved to the Big 12 during the recent realignment and kept the game as a nonconference game.
It’s a similar situation with Baylor playing at Utah on Sept. 7. They scheduled a home-and-home series in 2015, and Utah won the first matchup last season in the Utes’ swan song in the Pac-12.
