College Football: Ranking the 10 most difficult FBS schedules in 2017

Oct 15, 2016; Syracuse, NY, USA; Syracuse Orange wide receiver Brisly Estime (1) returns a punt as Virginia Tech Hokies defensive tackle Dalton Roe (90) prepares to make a tackle during the fourth quarter of a game at the Carrier Dome. Syracuse won 31-17. Mandatory Credit: Mark Konezny-USA TODAY Sports /

1 of 11

As every college football fan knows, not all schedules are created equal. Which teams will face the hardest schedules during the 2017 season?

In college football, teams will play either eight or nine conference games. Except for the Big 12, which now has only ten teams and plays a true round-robin, none of the other FBS conferences provide balanced schedules even in league play. Even within a conference, avoiding one or another cross-division opponent can greatly skew the level of difficulty in a given year.

Thus we have set out on an attempt to quantify these schedules. To do so, we have calculated the 2016 winning percentage of every FBS teams’ 2017 opponents. We have also awarded points for opponents who played in bowl games last year, and another point for opponents that reached six wins. (This allows partial credit for scheduling tougher FCS opponents as well as partial credit for teams such as North Texas that qualified to go bowling as a 5-7 team to fill empty bowl spots.)

Not surprisingly, many of the toughest schedules are to be found in the ACC and SEC. But the highest degree of difficulty is reserved for an independent you might least expect. So click ahead to see which teams will have the hardest paths to reach bowl eligibility and beyond in 2017.

Home/College Football News