CFB Strength-of-Schedule Preseason Rankings Expose an Uneven Playing Field

Under the articles-only college football rankings topic, NJ Duck and others have done a great job of posting articles from many sources predicting the top teams in the 2026 season.

Because a team's strength of schedule (SOS) varies so widely, here's a look at how College Football News (CFN) ranks CFB's most difficult schedules. Also shown is a ranked team's most difficult out-of-conference (OOC) game, followed by a team's 2026 preseason SP+ ranking.

You'll note that many lower SP+ preseason-ranked teams are playing the most difficult schedules. For instance, SP+ No. 56 Purdue, in addition to a difficult Big Ten schedule, hosts both SP+ No. 3 Notre Dame and P4 No. 56 Wake Forest.

That's 11 P4 games for Purdue, a team that would benefit from playing no P4 opponent OOC, like in-state neighbor Indiana.

SOS Ranking/ Toughest OOC Game/SP+ Ranking -

1 Arkansas - at No. 24 Utah - SP+ 47

2 Oklahoma - at No. 14 Michigan - SP+ 13

3 Texas - vs. No. 1 Ohio State - SP+ No. 6

4 Purdue - vs. No. 3 Notre Dame - SP+ 82

5 Florida - at 35 Florida State - SP+ 19

6 OREGON - at 38 Oklahoma State and vs. 39 Boise State - OBD is ranked 2nd by SP+

7 Michigan - vs. No. 12 Oklahoma - SP+ 16

8 Alabama - vs. No. 35 Florida State - SP+ 11

9 Mississippi State - at 45 Minnesota - SP+ 52

10 Kentucky - vs. 27 Louisville - SP+ 53

11 Missouri - at 55 Kansas - SP+ 20

12 Tennessee - at 43 Georgia Tech - SP+ 15

13 Colorado - at 43 Georgia Tech and at 49 Northwestern - SP+ 65 - 11 Prime Time games for the Buffaloes - Brutal

14 Georgia - vs. 43 Georgia Tech - SP+ No. 4

15 USC - vs. 78 Fresno State - SP+ 13 - How's this for a scheduling trade: No. 3 Notre Dame for 78 Fresno

16 Michigan State at No. 3 Notre Dame - SP+ 67

17 Ohio State at No. 6 Texas - SP+ No. 1

18 LSU vs. No. 22 Clemson - SP+ 10

19 Stanford - at No. 3 Notre Dame - SP+ 77

20 UNC - vs. No. 3 Notre Dame - SP+ 58

21 UCLA - at No. 57 Cal - SP+ 46

22 Ole Miss - 27 Louisville in Nashville - SP+ 16

23 Maryland - vs. 40 Virginia Tech - SP+ 55

24 Syracuse - vs. No. 3 Notre Dame - SP+ 69

25 Boston College - at No. 3 Notre Dame - SP+ 74

Twelve SEC teams, eight Big Ten teams, four ACC teams, and one B12 team.

Notice that Notre Dame shows up six times as a team's most difficult OOC opponent. The Domers' SOS is ranked 42nd for a reason.

SOS rankings for playoff-contending teams support a 24-team playoff field; it is not a regular season scheduling fair fight.

Check out the SOS for teams OBD is competing against for a playoff invitation, with the understanding that to date, the CFB PO Committee focuses on wins and losses (unless you're Bama) and not on the difficulty of a team's schedule.

Big Ten - Indiana 50, Penn State 51, Iowa 55

ACC - Clemson 31, Louisville 35, Miami 59, SMU 66, UVA 68

B12 - BYU 33, Utah 54, Houston 64, Texas Tech 65

Pac 8 & Gonzo - Washington State 69, Oregon State 71

One game at a time: BEAT BOISE!