As the 2024 college football season hits the thick of conference play, teams across the country are bracing for the grueling stretch ahead, with eight weeks of regular season games left to play.
For some, the road ahead looks more challenging than for others, particularly in powerhouse conferences like the SEC and Big Ten, which continue to dominate the national landscape.
The latest Associated Press Top 25 poll reflects this dominance, with nine SEC teams and six Big Ten teams making the cut.
It’s no surprise, then, that ESPN’s updated Football Power Index strength of schedule rankings are heavily populated by teams from these two conferences.
The FPI is designed to “measure team strength” and serves as a key predictor of how well teams are expected to perform as they navigate the rest of the season.
According to the FPI, the 10 teams facing the hardest remaining schedules include eight from the SEC, a testament to the rigorous competition in the expanded conference. The Big Ten rounds out the top 10 with two teams on the list.
Here’s a look at the complete top 10 when it comes to their strength of schedule ahead…
#1. Florida Gators
#2. Oklahoma Sooners
#3. Georgia Bulldogs
#4. Mississippi State Bulldogs
#5. Kentucky Wildcats
#6. Nebraska Cornhuskers
#7. Purdue Boilermakers (Jeez. Poor Purdue.)
#8. LSU Tigers
#9. Texas Longhorns
#10. South Carolina Gamecocks
Beyond this top 10, the FPI’s metrics further underscore the SEC and Big Ten’s dominance, as 17 of the 18 hardest schedules belong to teams from one of these two conferences.
The highest-ranked team outside of the SEC and Big Ten is Georgia Tech, which sits at No. 18 in terms of toughest remaining schedules.
The strength of the SEC is once again on full display, and coaches across the league are gearing up for the grueling weeks ahead.
Unfortunately for the much-criticized Billy Napier, his Florida Gators are facing the most brutal path ahead. Let’s see if he can somehow steady the ship and save his job. (Unlikely.)
What are your thoughts on the strength of schedule rankings?
As we stand here today, who do you think will win the national championship???
