College Football Teams with the Toughest Nonconference Schedules
Look, cupcakes are delicious. Don't ever let anyone shame you into not eating one or 10 in a single sitting. But cupcakes in college football? Those are flat-out offensive.
(Okay, not really, but it's the offseason and we need fire for sports takes.)
However, not every team is stuffing its nonconference schedule full of FCS and lower-tier "Group of Five" opponents. A handful have upped the scheduling ante and have one, maybe two, marquee nonconference games.
In the following slides are teams that have beefed up out-of-conference games in 2015. For simplicity, we're going with Power Five schools—some of those mid-major nonconference schedules are easy choices—and omitting Independents since they basically play a full season of nonconference games.
Honorable Mentions
1 of 9
Nebraska: BYU (9/5), South Alabama (9/12), at Miami (9/19), Southern Miss (9/26)
Washington: at Boise State (9/4), Sacramento State (9/12) , Utah State (9/19)
Minnesota: TCU (9/3), at Colorado State (9/12), Kent State (9/19), Ohio (9/26)
Oregon: Eastern Washington (9/5), at Michigan State (9/12), Georgia State (9/19)
Wisconsin: Alabama (Arlington, Texas, 9/5), Miami (OH) (9/12), Troy (9/19), Hawaii (9/26)
Louisville
2 of 9
Schedule: Auburn (Atlanta 9/5), Houston (9/12), Samford (9/26), at Kentucky (11/28)
There are few games in Week 1 that should be more exciting than Auburn and Louisville in Atlanta for the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game. It'll be interesting to see who Louisville's quarterback will be (Reggie Bonnafon had a great spring) and if the Cardinals can handle what should be another potent Auburn offense.
The following week, Louisville hosts Houston in an under-the-radar game that could be tougher than expected. The Cougars have an experienced defense coming back, and first-year head coach Tom Herman is a fast riser.
Finally, the season finale at Kentucky could be interesting. The Cardinals haven't lost to the Wildcats since 2010, but last year's game was a shootout that came down to the final minutes.
Georgia Tech
3 of 9
Schedule: Alcorn State (9/3), Tulane (9/12), at Notre Dame (ACC Partnership 9/19), Georgia (11/28)
The first two out-of-conference games for the Yellow Jackets are a breeze, but things get more interesting when they travel to Notre Dame in mid-September. The Irish have a couple of marquee games against ACC opponents in 2015, including one against Clemson in October.
Additionally, the year-end game against Georgia, who could once again be in the SEC East race, can always be interesting. Georgia Tech had one of the worst run defenses in the country last year, and the Bulldogs return Heisman-contending running back Nick Chubb.
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Michigan
4 of 9
Schedule: at Utah (9/3), Oregon State (9/12), UNLV (9/19), BYU (9/26)
The Jim Harbaugh era at Michigan could get off to a rough start. Traveling to Utah is no picnic, especially if the Wolverines offense is still coming together. The Utes may have lost two of their best defensive players—defensive end Nate Orchard and cornerback Eric Rowe—but they still return a lot of starters. Additionally, Utah running back Devontae Booker is one of the nation's most complete players at his position.
Coming back home to face Oregon State and UNLV should equal two wins, but BYU is a challenge. Cougars quarterback Taysom Hill should be 100 percent healthy, too, after sustaining a season-ending leg injury in 2014.
Michigan State
5 of 9
Schedule: at Western Michigan (9/4), Oregon (9/12), Air Force (9/19), Central Michigan (9/26)
Michigan State makes this list just for playing Oregon alone. After losing in Eugene last year, the Spartans host the Ducks in a game that, once again, should have early playoff implications. The X-factor in this game is Oregon's quarterback, which could either be longtime backup Jeff Lockie or Eastern Washington transfer Vernon Adams Jr.
(For what it's worth, ESPN.com's Mitch Sherman predicts the Spartans will win the '15 rematch.)
A Week 1 game at Western Michigan is certainly winnable but has intriguing shootout potential. A Week 3 home game against Air Force, a team that won 10 games in 2014, has some letdown potential as well.
South Carolina
6 of 9
Schedule: North Carolina (in Charlotte, 9/3), UCF (9/26), The Citadel (11/21), Clemson (11/28)
South Carolina has faced North Carolina twice in the last eight years, winning both games. Still, a neutral-site game to start the season is always a bit of a coin toss.
The home game against Central Florida is fascinating and has real potential to end up as an "L" for the Gamecocks. The Knights are coming off of a nine-win season and return quarterback Justin Holman. Additionally, it's right in the middle of two road games at Georgia and Missouri.
Finally, the season finale against Clemson is one of the more underrated rivalries nationally. The Tigers are loaded on offense again. Assuming quarterback Deshaun Watson stays healthy, stopping them is going to be a tough task. Clemson's defense lost a lot of starters but has some veteran backups ready to step in.
Stanford
7 of 9
Schedule: at Northwestern (9/5), UCF (9/12), Notre Dame (11/28)
Even with Notre Dame, Stanford's nonconference schedule doesn't have a lot of pizazz. But don't mistake that for not having a lot of quality.
Sure, the Week 1 road trip to Northwestern is winnable, but the next two nonconference home games against UCF and the Irish are far tougher. As mentioned with South Carolina, the Knights are a Group of Five team that could knock off one (or both) of their major out-of-conference opponents.
Getting Notre Dame late in the year could be interesting, too. Last year, the Irish collapsed in the month of November. However, this has been a tightly contested game over the past two years with each team winning one by a touchdown or less. The hype around this game could depend on whether Malik Zaire reaches his potential at quarterback for the Irish.
Texas
8 of 9
Schedule: at Notre Dame (9/5), Rice (9/12), Cal (9/19)
On paper, this doesn't look like the most difficult slate imaginable. Last month, however, ESPN Stats & Info rated Texas' nonconference schedules over the next five years to be the toughest in college football.
Heading to South Bend for the season opener will be intriguing. With the news Everett Golson is transferring, Malik Zaire will get the start for the Irish at quarterback. Who the Longhorns start at quarterback is less clear, as the competition between Jerrod Heard and Tyrone Swoopes is ongoing.
Following Texas' spring game, Strong said he "wouldn't be afraid" to start Swoopes against the Irish, per Texas athletics.
A home game at Rice is winnable, but Owls coach David Bailiff has done a nice job over the years of getting some good seasons out of that program. Cal, with its high-powered offense led by quarterback Jared Goff, could be an issue for the Horns' young defense.
Virginia
9 of 9
Schedule: at UCLA (9/5), Notre Dame (ACC partnership 9/12), William & Mary (9/19), Boise State (9/25)
Last year, Virginia started the season 4-2 with the only two losses coming—respectably, mind you—to UCLA and BYU. It looked like head coach Mike London's team had started to turn a corner. Instead, the Cavaliers lost five of their next six games.
Getting off to a similar start is going to be tough. Traveling to UCLA to open the season could be a defensive battle if the Bruins are breaking in a new quarterback and still trying to shore up the offensive line. Still, it's a road game against an experienced team. A "don't call it a nonconference" game against Notre Dame the following week is a tough follow-up.
While William & Mary should provide a bit of relief, playing Boise State has more often than not been a tough draw for Power Five opponents in recent years.
Ben Kercheval is a lead writer for college football. All quotes cited unless obtained firsthand.
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