Every College Football Playoff Contender's Most Difficult 2015 Stretch
Even with all the efforts programs make to doctor their schedules in order to give them the best chance at success, title contenders can't avoid streaks of tough games.
Difficult stretches on the schedule are realities for everyone fighting for a shot at the four-team College Football Playoff. Conference slates are locked into place without any wiggle room for schools. Rivalry games are set in stone for certain times of the season.
Let's take a look at the most difficult stretch of the season for the top college football playoff contenders heading into 2015. A "stretch" in this case is three straight games, as most teams can find a breather of sorts somewhere during a run of four contests.
We chose the contenders by using Bleacher Report's latest predictions for the preseason AP Top 25 poll. Teams outside the top part of this list definitely have a chance to contend for this year's College Football Playoff—they're just not top contenders during what Steve Spurrier calls "talking season."
Who do you think has the most difficult three-game stretch in college football this season? Let your voice be heard in the comments below.
Top Contenders Outside the Top 10
1 of 11
These five teams fell outside Bleacher Report's predicted AP preseason Top 10, but they still have great chances at breaking into the College Football Playoff this season. Here are their toughest stretches.
Clemson: at Miami (Oct. 24), at N.C. State (Oct. 31), vs. Florida State (Nov. 7)
Georgia: vs. Alabama (Oct. 3), at Tennessee (Oct. 10), vs. Missouri (Oct. 17)
Oklahoma: at Baylor (Nov. 14), vs. TCU (Nov. 21), at Oklahoma State (Nov. 28)
Ole Miss: at Auburn (Oct. 31), vs. Arkansas (Nov. 7), vs. LSU (Nov. 21)
UCLA: at Arizona (Sept. 26), vs. Arizona State (Oct. 3), at Stanford (Oct. 15)
Alabama
2 of 11
at Georgia (Oct. 3)
vs. Arkansas (Oct. 10)
at Texas A&M (Oct. 17)
Bleacher Report's Marc Torrence called the 2015 Alabama schedule the toughest since Nick Saban took over in Tuscaloosa, and the three-game stretch to open October might play a huge role in determining Alabama's chances at defending the SEC title and getting back to the CFP.
Alabama visits Georgia at the beginning of the month in a cross-divisional showdown that could be a preview of this year's SEC Championship Game in Atlanta. The battle to watch here will be Georgia's star group of running backs against the heart of what should be another elite defense at Alabama.
After the highly anticipated trip to Athens, Alabama returns to Tuscaloosa to take on an Arkansas team that should be improved from the 2014 squad that lost 14-13 to the Tide. Arkansas, which is Alabama's homecoming opponent this season, will be an extra-physical test for Alabama after such a massive road game.
The Crimson Tide then travel to College Station and face the massive 12th Man at Texas A&M. Although the Aggies received a 59-0 beatdown in Tuscaloosa last season, Texas A&M will have a different starting quarterback for this matchup and a talented receiving corps that could give the Alabama secondary a tough time away from home.
Auburn
3 of 11
vs. Ole Miss (Oct. 31)
at Texas A&M (Nov. 7)
vs. Georgia (Nov. 14)
Auburn breaks up the traditional "Amen Corner" duo of Georgia and Alabama with a cupcake school this year, but the Tigers don't get that luxury heading into the Deep South's Oldest Rivalry.
Ole Miss visits Auburn on Halloween, and the Rebels will be desperate to knock off the Tigers at home after their heartbreaking, last-minute loss in Oxford last season. Auburn has survived close calls from Ole Miss each of the last two seasons, as its last home meeting ended with a furious comeback attempt from the Rebels.
Then Auburn will travel to Texas A&M, whom it defeated in thrilling fashion in 2013 but lost to at home last season. The 2014 loss against the Aggies ended the Tigers' playoff hopes, and their hosts could easily do the same thing again in 2015.
Finally, the Tigers' wrap up this tough three-game stretch with a home game against Georgia, which will most likely be trying to keep its playoff chances alive with a road win in Auburn. While the all-time series is tied at 55 wins apiece, Georgia has won seven of the last nine meetings. The last two Auburn teams to beat Georgia went on to win the SEC and play for the national championship.
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Baylor
4 of 11
vs. Oklahoma (Nov. 14)
at Oklahoma State (Nov. 21)
at TCU (Nov. 27)
Keep these three weekends in mind because they comprise the toughest stretch for each of the Big 12's College Football Playoff contenders. Even if Baylor gets through the first nine games of the season without a loss, this might be a trio of must-win matchups.
Baylor's first three all-time wins over Oklahoma have come within the last four years, and it will need to kick off its late-season push with another victory against the Sooners. In addition to home-field advantage, the Bears will also have the bonus of extra rest heading into this game, as they play Kansas State on a Thursday night the week beforehand.
Then Baylor faces Oklahoma State in Stillwater. According to Sporting News' Bill Bender, the Bears have not won there since 1939. Their 2013 trip ended in a 49-17 humiliation that ended Baylor's shot at a perfect regular season and perhaps a trip to the national championship game. History is definitely not on Baylor's side for this one.
The Bears then return home for a colossal Friday night matchup against TCU that will be one of the biggest games of the 2015 season. And keep in mind that even if Baylor survives this brutal stretch of Big 12 games in late November, it still has to finish the job with a December meeting with Texas.
Florida State
5 of 11
at Georgia Tech (Oct. 24)
vs. Syracuse (Oct. 31)
at Clemson (Nov. 7)
Florida State has one of the easiest schedules on this entire list, which is a blessing for a powerhouse team that will have to reload its ranks after two star-studded seasons. But the Seminoles' two hardest games on the slate come within a couple of weeks of each other, making this the toughest stretch on what otherwise looks like a favorable setup.
The Seminoles travel to Atlanta toward the end of October—right after a home game against Louisville—to face Georgia Tech, who has played them close with Florida State in two of the last three ACC Championship Games. The option-attacking Yellow Jackets won their last two regular-season matchups against the Seminoles with back-to-back victories coming in 2008 and 2009.
Florida State will get a bit of a breather the next week as it heads back home to face Syracuse. Again, this is the toughest stretch for the Seminoles because of the two road games.
Clemson will open a crucial month of November for Florida State. As previously mentioned, this one has been the division title game every season since 2009, and the key to defending the ACC title will most likely be going to Death Valley and knocking off Clemson. Florida State also opened as an underdog for this Clemson game, which will add another interesting aspect for a team that hasn't lost a regular-season game since 2012.
Michigan State
6 of 11
vs. Maryland (Nov. 14)
at Ohio State (Nov. 21)
vs. Penn State (Nov. 28)
Michigan State's drive to the Big Ten title and a playoff spot will run right through the heart of November, when the Spartans have two major conference home games and the single-biggest game on their schedule.
The home game against Maryland comes sandwiched between two crucial road games for Michigan State. While the Terps were no problem for Sparty last season, this follows the recipe of a major letdown loss as it comes right after a trip to Nebraska and before the Ohio State game.
Michigan State's game at Ohio State will most likely determine the Big Ten East and potentially the conference's best candidate for a place in football's final four. The Spartans won in their last trip to Columbus, but the defending national champions are in much better shape than the team they defeated in 2011.
If Michigan State can escape Columbus with an upset win over Ohio State, it has to finish the job with a home win against Penn State. The Spartans have won the last two games in this series, but the Nittany Lions were victorious in their last two games in East Lansing and came close to knocking off a title contender on the road in 2014.
Notre Dame
7 of 11
at Clemson (Oct. 3)
vs. Navy (Oct. 10)
vs. USC (Oct. 17)
While the end of Notre Dame's schedule sets up well for a playoff run, the Fighting Irish must get through a treacherous middle of the season that includes games against a pair of playoff contenders and a tough Group of Five squad.
Notre Dame's biggest road matchup of the season comes the first weekend of October against Clemson, which will be looking to solidify its playoff credentials with a big home win. If healthy, Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson and the one-two punch of receivers Mike Williams and Artavis Scott have the potential to wreak havoc on a Notre Dame pass defense that finished in the bottom half nationally last season.
The Irish will then return home to face Navy in a contest that has all the makings of a classic "trap game." Navy returns one of the nation's most experienced quarterbacks in touchdown specialist Keenan Reynolds this year, and the triple-option attack could be troublesome if Notre Dame looks too far ahead to the next week's contest.
Notre Dame then closes this stretch with a home game against USC, who throttled the Irish in Los Angeles last season. A loss here could kill Notre Dame's chances at reaching the College Football Playoff—especially if it's the second defeat in a string of tough games for Brian Kelly's squad.
Ohio State
8 of 11
at Illinois (Nov. 14)
vs. Michigan State (Nov. 21)
at Michigan (Nov. 28)
The defending national champions have a mostly favorable schedule ahead, but their last two games of the season could prevent them from reclaiming championship gold in 2015.
This three-game stretch starts with a trip to Illinois. Ohio State has beaten Illinois by double digits every year since its last series loss in 2007, but road conference wins are rarely a breeze. Still, the Buckeyes should take care of business here and win the Illibuck Trophy for the eighth straight season.
Then the real test begins with the aforementioned home game against Michigan State, which will have the biggest impact on whether the Buckeyes get back to the sport's biggest stage.
Ohio State won't have any time to recover from Michigan State, though, as it will then head to Michigan for the Big Game—the first meeting in the series between Urban Meyer and Jim Harbaugh. The Wolverines would love nothing more than to prevent their biggest rival's title defense with a home upset. This one could be another close one, as Michigan's biggest loss under the embattled Brady Hoke was only by 14 points.
Oregon
9 of 11
vs. Cal (Nov. 7)
at Stanford (Nov. 14)
vs. USC (Nov. 21)
After a big-time Thursday night game at Arizona State, Oregon will hit a crucial November to secure its chance at another Pac-12 title and a return to the College Football Playoff.
The Ducks open the stretch against Cal—a team that Oregon should beat, but the amount of experience the Bears return for 2015 should be cause for some concern. After all, quarterback Jared Goff and the pass-happy Cal offense scored the most points on Oregon's defense last season until its national championship loss to Ohio State.
Oregon travels the next week to Stanford in a game that could determine the Pac-12 North once again. The Ducks routed the Cardinal 45-16 last season for their first win in the series since 2011. Stanford won its last home game against Oregon and should be better than its 8-5 record from last season.
Then the Ducks will return home for a clash against USC at Autzen Stadium. If USC gives Oregon its first loss of the year, Mark Helfrich's team could recover and still win the conference, but the defeat would have the double-whammy of coming so late in the schedule. A second loss on the season would definitely knock Oregon out of contention. This feels like a game the Ducks have to win this year.
TCU
10 of 11
vs. Kansas (Nov. 14)
at Oklahoma (Nov. 21)
vs. Baylor (Nov. 27)
The Big 12's incredible stretch of November contests will be especially important to TCU in its efforts to grab a spot in the College Football Playoff.
TCU will return to Fort Worth, Texas, on Nov. 14 after a big road game at Oklahoma State to face Kansas. While the Jayhawks are expected to be in the cellar of the Big 12 again this year, TCU had to rally from a 10-point deficit to the Jayhawks in order to secure a 34-30 win away from home late last season.
The Horned Frogs will then head to Oklahoma for a rematch of their fierce contest from 2014. Depending on the result of Oklahoma's earlier games—most importantly, the previous weekend's game against Baylor—the Sooners might have to win this game to stay alive in the Big 12 race.
Then TCU will turn around to play Baylor in perhaps the biggest Friday night game in college football history. Exiting that contest with playoff hopes intact will be tough for the Horned Frogs thanks to this difficult stretch to end the regular season.
USC
11 of 11
at Colorado (Nov. 13)
at Oregon (Nov. 21)
vs. UCLA (Nov. 28)
Like Florida State, USC doesn't have three straight weeks of tough games thanks to some easier conference games and well-placed bye weeks. But the trio to end the Trojans' regular season is especially troublesome thanks to back-to-back games against their biggest competition for the Pac-12 title.
The road game to start this stretch is nothing more than a weird matchup at a struggling conference opponent. Going to Colorado on a Friday night should be an easy victory for USC, who has never lost to the Buffaloes.
But then the Trojans hit the massive road game against Oregon. While this game could be played two weeks later in the Pac-12 Championship Game, this is more likely to be an elimination game in the playoff race. Both of these powerhouse programs could be undefeated at this point in the year, but it still would be a big surprise.
USC will then look to (hopefully) punch its ticket to the Pac-12 title game with a home victory against cross-city rival UCLA, who has beaten the Trojans each of the last three seasons. With it coming so late in the regular season, this one has the feel of a must-win game for Steve Sarkisian and his team—especially with the added pressure of avoiding four straight losses to the Bruins.
Justin Ferguson is an on-call college football writer at Bleacher Report. You can follow him on Twitter @JFergusonBR.
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