Ranking 2016 College Football Schedules by Power Five Conference
While practice slots and spring games are the dates most players and coaches are currently worried about right now in the world of college football, that hasn't stopped the constant dissection of the big schedules later in the year.
As the offseason winds through the month of March, more and more attention is being placed on early projections and predictions for the upcoming college football season.
And schedules are huge to those early prognostications. Experts fall in love with the teams with the favorable slates, while those that have tougher roads ahead of them are taken with a grain of salt.
What does that look like in every Power Five conference for the 2016 season? Here is a league-by-league ranking of every member's schedule—from hardest to easiest—based on factors such as combined 2015 record of FBS opponents, number of 2015 bowl opponents played, game locations and the timing of the toughest matchups.
Each team is listed with the aforementioned combined FBS opponent record, but it's more of a rough guide than an absolute standard of ranking. Give us your thoughts on the toughest and easiest schedules in the Power Five conferences in the comments below.
ACC
1 of 5
1. Pittsburgh (opponents' combined 2015 record—86-57): The Panthers' road schedule is beyond brutal. Pittsburgh has to travel to both defending ACC divisional winners North Carolina and Clemson as well as Big 12 contender Oklahoma State. A trip to Miami comes right before the November matchup at Clemson, and then there's the matter of Penn State and Marshall at home. The ACC Coastal is a grind, and Pittsburgh has a challenging nonconference slate on top of that.
2. Florida State (86-58): Florida State has the talent and the experience to seriously challenge for the national title in 2016, but it'll have to prove its worth from the opening kickoff of the year. FSU plays Ole Miss in Orlando, Louisville away from home and a much-improved USF side in Tampa within the first month of the year. The Seminoles also draw defending Coastal champion UNC, host Clemson, travel to Miami and NC State and finish the year at home with Florida. There's little rest to be found here.
3. Georgia Tech (86-57): Georgia Tech will have the opportunity to get off to a stronger start in 2016 with Boston College, Mercer and Vanderbilt in the first three weeks. But then the intensity ramps up with Clemson, Miami, Pitt and Georgia Southern right in a row. The Yellow Jackets also have to travel to double-digit game-winners UNC and Georgia in the month of November. It'll be a grind to avoid back-to-back losing seasons.
4. Syracuse (84-59): Welcome to life in a power conference, Dino Babers. After an opener against Colgate, Syracuse plays five bowl teams in its next six games, including home games against experienced Louisville and powerhouse Notre Dame. In the month of November, Syracuse travels to both Clemson and Pittsburgh while also hosting NC State and Florida State, giving the Orange a whopping nine bowl opponents for 2016.
5. Miami (82-59): Mark Richt has a great opportunity to get out to a 4-0 start at his alma mater, but the challenges ramp up right after that for the Hurricanes. Miami then faces five straight bowl teams from 2015, including Florida State and North Carolina in back-to-back weeks. The Hurricanes must travel to Notre Dame in late October before the schedule eases off a bit with the likes of Pitt, UVA, NCSU and Duke.
6. Virginia (78-64): Like conference newcomers Babers and Richt, Bronco Mendenhall faces a long, tough stretch of opponents in his first season at Virginia. The Cavaliers play at Oregon, UConn and Duke within a span of four weeks, and they later have an arduous home stand featuring Pitt, UNC and Louisville. Three of their final four games are on the road, too, meaning the challenges will come fast and furious for UVA.
7. NC State (81-60): NC State has an incredibly demanding stretch from October 8 to November 5, when the Wolfpack will host Notre Dame, visit Clemson, visit Louisville and host Florida State. Fortunately, though, those are four of only six bowl teams the 'Pack face in 2016, as they start the year with FCS team William & Mary, ECU, Old Dominion and Wake Forest. The one-two punch of Miami and UNC will wrap up a challenging schedule.
8. Duke (74-66): The Duke Blue Devils get to ease into the 2016 schedule with home games against NC Central and Wake Forest, but stepping outside the North Carolina state lines turns dangerous quickly with back-to-back trips to Northwestern and Notre Dame. An easier October features a trip to Louisville, and then November gets nasty with Virginia Tech, North Carolina, Pitt and Miami—the last two on the road—in four straight weeks.
9. Louisville (83-70): The Cardinals get to alternate between tough stretches and chances to pick up some momentum with easier victories in 2016. A road trip to tricky nonconference opponent Marshall is sandwiched between the all-important divisional games against Florida State and Clemson. After heading to Death Valley, the schedule slacks off down the stretch until a road game against rising power Houston, which upset Louisville last season at Papa John's Cardinal Stadium.
10. Virginia Tech (73-66): Virginia Tech's slate away from home for 2016 is quite intimidating, from a neutral-site game against Tennessee at Bristol Motor Speedway to road games at North Carolina and Notre Dame later in the season. The Hokies do have the advantage, though, of not playing either Clemson, Florida State or Louisville from the Atlantic Division this year. Justin Fuente will want Lane Stadium to be a stronghold in his first season.
11. North Carolina (70-57): For the second straight season, North Carolina is playing a pair of FCS teams, which will hurt its strength of schedule by any measurement. But the Tar Heels have a tough neutral-site opener against Georgia in Atlanta and a road trip against FSU to open October. A home-heavy November will be picture-perfect for a team wanting to close in on another trip to the ACC Championship Game.
12. Wake Forest (69-71): The chances to inch closer to a bowl bid are there for Wake Forest in 2016, especially at its home turf of BB&T Field. The Demon Deacons host 2015 losing-record programs Tulane, Syracuse, Army, Virginia and Boston College, as well as FCS team Delaware. Outside of a trip to Florida State, the road schedule isn't too overwhelming, either, for a program wanting to turn things around.
13. Boston College (70-70): Boston College could match its win total from the 2015 season in the first month of 2016, with a game against Georgia Tech in Ireland, a road trip to UMass and a home game against FCS foe Wagner coming in September. Buffalo and Syracuse also come to Alumni Stadium in October. The trip to FSU will be difficult, but the season-ending set of UConn and Wake Forest is more than manageable for the Eagles.
14. Clemson (60-77): Same song, second verse. According to Brian Stultz of Campus Insiders, no one has an easier-looking schedule in 2016 than defending ACC champion Clemson, with only five 2015 bowl teams on the docket. Two of those teams, Auburn and NC State, went 7-6. The Tigers have to visit FSU this season for the usual Atlantic Division decider, but the Seminoles are one of just two projected Top 25 teams that Clemson faces in the regular season.
Big Ten
2 of 5
1. Wisconsin (98-57): Wisconsin surely prefers the Big Ten's old eight-game conference schedule to the nine-game one that goes into effect this year. Last year, the Badgers played Maryland and Rutgers out of the East. This year, they face title contenders Michigan State, Michigan and Ohio State in the span of four early weeks. On top of the season opener against LSU and that rough stretch, which includes trips to both East Lansing and Ann Arbor, the Badgers also visit Iowa and Northwestern in Big Ten play.
2. Ohio State (95-61): The Buckeyes' schedule will be far from a punch line for rival fans in 2016. Ohio State plays 10 bowl teams from last season, including defending Big 12 champion Oklahoma away from home. Ohio State gets a pair of back-to-back road game sets in this schedule, too, with Wisconsin-Penn State in October and Maryland-Michigan State in November. The Buckeyes also have Northwestern and Nebraska on the docket from the West, putting a lot of landmines between the season opener and the finale against Michigan at the Horseshoe.
3. Northwestern (87-56): Northwestern had better pick up quite a bit of momentum in September, when it hosts MAC riser Western Michigan, FCS school Illinois State, Duke and Nebraska at Ryan Field. In October, the schedule spikes with trips to Iowa, Michigan State and Ohio State. The schedule slacks off a bit after a home game against Wisconsin with the final trio of Purdue, Minnesota and Illinois, but reaching that point is going to be a monumental grind for the Wildcats.
4. Illinois (91-54): Lovie Smith's return to the college game will feature an intimidating schedule for his Illinois Fighting Illini, even with a high number of home contests on tap. Illinois hosts UNC and Western Michigan, two of the country's best offenses, in back-to-back weeks. In Big Ten play, the Illini draw Michigan and Michigan State, with a trip to Ann Arbor coming in the middle of a six-week streak of nothing but bowl opponents to end the 2016 campaign.
5. Nebraska (80-64): The two-game, all-Mountain West start of Fresno State and Wyoming drags down Nebraska's combined opponent record, but the Huskers more than make up for it down the stretch this year. Nebraska must travel to four different teams that won at least 10 games last season—Northwestern, Wisconsin, Ohio State and Iowa. Hosting Oregon in Week 3 will be quite challenging, too. With Nebraska's only off week coming between Illinois and Indiana in early October, the last few weeks of the season will be rough.
6. Rutgers (87-56): Rutgers will want to savor its extended home stands in 2016, because the times the Scarlet Knights hit the road will be quite demanding. The Scarlet Knights open the season at Pac-12 dark horse Washington, and they'll face Iowa, Ohio State (on the road) and Michigan in the span of three weeks in late September and early October. Rutgers also visits Michigan State later in the season. There are good-sized breaks between most of the road games, and Rutgers needs to take full advantage of those.
7. Michigan State (86-54): Spartan Stadium will be an extra-sweet home for Michigan State in 2016 as it looks to defend its Big Ten title. A Week 3 visit to Notre Dame will be the only road game against a projected preseason Top 25 team, as the Spartans host the likes of Wisconsin, BYU, Northwestern, Michigan and Ohio State this season. The overall degree of difficulty is great for the Spartans, but they'll get to take most of their biggest foes on in the comforts of their own stadium.
8. Penn State (88-67): There are no FCS foes on Penn State's schedule this season, which makes a nonconference slate that includes state rivals Pittsburgh and Temple loom even larger. That one-two Pennsylvania punch is followed by a trip to Michigan, but that will be it for the tough road tests in 2016 for the Nittany Lions. Ohio State, Iowa and Michigan State all come to Beaver Stadium in the back half of the season, which will be a big bonus for James Franklin and his team.
9. Michigan (78-76): Michigan's 2016 schedule is a tale of two halves. The nonconference slate—all home games—features teams that combined for a 7-30 record last season. The Wolverines open the Big Ten schedule with Penn State and Wisconsin at home and face Rutgers on October 8 for their first road game. But the back half is ridiculous, with a trip to Michigan State, Iowa and then Ohio State coming every other week for Jim Harbaugh's squad. Those road tests will definitely make or break Michigan's title chances.
10. Purdue (79-63): The schedule for the Boilermakers could be a lot tougher, considering they missed Ohio State, Michigan and Michigan State in cross-divisional play for 2016. The start to the season of Eastern Kentucky, Cincinnati and Nevada provides some opportunities to pick up wins before visiting Maryland and Illinois in back-to-back weeks. The rest of the schedule steps up in difficulty, with Purdue facing seven straight 2015 bowl opponents in seven straight weeks to finish the regular season.
11. Indiana (77-74): Indiana only plays six teams that went bowling in 2015, but the timing of the Hoosiers' biggest tests makes this a tougher schedule that it originally appears. After a softer nonconference slate, Indiana hosts Michigan State and travels to Ohio State in back-to-back weeks to open conference play. Nebraska and Northwestern are back-to-back as well, and a mid-November swing against Penn State and Michigan will be another quick-fire challenge for the Hoosiers.
12. Maryland (70-70): The Terps have a peculiar nonconference schedule in D.J. Durkin's first year as they host FCS doormat Howard—they lost 76-0 to Boston College last year—before visiting FIU and UCF in back-to-back weeks. Maryland gets two of the East's big three, Michigan State and Ohio State, at home, although a trip to Michigan will be tough right before having to host the Buckeyes. Penn State and Nebraska mark the other key Big Ten road trips for Maryland in 2016.
13. Iowa (66-72): Iowa's undefeated run in the regular season last year had a lot to do with its schedule, and the chance is there for a similar run in 2016 despite the addition of Michigan to the rotation. The Hawkeyes' toughest nonconference game comes against FCS dynasty North Dakota State, and the most intimidating matchup on their road slate is Penn State in early November. Northwestern, Wisconsin, Michigan and Nebraska all come to Iowa City in 2016. This shapes up well for another big year.
14. Minnesota (68-71): Minnesota won the cross-divisional lottery in the Big Ten this season by picking up Maryland and Rutgers along with an early-season road game at Penn State. In addition to avoiding the big boys out of the East, the Golden Gophers face Oregon State, Indiana State and Colorado State in the nonconference while only taking on one 10-win team from a season ago on the road—Wisconsin, which will end the season. Minnesota made a bowl game last year with a losing record, but this year will be a golden opportunity to return to above .500.
Big 12
3 of 5
1. Iowa State (86-56): The Matt Campbell era at Iowa State will be rough early on, as the Cyclones play nine different teams that made bowl games last season. After facing Northern Iowa, four of their next five games come against teams that are coming off 10-win campaigns—with three of them on the road at Iowa, TCU and Oklahoma State. The second half of the schedule is easier, but the front side would devour almost any team.
2. Oklahoma (87-67): In order for Oklahoma to make a return to the College Football Playoff this year, it'll have to navigate one of the toughest schedules in the entire country. Three of OU's first four opponents are Houston, Ohio State and TCU, which all figure to be Top 15 teams in 2016. OSU is the only home matchup in that treacherous start for the Sooners. The final stretch of the slate is more manageable, though, with fellow Big 12 contenders Baylor and Oklahoma State both coming to Norman.
3. Kansas (88-53): After the Jayhawks face FCS team Rhode Island to start 2016, they better hold on tight. Kansas' next eight games will be against opponents that went bowling last season, and that includes a four-week stretch of TCU, Baylor, Oklahoma State and Oklahoma. As Bleacher Report's Brian Pedersen wrote, the nation's longest losing streak (15 games) will most likely go well past 20 if Kansas can't pull off an early nonconference win.
4. Kansas State (80-60): Bill Snyder will need plenty of his signature magic away from home in 2016. Kansas State will get smacked in the mouth early with a Friday trip to defending Pac-12 champion Stanford in Week 1. The Wildcats should be able to recover, though, before their next huge test on October 15 at Oklahoma. November features a home game against Oklahoma State before massive showdowns at Baylor and TCU. All those road games will stack up on K-State.
5. Texas (89-64): Texas won't face an FCS team this season, and the Longhorns' nonconference slate features a home game against Notre Dame and a road trip to a Cal team in transition. Charlie Strong's team opens Big 12 play with a visit to Oklahoma State, which will be the toughest road game. Baylor and TCU have to come to Austin, and the Horns should have confidence against Oklahoma at the Cotton Bowl. The schedule has quite a number of dangers, but there are still plenty of chances to build momentum.
6. Oklahoma State (76-63): Although Oklahoma State has the unfortunate duty of playing Baylor, TCU and Oklahoma away from home this year, the Cowboys have some breathing room on its 2016 slate. Five of their first six games are all winnable home matchups, and road games at Kansas and KSU are preferable to having to visit TTU and WVU. TCU and Oklahoma road games in back-to-back weeks to end the season will be quite tough, but Okie State will be battle-tested by that point.
7. Texas Tech (79-61): If the Red Raiders' new starters can mesh well early on in 2016, they have a great chance to get off to a flying start—their first six games are against Stephen F. Austin, Arizona State, Louisiana Tech, Kansas, Kansas State and West Virginia. Any momentum early on will help in a late October/early November stretch that includes games versus Oklahoma, at TCU and at Oklahoma State. In-state rivals Texas and Baylor will come to Lubbock in November, providing better chances at a strong finish.
8. West Virginia (77-62): West Virginia's home draw is quite favorable this year, with Baylor, Oklahoma and TCU all having to visit the rowdy atmosphere of Morgantown in 2016. Three of the Mountaineers' first four games are at home, with the other one coming in nearby Maryland against BYU. West Virginia doesn't have a single set of back-to-back road games this season, making this a more than ideal slate by Big 12 standards.
9. TCU (70-69): This will be a fantastic year to have TCU season tickets, as the majority of the Horned Frogs' top games are in Fort Worth. September's lone road trip is at SMU, and Baylor is the only projected preseason Top 25 team that TCU will face away from home in the regular season. With bye weeks between the only back-to-back road games set on tap and right before the November home stretch, things are shaping up quite well for TCU from a schedule perspective.
10. Baylor (68-70): Nonconference schedules don't come softer than Baylor's, as the Bears open the 2016 season with the not-so-murderous row of FCS school Northwestern State, SMU and Rice. When it comes to Big 12 play, the Bears only have one major road test—November 12 at Oklahoma. Baylor gets a pair of off weeks and a game against Kansas before the tough stretch of Texas, TCU and Oklahoma, so the late-season grind that took out the injury-hampered Bears' playoff chances won't be as difficult in 2016.
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Pac-12
4 of 5
1. USC (101-58): Chris Low of ESPN.com called USC's nonconference schedule the toughest in college football for 2016. Bleacher Report's Brian Pedersen called its entire slate the hardest for 2016. It's hard to argue with either. Colorado is the only team on the Trojans' docket—which includes Alabama, Stanford, Oregon, Washington and Notre Dame on top of the Pac-12 South competition—that didn't make a bowl game last season. Clay Helton's first full season will be the ultimate test of the Trojans' strength from beginning to end.
2. Colorado (88-56): The Buffaloes need to see some sort of improvement under Mike MacIntyre this season, but the schedule isn't exactly conducive to that. Colorado faces 10 bowl teams from 2015 this year, with road trips to Michigan, Oregon, USC and Stanford coming within the span of six weeks. Oregon State will be a winnable game in that rough stretch, but even the home-heavy end to the schedule doesn't offer much hope for the Buffs right now.
3. Oregon State (87-56): The challenges will continue to pile up for Gary Andersen in year two after not taking home a single conference game in 2015. Only two opponents—FCS foe Idaho State and Colorado—didn't make bowl games last year. On top of the overall degree of difficulty for the 2016 schedule, the Beavers have to face preseason darling Washington, defending division winner Stanford and Pac-12 South contender UCLA on the road in four weeks' time.
4. Stanford (82-72): The combined opponents' record doesn't tell the whole story for the Cardinal, which face losing programs Colorado, Oregon State and Rice in the second half of the season. Instead, focus on the road matchups, which include UCLA and Washington in back-to-back weeks as well as Notre Dame and Oregon later in the year. Everyone in the Pac-12 will be gunning for Stanford's throne in 2016, and it'll get its opponents' best shots in a loaded schedule.
5. California (90-67): California has a huge transition ahead of it in 2016 as it rebuilds an offense that lost Jared Goff, plenty of top receivers and its coordinator. Fortunately, the Golden Bears will get more of their big tests at home, with USC and Washington State serving as their toughest road games. An early trip to SDSU will be tricky along with a home game against revenge-minded Texas, but Utah, Oregon, Washington, Stanford and UCLA all come to Berkeley this season.
6. UCLA (86-70): UCLA's schedule features nine bowl opponents from last year and a good-sized stretch of quality competition in the middle of the season, but there's hope for the Bruins to keep up momentum in this slate. UCLA gets UNLV between trips to Texas A&M and BYU, and it hosts both defending Pac-12 divisional champions Stanford and USC at the Rose Bowl. With a favorable road slate, UCLA could go on a strong run in the always-entertaining South race this fall.
7. Arizona State (80-63): A turnaround season for Arizona State could get off to a solid start, as the Sun Devils play Northern Arizona, Texas Tech, UTSA and Cal in September. A trip to USC follows, and they have to also face Oregon later in the month inside Autzen Stadium. But for the most part, Arizona State has enough breaks between tough road tests and challenging home games for it to have one of the more favorable schedules inside the Pac-12 South in 2016.
8. Oregon (76-67): Oregon got off to a slow start in the first half of the 2015 season and wasn't able to defend its Pac-12 title in the long run. This year, that should change. The Ducks host UC Davis, Virginia and Colorado in the first month of the season, and they have a winnable road contest at Nebraska as well. In the heart of the Pac-12 schedule, Oregon has to visit both USC and Utah in cross-divisional play, but its top rivals in the North division have to visit the Autzen Zoo this fall.
9. Washington (79-63): Washington is a top sleeper pick for the 2016 season, and the Huskies should be able to hit the ground running with a nonconference slate of Rutgers, Idaho and Portland State. Back-to-back games against Stanford and Oregon—the latter coming on the road—to close the first half will determine the true strength of UW's title chances. In the second half of the season, the Huskies get USC at home while having to travel to Utah and Washington State. The opportunity is there for Chris Petersen's team in 2016.
10. Arizona (78-66): Like its in-state rivals, Arizona is eyeing a bounce-back season, and getting to play all of its September games inside its home state is a picture-perfect way to get one of those started. The Wildcats will face UCLA and Utah on the road two straight weeks after that, but they only have two more true road games on the schedule. A bye week between home games against USC and Stanford will be huge, and the Wildcats will have plenty of opportunities to pick up big wins down the stretch.
11. Washington State (76-66): When one of the toughest road games of the entire season will come against Boise State, you know that team's got a favorable schedule in the Pac-12. No disrespect to the Broncos, but that matchup on the Smurf Turf and a early October trip to Stanford mark the toughest parts of a manageable road slate in 2016 for the Cougars. Oregon, UCLA and Washington all come to Pullman this go-around, which should provide a lot of #Pac12AfterDark fireworks in 2016.
12. Utah (74-69): While the easiest schedule in the Pac-12 is anything but simple, Utah has the advantage of getting to bring USC, Washington and Oregon to Salt Lake City while avoiding Stanford out of the North. The Holy War in Week 2 will be the toughest matchup in a nonconference trio that includes Southern Utah and San Jose State. There are still plenty of pitfalls in the bulk of the schedule, but the Utes know it could be a lot, lot worse in one of the nation's most competitive conferences.
SEC
5 of 5
Note: A complete breakdown of these SEC 2016 schedule rankings can be found here.
1. Ole Miss (97-46): From the virtual road game in Orlando against Florida State to the Egg Bowl finale, Ole Miss plays 10 different teams that went bowling last season. Memphis and Georgia Southern are two of the strongest Group of Five teams around, and the Rebels have to face the back-to-back pairings of Alabama-Georgia and Arkansas-LSU. Outside of Wofford and Vanderbilt, there's zero letup here.
2. Auburn (97-48): An even-numbered year means road games at rivals Georgia and Alabama for Auburn. As if that weren't tough enough, the Tigers start against defending national runner-up Clemson, which could be the No. 1 team in the country this preseason. While Auburn doesn't face back-to-back road games in its home-heavy slate, this has a claim to be one of the toughest schedules in the country for 2016.
3. Alabama (88-54): In order for Alabama to repeat as national champion in 2016, Nick Saban's team must prove itself to be filled with road warriors from the beginning. The Crimson Tide play projected Top 25 teams USC, Ole Miss, Tennessee and LSU all away from Bryant-Denny Stadium. Alabama should roll through its home slate, but there are plenty of obstacles outside of Tuscaloosa this year.
4. LSU (95-50): This is the perfect schedule for LSU to cash in on its huge amount of returning talent. The Bayou Bengals host both Alabama and Ole Miss this season, and their toughest nonconference game comes against Wisconsin at Lambeau Field in Week 1. The Tigers get breaks between road tests and has home games at the right spots. It's still brutal, but this is almost as favorable as it gets for an SEC West contender.
5. Arkansas (95-48): Outside of a trip in Week 2 to the always-dangerous TCU, Arkansas will get to bring most of its top competition to Fayetteville in 2016. But life in the SEC West is grueling no matter the location—the Hogs will face Ole Miss and Alabama in back-to-back weeks this season. Arkansas will undoubtedly be thankful for a home-heavy middle of a treacherous schedule.
6. Kentucky (84-59): For an SEC East team, Kentucky's 2016 slate is extremely tough. The Wildcats must face Alabama, Tennessee and hated rival Louisville away from home this fall. Throw in a road test against defending SEC East champion Florida and a home game against what should be a confident Georgia team late in the season, and Kentucky has the recipe for plenty of danger in 2016.
7. Mississippi State (79-61): Mississippi State's top-half spot in these rankings all comes down to location. The Bulldogs must travel to the three toughest teams in the SEC West—LSU, Alabama and Ole Miss. They'll also visit BYU on a Friday night in October on short rest, and there are only a couple of "gimme" home games on the 2016 slate for Dan Mullen's team.
8. Texas A&M (83-58): Kevin Sumlin will head into a crucial 2016 campaign knowing most of his team's biggest tests must come to face the 12th Man at Kyle Field. Defending national champion Alabama is the only projected Top 25 team the Aggies have to visit, but the home schedule is loaded with UCLA, Tennessee, Ole Miss and LSU all headed to College Station.
9. Tennessee (85-57): Tennessee faces one of the most unbalanced schedules in the entire country in 2016, opening with seven straight bowl teams—including a road game against Georgia and a home contest against Alabama. However, Appalachian State and Ohio's 2015 records make this schedule tougher on paper than it actually is, and the Vols close the year with five opponents that combined for a 21-37 record in 2015.
10. Vanderbilt (81-60): Vanderbilt has to take on two sets of back-to-back road challenges in SEC play this season—division foes Kentucky and Georgia, followed later by Auburn and Missouri. Ole Miss and Tennessee must come to Nashville, but a nonconference slate against MTSU, WKU and Georgia Tech could sink the Commodores' bowl hopes before they even begin.
11. South Carolina (82-59): A road-heavy start to the season will put Will Muschamp through the wringer early, but his Gamecocks also get the luxury of five straight home games in six weeks this season, including key divisional matchups against Georgia and Tennessee. And while it will be a doozy, the season finale against Clemson is Carolina's only road game this year against a projected Top 25 team.
12. Missouri (74-65): The Tigers' quest to return to bowl eligibility in 2016 won't be a breeze, but they'll have the advantage of having all their major tests spread out on the schedule. Games against teams such as Eastern Michigan, Delaware State and MTSU will break up any potential back-to-backs against the likes of Georgia, LSU and Tennessee in conference play.
13. Georgia (71-68): Kirby Smart doesn't necessarily get to ease into things at Georgia, which opens with North Carolina in Atlanta and faces a one-two punch of Ole Miss and Tennessee a few weeks later. But the back half of the home-heavy schedule is picture-perfect for picking up big wins, as the Bulldogs will play teams that combined for a 19-30 record in November.
14. Florida (67-69): The Gators are the only team in the SEC whose 2016 opponents combined for a losing record last season, and only five of them went bowling. Florida will surely be tested away from The Swamp against Tennessee, Georgia and Florida State, but a nonconference schedule that includes UMass, North Texas and Presbyterian anchors the Gators here.
Justin Ferguson is a National College Football Analyst at Bleacher Report. You can follow him on Twitter @JFergusonBR.
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