College Football 2011: 25 Toughest Back-to-Back Games Any Team Will Face in 2011
The criticism: BCS teams who schedule cupcakes to pick up easy victories.
They exist on every big-time program’s schedule.
However, take a closer look and you’ll see some outstanding back-to-back games for many of the nation’s best teams.
How about this three-game stretch for the Miami Hurricanes -- at No. 25 Virginia Tech (Oct. 8), at North Carolina (Oct. 15), and Georgia Tech (Oct. 22)? That doesn’t even come close to making the top 25 toughest back-to-back games in 2011.
Neither does top-ranked Oklahoma’s early season run at No. 17 Florida State (Sept. 17) and No. 22 Missouri (Sept. 24).
Of course, the SEC dominates the list.
25. Nebraska
1 of 25
Tough stretch: at No. 15 Wisconsin (Oct. 1), No. 5 Ohio State (Oct. 8)
Welcome to the Big Ten.
The Cornhuskers are a big-time program that has a history of these types of challenges.
It also helps that Bo Pelini was schooled in the Big Ten and SEC, so he understands what it takes to get his team pumped up for these games.
24. Purdue
2 of 25
Tough stretch: at No. 15 Wisconsin (Nov. 5), No. 5 Ohio State (Nov. 12), Iowa (Nov. 19)
The Boilermakers are Big Ten bottom feeders and a 0-3 run in these late-season games is why Danny Hope’s team will finish with a losing record.
Something just doesn’t seem fair about making Purdue go back-to-back with arguably the best two Big Ten teams.
23. Texas A&M
3 of 25
Tough stretch: No. 7 Oklahoma State (Sept. 24), vs. No. 14 Arkansas (Oct. 1)
The Aggies are a dark horse to win the Big 12 and maybe even back into the BCS Championship Game.
If Mike Sherman’s team survives this mid-season run things could interesting.
Since the renewal of the rivalry with Arkansas in 2009, the Aggies have not won. That should end this season.
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22. Clemson
4 of 25
Tough stretch: No. 19 Auburn (Sept. 17), No. 17 Florida State (Sept. 24), at No. 25 Virginia Tech (Oct. 1)
One week Dabo Swinney is on the hot seat, and then the next week he’s not.
If the third-year coach motivates his young Tigers to handle two big home games with the defending national champs and the ACC favorite their reward is a road trip to Blacksburg.
This has disaster written all over it.
21. USC
5 of 25
Tough stretch: at No. 16 Notre Dame (Oct. 22), No. 8 Stanford (Oct. 29)
The Trojans are in their final year of a two-year stretch of no bowl games for the naughty things Pete Carroll did.
In his first season, Lane Kiffin did OK, but not great.
He could really use some big wins to propel the program back onto stable ground.
Playing at a big rival like Notre Dame right before a huge Pac-12 game with Stanford is a tough road, even when you’re USC.
20. LSU
6 of 25
Tough stretch: at No. 20 Mississippi State (Sept. 15), at No. 23 WVU (Sept. 24)
Here is the first of many SEC teams on this list.
The Tigers may have the toughest schedule in the country, but the balance between elite teams and middle of the pack teams is manageable.
Les Miles’ team is also fortunate to get a little extra rest after playing at Mississippi State on a Thursday before making the trek north to Morgantown to take on the Mountaineers.
WVU played well enough to win at Tiger Stadium last year, so LSU will have to be ready.
19. Wisconsin
7 of 25
Tough stretch: at No. 21 Michigan State (Oct. 22), at No. 5 Ohio State (Oct. 29)
The new-look Big Ten has created a few more back-to-back challenges than in the past.
The Badgers must travel to two of the conference’s better teams and consecutive losses would not be a shock.
Take a closer look and Wisconsin may get two programs that are reeling in October.
18. Michigan
8 of 25
Tough stretch: No. 13 Nebraska (Nov. 19), No. 5 Ohio State (Nov. 26)
The Big Ten may not get the respect of the SEC, but the Wolverines are the fourth team from the conference to make the cut.
Normally Michigan would be considered one of those tough games, but not this year.
Instead, Brady Hoke gets to close the season with newcomer Nebraska and long-time rival Ohio State.
This would be a great year to be a season ticket holder at Michigan … now if the Wolverines can figure out a way to win.
17. Tulsa
9 of 25
Tough stretch: No. 7 Oklahoma State (Sept. 17), at No. 12 Boise State (Sept. 24)
Tulsa is our first non-BCS team to make the cut.
The Golden Hurricane aren’t messing around this September when they host Oklahoma State and travel to Boise the next week.
Tulsa is no easy mark for these higher-ranked opponents, especially after going 10-3 last year.
Even so, that’s a tough stretch for any team.
16. Penn State
10 of 25
Tough stretch: No. 13 Nebraska (Nov. 12), at No. 5 Ohio State (Nov. 19), at No. 15 Wisconsin (Nov. 26)
The Nittany Lions, in what could be Joe Paterno’s last season, will end 2011 on a wicked three-game run that includes road games at two of the most hostile environments in the Big Ten.
Did they let some fan from Pitt come up with this schedule?
Starting with Nebraska on Nov. 12, the Nittany Lions may be fighting for their bowl lives.
The odds have to be on Penn State going 0-3.
15. Alabama
11 of 25
Tough stretch: No. 4 LSU (Nov. 5), at No. 20 Mississippi State (Nov. 12)
Games like this are nothing new for Nick Saban’s teams.
What the Alabama coach doesn’t like are all the opponents who get bye weeks before playing the Crimson Tide. It might sound like sour grapes, but it’s hard to disagree with him.
The LSU game may decide the SEC West, but win or lose Alabama has to prepare itself for a stiff challenge at Mississippi State the next week.
That’s SEC football for you.
14. Toledo
12 of 25
Tough stretch: at No. 5 Ohio State (Sept. 10), No. 12 Boise State (Sept. 17), at Syracuse (Sept. 24)
Another non-BCS team and this one is a good three-game run.
Don’t laugh at the Syracuse contest. The Orange will be solid again this season under Doug Marrone.
What makes the Syracuse game worthy of mention is it falls right after games with Ohio State and Boise State.
Toledo is going to be banged up after those two and the Orange will be ready to pounce.
13. Georgia
13 of 25
Tough stretch: vs. No. 12 Boise State (Sept. 3), No. 6 South Carolina (Sept. 10)
If Georgia hadn’t agreed to play Boise in the Chick-fil-A season opener, the Bulldogs’ schedule would have been pretty manageable.
Instead, hot-seat candidate Mark Richt runs the risk of opening the season 0-2. How loud will those calls for his head be then?
Richt is a bright coach and he’s had a lot of time to get ready for the Broncos. Just like every other coach in America, he’s watched what Boise has done in these situations in the past.
Richt will have the Bulldogs ready.
12. Arizona
14 of 25
Tough stretch: at No. 7 Oklahoma State (Sept. 8), No. 8 Stanford (Sept. 17), No. 2 Oregon (Sept. 24), at USC (Oct. 1)
A four-game stretch against teams that could all be ranked by the end of the season is not the best ride for Wildcats.
Arizona has Nick Foles at quarterback and if the Wildcats play like the 2009 version, they just may survive these games at 3-1 or 2-2.
If we see the team that stunk up the field the second-half of 2011 and 1-3 is a best-case.
11. Florida Atlantic
15 of 25
Tough stretch: at No. 10 Florida (Sept. 3), at No. 21 Michigan State (Sept. 10)
This is the final non-BCS program and the reason FAU is so high up the list is not simply because of the games with Florida and Michigan State.
After back-to-back road games with those two powers, the Owls get a bye week before traveling to Auburn on Sept. 24.
Howard Schnellenberger has been coaching a long time and even he has to realize these games are pay days, not victories.
10. Mississippi State
16 of 25
Tough stretch: No. 2 Alabama (Nov. 12), at No. 14 Arkansas (Nov. 19)
Dan Mullen has spent the past two-plus years recruiting the right players and coaching them up so they would be ready for big games like this.
The Bulldogs will get Alabama at an opportune time and don’t be shocked when they pull off this upset.
What the SEC schedule does to you, though, is you can’t rest. Traveling to Arkansas the next week is brutal.
9. Mississippi
17 of 25
Tough stretch: No. 2 Alabama (Oct. 15), No. 14 Arkansas (Oct. 22), at No. 19 Auburn (Oct. 29)
By October, Ole Miss should have its quarterback situation figured out. But will it really matter that much when these games roll around?
Houston Nutt sure hopes so, because the high-priced coach may get the boot if his team goes 0-3 here.
At least two of three will be played at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Or is that a good thing?
8. Missouri
18 of 25
Tough stretch: No. 7 Oklahoma State (Oct. 22), at No. 9 Texas A&M (Oct. 29)
About this time last year, Missouri officials probably figured they’d be playing a Big Ten schedule this season.
So as some sort of cosmic punishment, the Big 12 schedule makers presented the Tigers with consecutive Top 10 opponents.
Missouri seems to find a way to win one of these once in awhile. Going 1-1 would be huge.
7. Arkansas
19 of 25
Tough stretch: at No. 2 Alabama (Sept. 24), vs. No. 9 Texas A&M (Oct. 1), No. 19 Auburn (Oct. 8)
The Razorbacks were a BCS team last year, so they should be used to playing big games.
But there’s just something menacing about this three-game run that seems a bit unfair.
Start with Alabama, which will be healthy and at home.
Follow that up with a big rivalry game with Texas A&M, a team that hasn’t defeated Arkansas the past two seasons.
Mix in a home game against the defending national champs and Arkansas’ season could be in ruins early.
6. Auburn
20 of 25
Tough stretch: at No. 6 South Carolina (Oct. 1), at No. 14 Arkansas (Oct. 8), No. 10 Florida (Oct. 15), at No. 4 LSU (Oct. 22)
One of the biggest challenges of being the reigning champ is you have that target on your back every week.
Gene Chizik and his team may think they are ready for that challenge, but then comes that part of the schedule that every coach just wants to survive.
South Carolina, Arkansas, Florida and LSU all believe they can win the SEC next year.
Good luck Auburn.
5. Texas
21 of 25
Tough stretch: vs. No. 1 Oklahoma (Oct. 8), No. 7 Oklahoma State (Oct. 15)
If Texas plays the way everyone knows it can play, these games are potential wins.
Now, if the Longhorns play like the 2010 version, these games won’t even be close.
Texas will likely be somewhere in between and be competitive in both.
4. Kansas
22 of 25
Tough stretch: at No. 7 Oklahoma State (Oct. 8), No. 1 Oklahoma (Oct. 15)
Why is Kansas ranked higher than Texas while playing the same two teams?
Simple, these two games are tougher for Kansas than Texas.
Turner Gill’s team has less talent and they have to travel to Oklahoma State. Gill is trying to build something at Kansas, but his team isn’t ready for these back-to-backers.
3. Florida
23 of 25
Tough stretch: No. 2 Alabama (Oct. 1), at No. 4 LSU (Oct. 8), at No. 19 Auburn (Oct. 15)
From here on out it is all SEC.
Maybe this is why Urban Meyer resigned. He looked at the schedule and saw back-to-back-to-back games with Alabama, at LSU and at Auburn.
Even by Florida standards this is as tough as it gets.
When Will Muschamp reads this tomorrow it may be the first time he realizes these three games are right after another.
2. Kentucky
24 of 25
Tough stretch: Louisville (Sept. 17), No. 10 Florida (Sept. 24), at No. 4 LSU (Oct. 1), at No. 6 South Carolina (Oct. 8)
Don’t chuckle at the Louisville game being on here. The Cardinals and Wildcats have a nice little rivalry and this game is important.
But Kentucky can’t forget the unbelievable SEC slate that follows.
Joker Phillips is doing his best to elevate the talent and expectations in Lexington. Go 0-4 here and a lot of people may stop listening to him.
1. Tennessee
25 of 25
Tough stretch: No. 24 Georgia (Oct. 8), No. 4 LSU (Oct. 15), at No. 2 Alabama (Oct. 22), No. 6 South Carolina (Oct. 29)
Second-year coach Derek Dooley can’t seem to catch a break.
Since taking over Tennessee, Dooley and the Volunteers seem to keep getting bad news.
Facing three of the top six teams in three consecutive weeks is … well, there may not be a word for it.
If the Volunteers go 2-2 Dooley should be the SEC Coach of the Year.
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