Top 5 college football teams facing the toughest schedules in 2025

The College Football season begins this weekend with an appetizer of five games before each of 136 teams in the 10 conferences kickoff their season next weekend.

Season kicks off in Ireland

The season will start with a Top 25 matchup between two Big 12 teams from Dublin, Ireland. The Iowa State Cyclones and the Kansas State Wildcats open the new season with a conference showdown as both teams begin the season with the goal of making it to the College Football Playoff.

The Big 12 is one of the power conferences in football, but lately they have been getting outshined by the SEC, and the Big Ten. Since the first CFP title game in 2014 there have 9 champions out of wither the SEC or Big Ten. The only team to win outside of those conferences were the Clemson Tigers out of the ACC.

Coming into the first week of the season, there are 10 SEC teams and 6 Big 10 teams in the Top 25. It should come as no surprise that teams in both of those conferences have the toughest schedules in the nation.

College football’s toughest schedules

South Carolina has a tough out of conference schedule, and a brutal last half of the season in which they will play six ranked teams in their final seven games of the season. Their final game, against bitter rivals Clemson in what could determine a playoff spot for both teams.

Defending champions Ohio State start off with a bang against the top ranked team Texas. Their out of conference schedule isn’t too daunting, but having to play Illinois on the road and No. 2 Penn State at the Horseshoe isn’t going to be easy. Then they finish the season with the most famous rivalry in college football, playing Michigan at the Big House.

More than half of Florida’s schedule is against Top 25 teams. They have their regular gauntly of SEC games, but will also play No. 10 Miami and then finish off with Florida State, who is unranked at the start of the season, but that very well could change by then.

Wisconsin isn’t ranked, but the way their schedule is set up they could be within a few weeks. A couple of warm up games will prepare them for a match up with Alabama and then get into their Big Ten schedule.

The LSU Tigers start their season with a massive match up against the Clemson. After that six of their final 11 games against against Top 25 teams ending with the No 18. Oklahoma Sooners.

Obviously, these rankings can and will change, but before a snap has been taken, these are looking like college football’s most brutal schedules.

No. 13 South Carolina’s schedule

vs. Virginia Tech

vs. SC State

vs. Vanderbilt

@ Missouri

vs. Kentucky

@ No. 9 LSU

vs. No. 18 Oklahoma

vs. No. 8 Alabama

@ No. 21 Ole Miss

@ No. 19 Texas A&M

vs. Coastal Carolina

vs. No. 4 Clemson

No 3. Ohio State’s schedule

vs. No. 1 Texas

vs. Grambling

vs. Ohio

@ Washington

vs. Minnesota

@ No. 12 Illinois

@ Wisconsin

vs. No. 2 Penn State

@ Purdue

vs. UCLA

vs. Rutgers

@ No. 14 Michigan

No. 15 Florida’s schedule

vs. Long Island

vs. South Florida

@ No. 19 LSU

@ No. 10 Miami

vs. No. 1 Texas

vs. No. 19 Texas A&M

vs. Mississippi St.

vs. No. 5 Georgia

@ Kentucky

@ No. 21 Ole Miss

@ No. 24 Tennessee

vs. Florida State

Wisconsin’s schedule

vs. Miami (OH)

vs. Middle Tennessee

@ No. 8 Alabama

vs. Maryland

@ No. 14 Michigan

vs. Iowa

vs. No. 3 Ohio State

@ No. 7 Oregon

vs. Washington

@ No. 20 Indiana

vs. No 12 Illinois

@ Minnesota

No. 9 LSU’s schedule

@ No. 4 Clemson

vs. Louisiana Tech

vs. No. 15 Florida

vs. SE Louisiana

@ No. 21 Ole Miss

vs. No. 13 South Carolina

@ Vanderbilt

vs. No. 19 Texas A&M

@ No. 8 Alabama

vs. Arkansas

vs. Western Kentucky

@ No. 18 Oklahoma

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