Ranking SEC schedules from easiest to hardest

Which SEC team has the toughest 2025 football schedule? Which one has the easiest? Where does Texas rank compared to rivals Texas A&M and Oklahoma? The current eight-game non-conference schedule can bring a lot of variables into the equation. And there is no set blue print on how strong a non-conference schedule should be.

Every SEC team except Texas faces at least one FCS opponent, which amounts to a third bye week. Several teams have a least one huge non-conference game. Two SEC teams face Notre Dame and two face Clemson. Texas and Oklahoma face off against Ohio State and Michigan, respectively.

How should ‘strength of schedule’ be calculated three and a half months before the season even starts? The conference will likely have three or four teams in the preseason Top 10 when it comes out in August. Any conference team that faces all four will certainly have a harder schedule than those that face one or two.

We have put the schedules of all 16 SEC teams under the microscope and with an assist from USA TODAY Sports, we have the ultimate preseason schedule ranking.

Methodology

To try to keep the ranking as scientific as possible, we will use the recent post-spring USA TODAY Sports 1-136 re-rank as our guide. The higher the opponent ranking, the more points that are assigned to the schedule difficulty.

Teams ranked 1-10 get 5 pointsTeams ranked 11-25 get 4 pointsTeams ranked 26-50 get 3 pointsTeams ranked 51-90 get 2 pointsTeams ranked 91-136 get 1 pointTeams that in the Football Championship Subdivision get 0 pointsRoad games get .5 points added (Unless FCS opponent)DateOpponentAug. 30CENTRAL ARKANSAS (NR/0)Sept. 6KANSAS (45/3)Sept. 13UL-LAFAYETTE (61/2)Sept. 20SOUTH CAROLINA (27/3)Sept. 27UMASS (134/1)Oct. 4Open DateOct. 11ALABAMA (10/5)Oct. 18at Auburn (35/3.5)Oct. 25at Vanderbilt (82/2.5)Nov. 1Open DateNov. 8TEXAS A&M…


Source link : https://longhornswire.usatoday.com/story/sports/college/longhorns/football/2025/05/13/ranking-sec-schedules-from-easiest-to-hardest/83587980007/

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Publish date : 2025-05-13 08:57:00

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