College Football: Top-25 toughest schedules for 2021 season

Phil Steele, one of the college football’s most well-known writers, put together a list of the toughest schedules in college football in his annual preview. Steele’s ratings take into nine sets of power ratings and game location (home or away).

Strength of schedule is a frequent topic of discussion in college football. With so many teams fighting for just four College Football Playoff spots, it can often be a determining factor among the committee. Thus, securing a spot among the college football top-25 toughest schedules can be a resume-building achievement.

Let’s take a look at the top-25 schedules in college football for 2021:

25. Mississippi State Bulldogs: Mississippi State’s non-conference schedule includes Louisiana Tech, NC State, Memphis and Tennessee State. Couple that with eight SEC teams and it’s clear why the Bulldogs make this list.

24. USC Trojans: A matchup with Notre Dame set for Oct. 23 pushes USC into the college football top-25 schedules. The Trojans also face BYU and have a Pac-12 contest scheduled against Utah.

23. Notre Dame Fighting Irish: It’s funny the Irish and Trojans play each other and are back to back on this list. Notre Dame is back to being independent after a stint in the ACC in 2020. Other big games include Cincinnati, Florida State and Wisconsin.

22. South Carolina Gamecocks: South Carolina faces Clemson in its final game of the season on Nov. 27. That as well as SEC foes Georgia, Florida and Texas A&M will make things difficult.

21. Penn State Nittany Lions: The marquee non-conference game for the Nittany Lions is Sept. 18 against Auburn. They’ll also face national title contender Ohio State in Big Ten play.

20. Tulane Green Wave: Tulane tried to make the most of its non-conference, scheduling games against Oklahoma and Ole Miss. The lone Group of 5 team among the college football top-25 schedules, the Green Wave also have to take on Cincinnati in AAC play.

19. Alabama Crimson Tide: Alabama kicks off its season with a game against D’Eriq King and the Miami Hurricanes. That’s one fans won’t want to miss.

18. Iowa Hawkeyes: The Hawkeyes luckily avoid playing Ohio State in conference play. However, in-state rival Iowa State isn’t a much better matchup for them.

17. Oklahoma State Cowboys: The Cowboys get Boise State and Tulsa in the non-conference portion of their 2021 slate. Then they have to turn around and play both Iowa State and Oklahoma.

16. LSU Tigers: The Tigers face UCLA in the non-conference and have a brutal SEC schedule. They are one of six SEC squads to make the list of college football’s top-25 toughest schedules.

15. Baylor Bears: Baylor’s toughest opponent outside of Big 12 play is BYU. But the Bears must go through the gauntlet of Iowa State, Oklahoma and Texas.

14. Florida State Seminoles: UCF transfer quarterback McKenzie Milton will be thrown into the fire right away. In addition to Clemson and Miami in ACC play, the Seminoles also face Florida and Notre Dame outside of the conference.

13. UCLA Bruins: The Bruins see Oregon, USC and Utah in the Pac-12. LSU is their toughest non-conference foe.

12. Michigan Wolverines: The Wolverines’ non-conference schedule includes Northern Illinois, Washington and Western Michigan. Add in a matchup with Ohio State and it’s easy to see why Michigan makes the college football top-25 toughest schedules.

11. Texas Longhorns: Is Texas back? We’ll find out how the Longhorns compare to Big 12 favorites Oklahoma and Iowa State this season.

10. Nebraska Cornhuskers: Nebraska is set to face former Big 12 foe Oklahoma on Sept. 18 in a matchup that fans of both teams have been asking for since the Huskers left the conference. Add in Ohio State and that’s two potential playoff teams on tap for the Huskers.

9. Colorado Buffaloes: Minnesota and Texas A&M are on the schedule for the Buffaloes in the early season. They also see Oregon, USC and Utah in the Pac-12.

8. Stanford Cardinal: Stanford’s non-conference schedule is made up completely of Power Five schools. One of the strongest on the college football top-25 schedule list, the Cardinal face Kansas State, Notre Dame and Vanderbilt.

7. Arizona Wildcats: The Wildcats kick off the season with a game against BYU and see Oregon, USC and Utah in Pac-12 play.

6. Kansas State Wildcats: Stanford and Nevada in the non-conference. Add in the rest of the nine Big 12 squads and K-State’s schedule looks difficult.

5. Purdue Boilermakers: Purdue’s non-conference schedule is made up of Connecticut, Notre Dame and Oregon State. Pair that with their Big Ten slate and it’s not difficult to see why they crack the top 5.

4. Kansas Jayhawks: The Jayhawks haven’t had a winning season since 2008 and with the fourth-toughest schedule in the nation it doesn’t look like that will change in 2021.

3. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets: The Yellow Jackets’ schedule includes Clemson, Georgia, North Carolina and Notre Dame. Yikes.

2. Auburn Tigers: Alabama, Georgia, LSU and Texas A&M in the SEC plus Penn State in nonconference. The Tigers have a tough road ahead.

1. Arkansas Razorbacks: It was just last season that Razorback athletic director Hunter Yurachek claimed that Arkansas had the toughest schedule in college football history. This year they claim the No. 1 spot with games against Alabama, Georgia, LSU, Texas A&M and Texas.