2026 Way-Too-Early Strength of Schedule Rankings (Power Four Edition)

The National Championship Game just happened a couple of weeks ago. The Rosters still haven’t been finalized yet with multiple potential assets still awaiting to make their decision in the portal! That being said, now that we have witnessed every Power Conference Team released their schedule with dates of every game being played… we can now start to speculate how navigable or difficult each team’s regular season is going to be.

While this will be updated multiple times leading up to the start of the season (Once in March when we do a full fledged First Look Series and another time in July), I wanted to provide a retrospect on where I believe every team stands based on the final 2025 Season performance of every team in the FBS! I also want to give people an idea of what I believe will be the easiest non-FCS Game of the year as well as the toughest game of the season that each Power Conference Team will experience.

With all that out of the way, here is my Full Power Four Strength of Schedule Rankings as of Late January:

68) Texas Tech Red Raiders

1. Easiest Game: Sam Houston
2. Toughest Game: Arizona

67) Virginia Cavaliers

1. Easiest Game: Delaware
2. Toughest Game: AT SMU

66) Pitt Panthers

1. Easiest Game: Miami (OH)
2. Toughest Game: AT Miami (FL)

65) NC State Wolfpack

1. Easiest Game: Appalachian State
2. Toughest Game: AT Vanderbilt

64) SMU Mustangs

1. Easiest Game: Missouri State
2. Toughest Game: AT Notre Dame

63) Houston Cougars

1. Easiest Game: Oregon State
2. Toughest Game: AT Texas Tech

62) UCF Knights

1. Easiest Game: Georgia State
2. Toughest Game: BYU

61) Notre Dame Fighting Irish

1. Easiest Game: Rice
2. Toughest Game: Miami (FL)

60) Clemson Tigers

1. Easiest Game: Georgia Southern
2. Toughest Game: Miami (FL)

59) Penn State Nittany Lions

1. Easiest Game: Buffalo
2. Toughest Game: AT Washington

58) Cal Bears

1. Easiest Game: AT Syracuse
2. Toughest Game: AT SMU

57) Kansas State Wildcats

1. Easiest Game: Oklahoma State
2. Toughest Game: AT Iowa State

56) Miami Hurricanes

1. Easiest Game: Central Michigan
2. Toughest Game: AT Notre Dame

55) Utah Utes

1. Easiest Game: AT Colorado
2. Toughest Game: BYU

54) Kansas Jayhawks

1. Easiest Game: Middle Tennessee State
2. Toughest Game: AT Utah

53) Rutgers Scarlet Knights

1. Easiest Game: UMass
2. Toughest Game: Indiana

52) Maryland Terrapins

1. Easiest Game: AT Purdue
2. Toughest Game: AT Ohio State

51) Wisconsin Badgers

1. Easiest Game: Eastern Michigan
2. Toughest Game: VS Notre Dame (Neutral Site)

50) Louisville Cardinals

1. Easiest Game: AT Syracuse
2. Toughest Game: VS Ole Miss (Neutral Site)

49) Wake Forest Demon Deacons

1. Easiest Game: Akron
2. Toughest Game: Miami (FL)

48) Illinois Fighting Illini

1. Easiest Game: UAB
2. Toughest Game: AT Ohio State

47) Iowa State Cyclones

1. Easiest Game: Bowling Green
2. Toughest Game: Utah

46) Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets

1. Easiest Game: Colorado
2. Toughest Game: AT Georgia

45) UCLA Bruins

1. Easiest Game: Nevada
2. Toughest Game: AT Oregon

44) Oklahoma State Cowboys

1. Easiest Game: AT Tulsa
2. Toughest Game: Texas Tech

43) Arizona State Sun Devils

1. Easiest Game: Oklahoma State
2. Toughest Game: AT Texas Tech

42) Iowa Hawkeyes

1. Easiest Game: Northern Illinois
2. Toughest Game: Ohio State

41) Duke Blue Devils

1. Easiest Game: North Carolina
2. Toughest Game: AT Miami (FL)

40) Virginia Tech Hokies

1. Easiest Game: AT Maryland
2. Toughest Game: AT Miami (FL)

39) BYU Cougars

1. Easiest Game: AT Colorado State
2. Toughest Game: AT Utah

38) Oregon Ducks

1. Easiest Game: AT Oklahoma State
2. Toughest Game: AT Ohio State

37) West Virginia Mountaineers

1. Easiest Game: Coastal Carolina
2. Toughest Game: AT Texas Tech

36) TCU Horned Frogs

1. Easiest Game: Arkansas State
2. Toughest Game: AT Texas Tech

35) Syracuse Orange

1. Easiest Game: Cal
2. Toughest Game: Notre Dame

34) Baylor Bears

1. Easiest Game: Colorado
2. Toughest Game: Texas Tech

33) Vanderbilt Commodores

1. Easiest Game: Delaware
2. Toughest Game: AT Georgia

32) Indiana Hoosiers

1. Easiest Game: Purdue
2. Toughest Game: Ohio State

31) Colorado Buffaloes

1. Easiest Game: AT Oklahoma State
2. Toughest Game: Texas Tech

30) Minnesota Golden Gophers

1. Easiest Game: Akron
2. Toughest Game: AT Indiana

29) South Carolina Gamecocks

1. Easiest Game: Kent State
2. Toughest Game: Georgia

28) Boston College Eagles

1. Easiest Game: Syracuse
2. Toughest Game: AT Notre Dame

27) Texas A&M Aggies

1. Easiest Game: Missouri State
2. Toughest Game: AT Alabama

26) Florida State Seminoles

1. Easiest Game: New Mexico State
2. Toughest Game: AT Miami

25) Missouri Tigers

1. Easiest Game: Troy
2. Toughest Game: AT Ole Miss

24) Auburn Tigers

1. Easiest Game: Southern Miss
2. Toughest Game: AT Ole Miss

23) Ole Miss Rebels

1. Easiest Game: Charlotte
2. Toughest Game: AT Vanderbilt

22) Cincinnati Bearcats

1. Easiest Game: Colorado
2. Toughest Game: Texas Tech

21) Arizona Wildcats

1. Easiest Game: Northern Illinois
2. Toughest Game: AT Texas Tech

20) Tennessee Volunteers

1. Easiest Game: Kennesaw State
2. Toughest Game: AT Vanderbilt

19) Stanford Cardinal

1. Easiest Game: Hawaii
2. Toughest Game: AT Notre Dame

18) LSU Tigers

1. Easiest Game: Louisiana Tech
2. Toughest Game: AT Ole Miss

17) North Carolina Tar Heels

1. Easiest Game: Syracuse
2. Toughest Game: Notre Dame

16) Alabama Crimson Tide

1. Easiest Game: AT Mississippi State
2. Toughest Game: AT Vanderbilt

15) Mississippi State Bulldogs

1. Easiest Game: UL Monroe
2. Toughest Game: AT Ole Miss

14) Oklahoma Sooners

1. Easiest Game: UTEP
2. Toughest Game: AT Georgia

13) Kentucky Wildcats

1. Easiest Game: South Alabama
2. Toughest Game: Vanderbilt

12) Michigan State Spartans

1. Easiest Game: Eastern Michigan
2. Toughest Game: AT Notre Dame

11) Northwestern Wildcats

1. Easiest Game: Ball State
2. Toughest Game: AT Indiana

10) Washington Huskies

1. Easiest Game: AT Purdue
2. Toughest Game: Indiana

9) Georgia Bulldogs

1. Easiest Game: Western Kentucky
2. Toughest Game: AT Ole Miss

8) Nebraska Cornhuskers

1. Easiest Game: Bowling Green
2. Toughest Game: Indiana

7) Florida Gators

1. Easiest Game: Florida Atlantic
2. Toughest Game: Ole Miss

6) USC Trojans

1. Easiest Game: Louisiana*
2. Toughest Game: AT Indiana

*Subject To Change as USC is slated to play in Week 0 with TBD Opponent

5) Ohio State Buckeyes

1. Easiest Game: Ball State
2. Toughest Game: AT Indiana

4) Purdue Boilermakers

1. Easiest Game: Maryland
2. Toughest Game: AT Indiana

3) Arkansas Razorbacks

1. Easiest Game: Tulsa
2. Toughest Game: AT Utah

2) Texas Longhorns

1. Easiest Game: Texas State
2. Toughest Game: Ohio State

1) Michigan Wolverines

1. Easiest Game: UTEP
2. Toughest Game: Indiana