College Football

Strength of Schedule

A 12-2 season means nothing until you know who the 14 opponents were. This is every FBS schedule measured by our Glicko ratings: the average strength of the opponents actually faced, the record against the model's top 25, and FCS paydays counted honestly. It is the evidence under every rankings-vs-committee argument.

The gauntlet: Wisconsin faced the toughest slate in the country (average opponent 1612), while Ohio is the softest schedule inside our top 25, ranked just 119th of 136.

2025 season · through January 20, 2026 · 136 FBS teams

#	Team	Rec	SOS	vs Top 25	FCS	Model
1	Wisconsin Big Ten	4-8	1612	2-6	·	#83
2	Purdue Big Ten	2-10	1608	0-6	1	#130
3	Florida SEC	4-8	1601	1-4	1	#77
4	Arkansas SEC	2-10	1596	0-4	1	#108
5	Rutgers Big Ten	5-7	1590	1-5	1	#79
6	UCLA Big Ten	3-9	1586	0-4	·	#97
7	Ohio State Big Ten	12-2	1586	5-2	1	#3
8	South Carolina SEC	4-8	1586	0-4	1	#76
9	Alabama SEC	11-4	1585	2-3	1	#10
10	Indiana Big Ten	16-0	1585	7-0	1	#2
11	Kentucky SEC	5-7	1584	0-3	1	#85
12	Miami ACC	13-3	1583	4-2	1	#11
13	Oklahoma SEC	10-3	1582	2-3	1	#18
14	Oregon Big Ten	13-2	1582	4-2	1	#1
15	Syracuse ACC	3-9	1579	0-3	1	#90
16	LSU SEC	7-6	1577	0-4	1	#42
17	Mississippi State SEC	5-8	1574	0-4	1	#104
18	West Virginia Big 12	4-8	1574	0-5	1	#86
19	Georgia SEC	12-2	1573	3-2	1	#4
20	Illinois Big Ten	9-4	1568	0-3	1	#25
21	Colorado Big 12	3-9	1567	0-3	·	#102
22	Ole Miss SEC	13-2	1566	4-2	1	#5
23	Virginia Tech ACC	3-9	1565	0-1	1	#107
24	Michigan State Big Ten	4-8	1564	0-3	1	#103
25	NC State ACC	8-5	1563	0-2	1	#54
26	Penn State Big Ten	7-6	1562	0-4	1	#26
27	USC Big Ten	9-4	1561	2-4	·	#28
28	Georgia State Sun Belt	1-11	1560	0-2	1	#133
29	Auburn SEC	5-7	1560	0-4	1	#87
30	Duke ACC	9-5	1559	0-2	1	#27
31	Iowa Big Ten	9-4	1558	0-2	1	#21
32	BYU Big 12	12-2	1555	2-2	1	#9
33	Arizona State Big 12	8-5	1555	2-1	1	#38
34	Northwestern Big Ten	7-6	1554	0-4	1	#66
35	TCU Big 12	9-4	1553	1-1	1	#22
36	Stanford ACC	4-8	1553	0-4	·	#112
37	Oklahoma State Big 12	1-11	1553	0-2	1	#131
38	Boston College ACC	2-10	1551	0-2	1	#115
39	Texas A&M SEC	11-2	1551	1-2	1	#15
40	Kansas Big 12	5-7	1546	0-2	1	#82
41	Washington Big Ten	9-4	1546	2-3	1	#20
42	Louisville ACC	9-4	1546	2-1	1	#29
43	Michigan Big Ten	9-4	1545	1-3	·	#13
44	Charlotte American Athletic	1-11	1545	0-2	1	#134
45	Baylor Big 12	5-7	1544	1-2	1	#78
46	Texas Tech Big 12	12-2	1543	3-1	1	#12
47	Cincinnati Big 12	7-6	1543	0-4	1	#75
48	Iowa State Big 12	8-4	1542	2-1	1	#32
49	Vanderbilt SEC	10-3	1541	0-3	1	#34
50	Texas SEC	10-3	1541	3-2	·	#7
51	Nebraska Big Ten	7-6	1540	0-3	1	#71
52	Arizona Big 12	9-4	1540	0-2	1	#45
53	Oregon State Pac-12	2-10	1539	0-2	1	#126
54	Minnesota Big Ten	8-5	1539	0-3	1	#44
55	Clemson ACC	7-6	1539	0-1	1	#37
56	Georgia Tech ACC	9-4	1538	0-2	1	#40
57	Colorado State Mountain West	2-10	1538	0-2	1	#124
58	Kansas State Big 12	6-6	1538	1-2	1	#53
59	Florida State ACC	5-7	1538	1-1	1	#95
60	Pittsburgh ACC	8-5	1535	0-2	1	#57
61	Washington State Pac-12	7-6	1535	0-3	1	#64
62	Tennessee SEC	8-5	1534	0-4	1	#33
63	Notre Dame FBS Independents	10-2	1534	2-2	·	#6
64	SMU ACC	9-4	1533	1-1	1	#19
65	Maryland Big Ten	4-8	1532	0-4	1	#105
66	UCF Big 12	5-7	1531	0-2	1	#94
67	Tulane American Athletic	11-3	1531	0-2	·	#14
68	Boise State Mountain West	9-5	1529	0-2	1	#23
69	James Madison Sun Belt	12-2	1528	0-1	1	#8
70	South Florida American Athletic	9-4	1527	1-2	1	#51
71	Utah Big 12	11-2	1526	0-2	1	#17
72	Virginia ACC	11-3	1524	·	1	#36
73	Temple American Athletic	5-7	1523	0-3	1	#113
74	Air Force Mountain West	4-8	1521	0-2	1	#99
75	UAB American Athletic	4-8	1521	0-1	1	#118
76	Marshall Sun Belt	5-7	1521	0-2	1	#70
77	Missouri SEC	8-5	1520	0-3	1	#35
78	Georgia Southern Sun Belt	7-6	1520	0-1	1	#61
79	Rice American Athletic	5-8	1519	0-1	1	#110
80	North Carolina ACC	4-8	1518	0-1	1	#101
81	Florida Atlantic American Athletic	4-8	1517	0-2	1	#121
82	Nevada Mountain West	3-9	1517	0-1	1	#129
83	Utah State Mountain West	6-7	1515	0-2	1	#93
84	California ACC	7-6	1515	1-0	1	#73
85	East Carolina American Athletic	9-4	1514	0-2	1	#46
86	Old Dominion Sun Belt	10-3	1514	0-2	1	#39
87	Wake Forest ACC	9-4	1513	1-0	1	#58
88	UTSA American Athletic	7-6	1513	1-1	1	#59
89	Army American Athletic	7-6	1511	0-2	1	#48
90	Coastal Carolina Sun Belt	6-7	1510	0-1	1	#80
91	Troy Sun Belt	8-6	1510	0-1	1	#62
92	North Texas American Athletic	12-2	1509	1-1	1	#31
93	Houston Big 12	10-3	1508	0-2	1	#43
94	UL Monroe Sun Belt	3-9	1507	0-1	1	#127
95	Navy American Athletic	11-2	1503	0-1	1	#16
96	Miami (OH) Mid-American	7-7	1503	0-1	1	#63
97	Texas State Sun Belt	7-6	1501	0-1	1	#68
98	App State Sun Belt	5-8	1500	0-2	1	#92
99	Louisiana Sun Belt	6-7	1498	0-1	1	#74
100	Kennesaw State Conference USA	10-4	1498	0-1	1	#69
101	Southern Miss Sun Belt	7-6	1497	·	1	#106
102	South Alabama Sun Belt	4-8	1497	0-1	1	#100
103	Florida International Conference USA	7-6	1496	·	1	#96
104	San José State Mountain West	3-9	1495	0-1	1	#116
105	New Mexico Mountain West	9-4	1494	0-2	1	#60
106	Memphis American Athletic	8-5	1493	0-2	1	#41
107	UNLV Mountain West	10-4	1493	0-3	1	#30
108	Liberty Conference USA	4-8	1492	0-1	1	#91
109	San Diego State Mountain West	9-4	1492	1-0	1	#67
110	Tulsa American Athletic	4-8	1490	0-2	1	#123
111	Sam Houston Conference USA	2-10	1489	0-1	·	#119
112	Eastern Michigan Mid-American	4-8	1489	0-1	1	#109
113	Western Michigan Mid-American	10-4	1488	1-1	1	#52
114	Arkansas State Sun Belt	7-6	1488	·	1	#72
115	Missouri State Conference USA	7-6	1488	0-1	1	#88
116	Massachusetts Mid-American	0-12	1487	0-2	1	#136
117	Wyoming Mountain West	4-8	1486	0-1	1	#114
118	UTEP Conference USA	2-10	1486	0-1	1	#135
119	Ohio Mid-American	9-4	1482	0-1	1	#24
120	Hawai'i Mountain West	9-4	1480	·	1	#65
121	Toledo Mid-American	8-5	1480	·	1	#55
122	Ball State Mid-American	4-8	1479	1-0	1	#122
123	Middle Tennessee Conference USA	3-9	1477	·	1	#132
124	Delaware Conference USA	7-6	1475	·	1	#81
125	Louisiana Tech Conference USA	8-5	1474	·	1	#84
126	Fresno State Mountain West	9-4	1473	1-0	1	#50
127	New Mexico State Conference USA	4-8	1468	·	1	#125
128	Jacksonville State Conference USA	9-5	1468	·	1	#49
129	Buffalo Mid-American	5-7	1467	0-1	1	#98
130	Bowling Green Mid-American	4-8	1466	0-1	1	#111
131	Western Kentucky Conference USA	9-4	1466	·	1	#47
132	Central Michigan Mid-American	7-6	1466	0-1	1	#89
133	Kent State Mid-American	5-7	1465	0-2	1	#128
134	Northern Illinois Mid-American	3-9	1464	0-1	1	#117
135	UConn FBS Independents	9-4	1463	·	1	#56
136	Akron Mid-American	5-7	1436	·	1	#120

SOS = the average Glicko rating of FBS opponents in completed games (1500 = an average FBS team; higher = harder). FCS opponents are excluded from the average and counted in their own column instead, because beating one tells you almost nothing. vs Top 25 = the record against teams currently in our model top 25. Graded in public.