The 2023 college football season will challenge every team in the Top 25. It doesn't matter whether you're No. 1 or No. 25, a 12-game regular season has a way of separating the wheat from the chaff.
Still, not all schedules are created equally. Some teams will have to face significantly bigger and more numerous challenges than others.
So where do all the teams in the AP Top 25 rank in terms of strength of schedule? Let's take a look via ESPN FPI's SOS calculation.
College football rankings: Comparing Top 25 strength of schedule
- Ole Miss (Actual rank: 22)
- Tennessee (12)
- Texas (11)
- LSU (5)
- Texas A&M (23)
- Penn State (7)
- Alabama (4)
- Notre Dame (13)
- Ohio State (3)
- Michigan (2)
- Wisconsin (19)
- Utah (14)
- Florida State (8)
- Georgia (1)
- Kansas State (16)
- TCU (17)
- Washington (10)
- USC (6)
- Oregon (15)
- Oklahoma (20)
- Iowa (25)
- Clemson (9)
- North Carolina (21)
- Oregon State (18)
- Tulane (24)
Georgia is the No. 1 preseason team in both the AP and Coaches poll, but their strength of schedule is in the middle of the pack. The Bulldogs are No. 31 nationally in that measure. Michigan and Ohio State at No. 2 and 3 respectively in the AP poll have SOS ranked 21st and 24th nationally.
Ole Miss has the top strength of schedule in the land and in the Top 25. The next Top 25 team with the most difficult schedule is Tennessee at No. 6 nationally.
Florida, Auburn, Minnesota and Arkansas are top five in SOS but don't feature in the preseason Top 25.
As for teams with an easy time of it, look no further than Tulane. The No. 24 Green Wave are 103rd nationally in SOS. Oregon State is the next closest in terms of SOS at No. 68.
Of the 25 ranked teams, 20 have SOS ranked in the Top 50 nationally. Only Iowa (51), Clemson (56), North Carolina (62), Oregon State (68) and Tulane (103) are on the outside.
What does all that mean? If Ole Miss, Tennessee or Texas rise up the ranks, it'll be doubly impressive. The likes of Clemson, USC, TCU and Georgia should be rolling through their schedules by comparison.