Here’s my grade for each Power 5 conference based on the quality of its non-conference schedule.
Courtesy: Athlon
The kickoff to the 2017-18 college football season is less than a month away. Let’s continue the never-ending debate about which of the Power 5 conferences is the strongest.
While the answer for this year will work itself out–culminating with ‘The Final Four’ in January–it’s also fair to say that one piece of the puzzle is available right now. It’s looking at which conferences will be most challenged in cross-conference play.
In this piece, I’ve broken down each conference’s non-league schedule. I do it by these categories: Top 5 Games, Toughest Team Schedule, Weakest Team Schedule, and Overall Conference Grade.
The conferences are listed alphabetically.
Atlantic Coast Conference
Top 5 Games
Alabama vs. Florida St. (Atlanta)
Auburn vs. Clemson
Pittsburgh vs. Penn St.
Notre Dame vs. Miami
Florida St. vs. Florida
Toughest Team Schedule
Florida St — vs. Alabama, LA-Monroe, Delaware St. @ Florida
Weakest Team Schedule
Miami — Bethune-Cookman, @ Arkansas St., Toledo, Notre Dame
ACC Grade: B- This is what I like: conference schools are playing some of the Big Boys. What’s more, Clemson, Florida St. , Louisville, and Syracuse are playing SEC teams on the road. Well done!
Big Ten Conference
Top 5 Games
Oklahoma vs. Ohio St.
Florida vs. Michigan (Arlington)
Maryland vs. Texas
Nebraska vs. Oregon
Pittsburgh vs. Penn St.
Toughest Team Schedule
Purdue — Louisville, @ Ohio, @ Missouri
Weakest Team Schedule
Penn St. — Akron, Pittsburgh, Georgia St.
B1G Grade: C- I expected more from the Big Ten! As a whole B1G didn’t do enough to make itself relevant scheduling-wise come January. But let me give a huge shout out to Purdue–the only team to play two ‘true’ non-league road games.
Big 12 Conference
Top 5 Games
West Virginia vs. Virginia Tech
Oklahoma vs. Ohio St.
TCU vs. Arkansas
Oklahoma St. vs. Pittsburgh
Texas vs. USC
Toughest Team Schedule
Texas — Maryland, San Jose St., @ USC
Weakest Team Schedule
Baylor — Liberty, UTSA, @ Duke
BIG 12 Grade: B- For several years now, the BIG 12 has been trying to prove its worth. The conference didn’t hurt the brand this year–schools are playing Power 5 showdowns, several on the road. Now it’s a matter of winning some of those games.
PAC-12
Top 5 Games
Texas A&M vs. UCLA
Texas vs. USC
Nebraska vs. Oregon
Utah vs. BYU
USC vs. Notre Dame
Toughest Team Schedule
USC — Western Michigan, Texas, @ Notre Dame
Weakest Team Schedule
Colorado — Colorado St., Texas St., Northern Colorado
PAC-12 Grade: D- I had a tough time finding five marquee games. The league is playing eight games against Power 5 non-league foes and only three of those games are on the road (Cal @ UNC, Arizona St. @ Texas Tech, and Washington @ Rutgers). Rutgers may not even count! As a whole, the PAC-12 has a horrible non-league schedule.
Southeastern Conference
Top 5 Games
Florida St. vs. Alabama (Atlanta)
Michigan vs. Florida (Arlington)
Texas A&M vs. UCLA
Georgia vs. Notre Dame
Auburn vs. Clemson
Toughest Team Schedule
Georgia — Appalachian St., @ Notre Dame, Samford, @ Georgia Tech
Weakest Team Schedule
Arkansas — Florida A&M, TCU, New Mexico, Coastal Carolina
SEC Grade: B- I thought about bumping up this grade to A minus, but concluded that the SEC isn’t quite at that level. Yes, the SEC has scheduled some big-time games, but SEC teams will be playing ‘cupcake’ games, too–several against FCS opponents at home. But I will give kudos to Georgia. The Dawgs are the only SEC playing two non-conference road games against Power 5 teams.
