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We are still months away from the 2018 college football season, but it’s never too early to take a look ahead at what we could expect to see play out on the field. One way to get a good idea of what teams could put together an impressive regular season campaign is by looking at the strength of schedule for each Division I program. In the Power Five, there are five teams that have a brutal road ahead of them, while five others have schedules with opponents that had less than a 50 percent win percentage last year.
Florida State faces the toughest test this season, with 10 opponents who finished last season with a winning record. The Seminoles’ 2018 schedule features tough opponents like Virginia Tech, Miami, Clemson, Notre Dame, and Florida.
The easiest schedules are littered by teams in the Pac-12 North — Oregon, Washington, and California — which speaks volumes about the strength of the conference. Oregon received the easiest schedule with opponents going an awful 65-87 (.428) a season ago.
In the Group of 5, East Carolina faces the toughest road ahead, while New Mexico State has the easiest schedule with opponents totaling a winning percentage of just 37 in 2017.
Who has the toughest and easiest schedules in 2018? Let’s take a look.
Toughest 2018 Schedules In The Power 5
1. Florida State — 97-56 (.643)
2. Nebraska — 98-58 (.628)
3. Michigan — 96-57 (.627)
4. Auburn — 94-58 (.618)
5. Texas A&M — 95-59 (.617)
Toughest 2018 Schedules In The Group of 5
1. East Carolina — 88-60 (.595)
2. BYU — 90-63 (.588)
3. Air Force — 91-64 (.587)
4. New Mexico — 89-64 (.582)
5. Louisiana-Lafayette — 87-64 (.576)
Easiest 2018 Schedules In The Power 5
1. Oregon — 65-87 (.428)
2. Virginia Tech — 70-78 (.476)
3. Wisconsin — 72-79 (.477)
4. Washington — 73-80 (.477)
5. California — 76-77 (.497)
Easiest 2018 Schedules In The Group of 5
1. New Mexico State — 54-91 (.372)
2. UAB — 57-91 (.385)
3. Ohio — 59-88 (.401)
4. Arkansas State — 59-87 (.404)
5. Colorado State — 60-87 (.408)
— Data via FootballScoop.com.
