This ranking includes out-of-conference (OOC) games.

Penn State has its starting QB and many other starters back, a joke of an OOC schedule, and one of the easiest in-conference schedules.

https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/big-ten-strength-of-schedule-rankings-2025-favorite-ohio-state-faces-tough-climb-purdue-cant-catch-a-break/

OBD loses at Penn State! I pity this fool 🤬 who does not know that the Power of the Forum Fanatics will Black-Out the White Out. 😎

https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/2025-big-ten-football-schedule-breakdown-predicting-the-first-loss-for-all-16-conference-teams/

Saturday Tradition likes the Illini's PO chances.

Saturday Tradition

Illinois football: Will Illini make College Football Play...

Illinois has reloaded with a mass of returning production and is hoping it helps pay off in a trip to the College Football Playoff.

A few 'First Loss' nuggets.

In 2025, no B1G team will go undefeated.

The author has the B1G going 0-3 versus the SEC. 🤬

Ohio State is 8-0 in its last eight games versus Penn State.

Ohio State hands Minnesota, Penn State, and UW their 1st loss of the season.

OBD hands Indiana its first loss of the season. 😎

The CFB world is well aware of James Franklin's little-game record versus top teams, but Matt Ruhle's 0-16 in his last 16 games against ranked teams is also noteworthy.

Indiana defeats Illinois in a B1G 'PO Play-in game.'

Let's Play Ball!

CBS ranks the 2025 SEC SOS -

https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/sec-strength-of-schedule-rankings-2025-georgia-catches-favorable-draw-oklahoma-staring-down-rough-road/

SEC teams predicted 1st loss -

Saturday Down South

Predicting every SEC team’s first loss in 2025

No one made it through the SEC unscathed during the 2024 season. Here’s where each program will stumble first in 2025.

12 hours ago, Jon Joseph said:

CBS ranks the 2025 SEC SOS -

https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/sec-strength-of-schedule-rankings-2025-georgia-catches-favorable-draw-oklahoma-staring-down-rough-road/

SEC teams predicted 1st loss -

Saturday Down South

Predicting every SEC team’s first loss in 2025

No one made it through the SEC unscathed during the 2024 season. Here’s where each program will stumble first in 2025.

Vanderbilt doesn't have a tough ooc conference game ever. FSU may be garbage, but they are still capable with transfer Cosstellanos(still a fool for calling out Bama). Plus top 15 Miami, top ten Georgia, Texas, and LSU, and potential top 20 Tennessee, and Texas A&M. I may be somewhat biased Jon, but is there a tougher set of games on paper?

You know I don't buy the whole SEC can't play nine conference games because of some sos metric SEC coaches use as a crutch, but the Gators play two in State rivals that are P4 programs. Last year we had 3 ooc games vs P4 opponents. UCF was Big 12, even if they may still have had an American Conference roster as they've only been there two years, their third coming this year.

10 hours ago, GatOrlando said:

Vanderbilt doesn't have a tough ooc conference game ever. FSU may be garbage, but they are still capable with transfer Cosstellanos(still a fool for calling out Bama). Plus top 15 Miami, top ten Georgia, Texas, and LSU, and potential top 20 Tennessee, and Texas A&M. I may be somewhat biased Jon, but is there a tougher set of games on paper?

You know I don't buy the whole SEC can't play nine conference games because of some sos metric SEC coaches use as a crutch, but the Gators play two in State rivals that are P4 programs. Last year we had 3 ooc games vs P4 opponents. UCF was Big 12, even if they may still have had an American Conference roster as they've only been there two years, their third coming this year.

The Gators have a brutal schedule, once again. I noted going into last season that the SEC could be PO way laid by the schedules handed to the top teams. Compared to Florida, Oklahoma, and Georgia, the SEC welcomed Texas with open arms, and the Horns, Tennessee, and Mizzou had relatively easy slates compared to Florida. And we're doing this again?

What in the world is the AD who arranged the Gators' schedule trying to prove? Being the King of Florida, don't forget a win over South Florida might help a high school recruit choose Florida over FSU and Miami, but how much so in today's world of pay-for-play? In a CFB world where a team has to play 16 or 17 games to play for a championship, what sense does it make to load up OOC? Especially with a selection committee that seems to count Ws and Ls, and that's it.

Florida would be better off playing Vandy in a ninth conference game than playing at Miami.

But schedule disparity is not unique to the SEC. There are sites that rank Wisconsin with the toughest schedule in 2025. Conversely, there's Michigan with a tough road game at Oklahoma, but with a conference schedule against opponents that went 27-54 in 2024.

The in-conference SOS disparity is the reason why I think Petitti's AQ formula makes sense. At the end of the regular season slate, the first and second teams in the standings are going to the PO, notwithstanding the winner of the championship game. How do you parse teams three through six when No. 3 had an easy conference schedule and the No. 6 team's schedule was brutal? Settle it on the field.

More fans would have skin in the game late into the season, the play-in games, and the champ game would be the 12th conference game, ending the season a week earlier, and the PO could end a week earlier. And at a time when athletic departments need the money, there would be more media money paid for three meaningful end-of-the-regular-season games.

I don't understand why Sankey moved away from the AQ PO Model, which is leaving money off the SEC table? An extra at-large PO spot or two is two birds in the bush. A 9th conference game, and a model that includes PO play-in games, is a bird with benefits in the hand. Plus, with the AQ model, you are not trusting a committee that does its business in the dark with deciding on the top 4 teams from the conference.

Was Tennessee the third-best team in the SEC last season, or a team that benefited from a by comparison easy schedule? I know I would have tuned in to watch Tennessee versus Ole Miss and South Carolina versus Bama.

Good luck to the Gators in 2025. I'm hoping we'll see payback when Texas visits The Swamp.

41 minutes ago, Jon Joseph said:

The Gators have a brutal schedule, once again. I noted going into last season that the SEC could be PO way laid by the schedules handed to the top teams. Compared to Florida, Oklahoma, and Georgia, the SEC welcomed Texas with open arms, and the Horns, Tennessee, and Mizzou had relatively easy slates compared to Florida. And we're doing this again?

What in the world is the AD who arranged the Gators' schedule trying to prove? Being the King of Florida, don't forget a win over South Florida might help a high school recruit choose Florida over FSU and Miami, but how much so in today's world of pay-for-play? In a CFB world where a team has to play 16 or 17 games to play for a championship, what sense does it make to load up OOC? Especially with a selection committee that seems to count Ws and Ls, and that's it.

Florida would be better off playing Vandy in a ninth conference game than playing at Miami.

But schedule disparity is not unique to the SEC. There are sites that rank Wisconsin with the toughest schedule in 2025. Conversely, there's Michigan with a tough road game at Oklahoma, but with a conference schedule against opponents that went 27-54 in 2024.

The in-conference SOS disparity is the reason why I think Petitti's AQ formula makes sense. At the end of the regular season slate, the first and second teams in the standings are going to the PO, notwithstanding the winner of the championship game. How do you parse teams three through six when No. 3 had an easy conference schedule and the No. 6 team's schedule was brutal? Settle it on the field.

More fans would have skin in the game late into the season, the play-in games, and the champ game would be the 12th conference game, ending the season a week earlier, and the PO could end a week earlier. And at a time when athletic departments need the money, there would be more media money paid for three meaningful end-of-the-regular-season games.

I don't understand why Sankey moved away from the AQ PO Model, which is leaving money off the SEC table? An extra at-large PO spot or two is two birds in the bush. A 9th conference game, and a model that includes PO play-in games, is a bird with benefits in the hand. Plus, with the AQ model, you are not trusting a committee that does its business in the dark with deciding on the top 4 teams from the conference.

Was Tennessee the third-best team in the SEC last season, or a team that benefited from a by comparison easy schedule? I know I would have tuned in to watch Tennessee versus Ole Miss and South Carolina versus Bama.

Good luck to the Gators in 2025. I'm hoping we'll see payback when Texas visits The Swamp.

When Foley was our AD he had a strict no leaving Florida for any OOC game. Florida would play FSU but the schedule would fill out with FIU, Citadel, and Bishop Sycamore. When Stricklin got hired he got us involved with an opening week game in Dallas vs Michigan.

There was an outcry from Miami and UCF fans that Florida was dodging them. Yes that's for real, UCF fans are much like Oregon State without the heritage of at least ever being a conference mate. But Stricklin thought it would help recruiting by playing games in Miami and Orlando. Why he didn't see the two year slate coming after Texas and Oklahoma were announced as joining us beyond me. Everybody knew Florida was going to draw Texas.

As far as beating Texas this year, it all depends on keeping Lagway healthy and BN not calling the same predictable and boring offense he has the first three years. Matter of fact Napier just needs to give up play calling like Ryan Day did, and Day is much better at it btw.

Many SEC fans get mad when I say the league needs to go to nine conference games. Like you said, that would actually make Florida's schedule easier. It's the Ole Miss, MSU, Vandy, South Carolina, Arkansas, Kentucky, and Missouri like schools that protest the loudest. The same schools that spout off about the strength of the league top to bottom.

Rhett Lashlee made a very valiant point in saying the SEC has six schools that have carried the league. I look at the B1G and see Ohio State, Michigan, Penn State. Now you have Oregon, USC, and maybe Washington.

1 hour ago, GatOrlando said:

When Foley was our AD he had a strict no leaving Florida for any OOC game. Florida would play FSU but the schedule would fill out with FIU, Citadel, and Bishop Sycamore. When Stricklin got hired he got us involved with an opening week game in Dallas vs Michigan.

There was an outcry from Miami and UCF fans that Florida was dodging them. Yes that's for real, UCF fans are much like Oregon State without the heritage of at least ever being a conference mate. But Stricklin thought it would help recruiting by playing games in Miami and Orlando. Why he didn't see the two year slate coming after Texas and Oklahoma were announced as joining us beyond me. Everybody knew Florida was going to draw Texas.

As far as beating Texas this year, it all depends on keeping Lagway healthy and BN not calling the same predictable and boring offense he has the first three years. Matter of fact Napier just needs to give up play calling like Ryan Day did, and Day is much better at it btw.

Many SEC fans get mad when I say the league needs to go to nine conference games. Like you said, that would actually make Florida's schedule easier. It's the Ole Miss, MSU, Vandy, South Carolina, Arkansas, Kentucky, and Missouri like schools that protest the loudest. The same schools that spout off about the strength of the league top to bottom.

Rhett Lashlee made a very valiant point in saying the SEC has six schools that have carried the league. I look at the B1G and see Ohio State, Michigan, Penn State. Now you have Oregon, USC, and maybe Washington.

This is not good for Florida and college football fans.😧I hope this young man will be good to go and throw for many TDs.

https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/dj-lagway-injury-floridas-star-qb-heisman-hopeful-day-to-day-with-lower-body-issue-ahead-of-fall-camp/?ftag=SNL-04-10aaa0b&ET_CID=460842&ET_RID=52482716

4 hours ago, GatOrlando said:

I look at the B1G and see Ohio State, Michigan, Penn State. Now you have Oregon, USC, and maybe Washington.

I agree with the first four you mention, with Illinois being in the top 16 last year, and with good prospects for this year. I agree about Washington within three years challenging to be in the top B1G group.

A sleeper we cannot overlook is Michigan State with Jonathan Smith there--he coaches teams up superbly.