There is a level of optimism for the top teams in college football heading in to every season. With that optimism comes a level of expectation as well. The top programs are expected to contend on an annual basis but there are always plenty of obstacles in their way including in the majority of cases a very difficult schedule. Here is a look at blue blood teams with the toughest path to the College Football Playoff this season.
USC Trojans
The consensus is that the Trojans have the toughest schedule of the top teams in the entire nation regardless of conference and it could severely cap the lofty College Football Playoff expectations for a roster that is very deep. USC is projected to contend for a Pac-12 South division title but even that could be tough depending on how they fare in their regular season games. The Trojans will open the season against Alabama at AT&T Stadium in Dallas and then just two weeks later they will be on the road to face Stanford in an extremely difficult road test. The middle of their slate offers some reprieve with Arizona State, Colorado, Arizona and Cal at home but the schedule ramps up again towards the end with Oregon visiting on November 5th before USC goes on the road to play Washington and UCLA. As if that wasn’t difficult enough, the Trojans will match up with Notre Dame in their season finale in a game that could very well determine their fate on the national stage if that hasn’t been done early.
Ohio State Buckeyes
Ohio State’s return to the top of the Big Ten will be a difficult task with the Michigan Wolverines stepping up within the conference as one of a handful of teams on their schedule that will be tough to beat. The Buckeyes will clash with Oklahoma in Norman in mid-September and we all know how tough the sooners are at home. Beyond that, it won’t help their cause that they have to visit Wisconsin, Penn State and Michigan State to make for a tough road slate. Ohio State was fortunate to draw Nebraska and Michigan at home, but even those games will be tough challenges for the Buckeyes to overcome. Ohio State is talented enough where they could still run the table and be a one or no-loss team that is contention for the College Football Playoff at the end of it. However, the schedule is quite daunting.
Alabama Crimson Tide
The defending national champion Crimson Tide face a tough schedule beginning with a massive showdown with USC in AT&T Stadium in their opener. It doesn’t get much easier from there in the loaded SEC, as they will play road games against Ole Miss, Tennessee and LSU. If they can get past those games, it should be smooth sailing as teams like Texas A&M, Mississippi State and Auburn are rebuilding. However, Alabama will have little room for error and there will be plenty of opportunities to stumble as they look to successfully defend their title and return to the College Football Playoff.
Texas Longhorns
Texas is one of the blue blood programs that will have a tough time competing within their own conference regardless of who they are slated to play but a tough schedule makes their College Football Playoff chances that much more unrealistic. The Longhorns have a manageable Big 12 slate with home games against Baylor, West Virginia and TCU but they will visit Oklahoma State and play Oklahoma at a neutral site in two of their tougher games. The Baylor game figures to be much easier now that Art Briles isn’t on the sidelines and the team is in chaos, but the other games will prove quite challenging. Texas will also have to host Notre Dame in its season opener, so they will be challenged right off the top.
It’s a tough spot for the Longhorns as they’re also rebuilding and trying to show that they’re heading in the right direction. Of course, this is a program that should have the talent and resources to fight for the College Football Playoff but at this point, it’s just a big long shot.
