The college football season always involves comparisons of schedules. Some schedules are tough simply because of the non-conference opponents. Other schedules are tough because of the conference opponents alone. Some are tough because of a mixture of the two, and still others involve all three components plus the specific breakdown of both home and road dates against certain opponents. Here are the teams with difficult schedules for all of the above reasons in some combination.
Syracuse Orange
The Orange face the various difficulties which add up to a hellaciously rough schedule. There is a non-conference road trip to LSU as the second half of a home-and-home series agreed to by the two schools. Then there is a three-week swing against Pittsburgh, Clemson and Miami, which is difficult not just because of the quality of opponent, but because of the reality of consecutive weeks. It is a lot easier to play tough teams spaced out a few weeks apart. Being able to play an easy opponent before Miami or after Clemson would make Syracuse’s schedule easier, but no such buffer exists. Then there is the simple fact that Syracuse’s own division in the ACC is a beast. Playing in-division games in the ACC Atlantic against Florida State and Louisville makes this schedule thoroughly difficult. The ACC was – at the end of the bowl games – the best college football conference in 2016. Few ACC teams have a more overwhelming slate than Syracuse.
Illinois Fighting Illini
The non-conference schedule has dates against Western Kentucky and South Florida, two of the better and more consistent Group of Five teams in the country in recent years. Illinois figures to lose both games. Then realize that the Big Ten West Division Illini have to play Ohio State in one of their East Division crossover games, a stroke of very bad luck for a team which already has little margin for error. The simple reality of playing Big Ten West games against Wisconsin and Iowa and Northwestern will further complicate Illinois’ existence this college football season.
Oklahoma State Cowboys
The Tulsa and Pittsburgh non-conference games are anything but easy. The Cowboys did not take the safe route with the opponents they chose to play. Then remember that the Big 12 has a round-robin schedule, with teams playing all nine conference opponents. That point increases the degree of difficulty on a team’s schedule. Within that nine-game Big 12 slate, Oklahoma State has to play Texas and West Virginia in consecutive weeks, and later has to face a loaded Oklahoma team. OSU would have loved it if Texas and West Virginia could have been separated by Kansas or Iowa State, but that’s not the case. It will be very hard to sweep that two-game stretch. Then OU at the end of the season will be difficult. The Sooners have had the Cowboys’ number in recent years.
Purdue Boilermakers
The Boilermakers play Louisville out of conference, a rough game. Then they play Michigan – the Wolverines represent a crossover game in which the Boilermakers, of the Big Ten West (like Illinois) have to play a Big Ten East Division team. Michigan rates as a team Purdue would have wanted to avoid in the East’s schedule rotation. It will also be hard for Purdue to handle the Big Ten West, starting with defending division champion Wisconsin.
Michigan State Spartans
The Spartans were always going to play Michigan, Ohio State, and Penn State, but they get only Penn State at home this year. What’s worse is that Penn State is on the rise. They played in the Rose Bowl last year and look like they’ll be even better. In the last 10 years, this would have been an even game. Now Penn State clearly has the upper hand.
Sparty will have a devil of a time trying to beat Michigan and Ohio State on the road. They also play a Notre Dame team which should be much better than it was last season. Michigan State has endured a lot of off-field problems. The on-field problems will be exposed by this 2017 college football schedule.
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