There are several sources for strength of schedule, including four of the six BCS computer components and the NCAA itself. Note that these rankings are for schedules played and will differ from preseason rankings.

For comparison purposes, the preseason Top 10 strength of schedules from both Phil Steele and The Sporting News are listed first. Click the title to view the complete rankings for each source:

PRESEASON STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE RANKINGS

Phil Steele

• (1) Colorado, (2) Iowa State, (3) Baylor, (4) Oregon State, (5) LSU
  (6) Boston College, (7) USC, (8) Washington, (9) Auburn, (10) Miami, FL

Colorado’s schedule was ranked preseason number one by Phil Steele primarily due to games against Ohio State, Oregon, Stanford and USC. They also had to play California in a non-conference game. After the season played out, the Buffaloes did not end up in the Top 10 in any of the final SOS rankings.

Iowa State’s final schedule strength was ranked 2nd by Sagarin, 5th by Anderson & Hester, 6th by Colley and 7th by Massey. The Cyclones faced a gauntlet of tough teams including Baylor, Connecticut, Iowa, Kansas State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Texas and Texas A&M.

Baylor’s final SOS was ranked in the Top 10 of four of the BCS computer polls. Their schedule included games against Kansas State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, TCU, Texas and Texas A&M.

Oregon State, Boston College, USC, Washington and Miami (FL) did not appear in the Top 10 of any of the final SOS rankings. LSU was 1st (NCAA and Kenneth Massey) while Auburn was 4th (NCAA) and 10th (Colley Matrix).

The Sporting News

• (1) LSU, (2) Pittsburgh, (3) Colorado, (4) Miami, FL, (5) Ohio State
  (6) Florida State, (7) Georgia, (8) UCLA, (9) USC, (10) Clemson

LSU’s final strength of schedule was ranked first in the NCAA ranking and first in Kenneth Massey’s ratings, but was not in the Top 10 of A&H, Colley or Sagarin. The Tigers played a tough non-conference slate including games against Oregon in Arlington and at West Virginia. In the SEC, LSU faced teams such as Alabama, Arkansas and Georgia.

Pittsburgh’s preseason SOS was ranked 3rd, but didn’t end up in the Top 10 of any index. The Panthers’ schedule strength suffered from a down year in the Big East and a lackluster year by two of their big name non-conference opponents: Iowa and Utah.

The 3rd through 10th ranked schedules in The Sporting News rankings did not finish in the Top 10.

FINAL STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE RANKINGS

NCAA (vs. FBS & FCS)

• (1) LSU, (2) Tennessee, (3) Alabama, (4) Auburn, (5) Penn State
  (6) Minnesota, (7) Oklahoma State, (8) Kansas, (9) Nebraska, (10) Clemson

This NCAA ranking is based solely on the winning percentage of past opponents and future opposition (bowl opponent). LSU’s opponents have 16 more wins and 3 fewer losses than 2nd place Tennessee. Tennessee, Minnesota and Kansas did not qualify for bowl games, therefore they have no future opposition.

Anderson & Hester (BCS)

• (1) Kansas, (2) Texas A&M, (3) Texas, (4) Oklahoma, (5) Iowa State
  (6) Baylor, (7) Missouri, (8) Texas Tech, (9) Oklahoma State, (10) Ole Miss

Anderson & Hester’s strength of schedule rankings are dominated by Big 12 teams, with 9 of the 10 members appearing in the Top 10. Ole Miss holds the 10th spot.

Colley Matrix (BCS)

• (1) Kansas, (2) Oklahoma, (3) Texas A&M, (4) Texas, (5) Oklahoma State
  (6) Iowa State, (7) Baylor, (8) FCS Group 3 ??, (9) Missouri, (10) Auburn

The Top 10 of the Colley Matrix is also dominated by the Big 12. Auburn holds the 10th spot with FCS Group 3 in 8th. See Colley’s site for an explanation of FCS Groupings.

Jeff Sagarin (BCS)

• (1) Kansas, (2) Iowa State, (3) Texas A&M, (4) Texas, (5) Oklahoma
  (6) Oklahoma State, (7) Missouri, (8) Baylor, (9) Texas Tech, (10) Kansas State

Continuing a pattern, Big 12 teams occupy the entire Top 10 in Sagarin’s strength of schedule ratings. Kansas is ranked 1st, as they were in Anderson & Hester and the Colley Matrix. The Jayhawks’ non-conference slate included Northern Illinois (MAC Champions) and at Georgia Tech.

Kenneth Massey (BCS)

• (1) LSU, (2) Alabama, (3) Oklahoma, (4) Texas A&M, (5) Oklahoma State
  (6) Texas, (7) Iowa State, (8) Oregon, (9) Arkansas, (10) Baylor

The top two teams in the BCS standings, LSU and Alabama, have the top two spots in Kenneth Massey’s ratings. Big 12 teams occupy six spots in the Top 10, while Oregon comes in at 8th and Arkansas at 9th.

LSU’s season opener against the Oregon Ducks at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas is ranked as one of the five best non-conference games in 2011. The other four are Boise State vs. Georgia (at Atlanta, GA), Oklahoma at Florida State, Ohio State at Miami (FL) and Arkansas vs. Texas A&M (at Arlington, TX).

LSU opens the season against the Oregon Ducks at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas (09/03). The Tigers host Northwestern State the following week (09/10), travel to West Virginia (09/24) and later host Western Kentucky (11/12).

Sporting News 2011 Top 10 Non-Conference Schedules

1. LSU – vs. Oregon (at Arlington, TX), Northwestern State, at West Virginia, Western Kentucky
2. Pittsburgh – Buffalo, Maine, at Iowa, Notre Dame, Utah
3. Colorado – at Hawaii, California, Colorado State (at Denver, CO), at Ohio State
4. Miami – Ohio State, Kansas State, Bethune-Cookman, at South Florida
5. Ohio State – Akron, Toledo, at Miami (FL), Colorado
6. Florida State – ULM, Charleston Southern, Oklahoma, at Florida
7. Georgia – vs. Boise State (at Atlanta, GA), Coastal Carolina, New Mexico State, at Georgia Tech
8. UCLA – at Houston, San Jose State, Texas
9. USC – Minnesota, Syracuse, at Notre Dame
10. Clemson – Troy, Wofford, Auburn, at South Carolina

Sporting News 2011 Bottom 10 Non-Conference Schedules

1. Mississippi State – at Memphis, Louisiana Tech, at UAB, Tennessee-Martin
2. Indiana – Ball State, Virginia, South Carolina State, at North Texas
3. NC State – Liberty, South Alabama, at Cincinnati, Central Michigan
4. Texas Tech – Texas State, at New Mexico, Nevada
5. Washington State – Idaho State, UNLV, at San Diego State
6. UConn – Fordham, at Vanderbilt, Iowa State, at Buffalo, Western Michigan
7. Rutgers – North Carolina Central, at North Carolina, Ohio, Navy, at Army
8. Kentucky – Western Kentucky, Central Michigan, Louisville, Jacksonville State
9. Tennessee – Montana, Cincinnati, Buffalo, Middle Tennessee State
10. Virginia Tech – Appalachian State, at ECU, Arkansas State, at Marshall

In 2010, the Iowa State Cyclones had the toughest schedule. They finished the season 5-7 overall and 3-5 in the Big 12. The easiest schedule in 2010? The Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders, and they finished 6-7 overall and 5-3 in the Sun Belt.

Listed below are Phil Steele’s 10 toughest schedules for 2011:

1. Colorado (2010 ranking: 20) – The Colorado Buffaloes have the toughest schedule in 2011 according to Steele. The Buffaloes open the season at Hawaii followed by a “non-conference game” at home against California. Next is a matchup in Denver against in-state rival Colorado State, followed by a trip to Ohio State. Nine straight Pac-12 games follow: Washington State, at Stanford, at Washington, Oregon, at Arizona State, USC, Arizona, at UCLA and at Utah.
2. Iowa State (2010 ranking: 1) – The Iowa State Cyclones had the toughest ranked schedule in 2010. This year they come in second. They open the season with Northern Iowa and Iowa at home followed by a trip to face Connecticut. Nine Big 12 games are next: Texas, at Baylor, at Missouri, Texas A&M, at Texas Tech, Kansas, Oklahoma State, at Oklahoma and at Kansas State.
3. Baylor (2010 ranking: 41) – The Bears open the season at home against TCU. They also have a non-conference game at home against Rice before nine straight Big 12 games: at Kansas State, Iowa State, at Texas A&M, at Oklahoma State, Missouri, at Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas Tech (at Arlington, TX) and Texas.
4. Oregon State (2010 ranking: 6) – The Beavers open the season at home against Sacramento State, but then travel to face Wisconsin and later host BYU. Pac-12 games include UCLA, at Arizona State, Arizona, at Utah, Stanford, at California and at Oregon.
5. LSU (2010 ranking: 10) – The Tigers open the 2011 season with a huge non-conference game in Arlington, Texas against the Oregon Ducks. The Tigers also travel to face West Virginia the fourth week of the season. SEC games include at Mississippi State, Florida, at Tennessee, Auburn, at Alabama, at Ole Miss and home vs. Arkansas.
6. Boston College (2010 ranking: 64) – The Eagles open 2010 with a non-conference game at home against Northwestern before traveling to face UCF. Late in the season, BC travels to South Bend to take on Notre Dame. ACC contests include at Clemson, at Virginia Tech, at Maryland, Florida State, NC State and at Miami (FL).
7. USC (2010 ranking: 45) – The Trojans open the 2011 season with a non-conference game at home against Minnesota. USC also hosts Syracuse and later plays at Notre Dame. Pac-12 games include Utah, at Arizona State, Arizona, at California, Stanford, at Colorado, at Oregon and home vs. UCLA.
8. Washington (2010 ranking: 7) – After opening against FCS team Eastern Washington, the Huskies host Hawaii and then travel to Nebraska. Their Pac-12 slate includes California, at Utah, Colorado, at Stanford, Arizona, Oregon, at USC, at Oregon State and vs. Washington State.
9. Auburn (2010 ranking: 19) – The 2010 National Champions open the 2011 season at home against Utah State. Auburn travels to face Clemson and hosts Florida Atlantic and Samford. SEC games include Mississippi State, at South Carolina, at Arkansas, Florida, at LSU, Ole Miss, at Georgia and home against Alabama.
10. Miami (FL) (2010 ranking: 8) – The Hurricanes open the 2011 season with an ACC game at Maryland on Labor Day. Non-conference games for Miami include Ohio State, Kansas State and at USF. Other ACC games include at Virginia Tech, at North Carolina, Georgia Tech, Virginia, at Florida State and home vs. Boston College.

A Pac-12 school owns the toughest schedule, and the recently expanded conference also has the most teams in the Top Ten with four. The ACC, Big 12 and SEC each have two schools.

The rest of the Top 25 in Phil Steele’s toughest schedule rankings are:

(11) Vanderbilt, (12) Clemson, (13) Mississippi, (14) Notre Dame, (15) Mississippi State, (16) Arizona, (17) Michigan, (18) Oklahoma State, (19) Missouri, (20) Arkansas, (21) Minnesota, (22) Texas A&M, (23) Florida, (24) Alabama, (25) Oklahoma

What do you think of Phil Steele’s rankings? Discuss them in the comments below.

In 2009, South Carolina had the toughest schedule according to Steele. The Gamecocks finished the season 7-6 overall and 3-5 in the SEC. The easiest schedule in 2009? Kent State, and they finished 5-7 and 4-4 in the MAC.

Listed below are Phil Steele’s 10 toughest schedules for 2010 (complete list):

1. Iowa State (2009 ranking: 61) – The Iowa State Cyclones have the toughest schedule in 2010 according to Steele. The Cyclones open the season with Northern Illinois at home on a Thursday night followed by a non-conference game at Iowa. Next is a matchup with Kansas State in Kansas City, followed by Northern Iowa at home. A grueling 6-game stretch is next: Texas Tech and Utah at home, at Oklahoma, at Texas and then Kansas and Nebraska at home. The Cyclones close out 2010 with a trip to Colorado and then home against Missouri.
2. South Carolina (2009 ranking: 1) – The South Carolina Gamecocks had the toughest ranked schedule in 2009. This year they come in second. The Gamecocks open the season with Southern Miss at home on a Thursday night followed by an SEC contest at home against Georgia. After a home game against Furman, Carolina plays at Auburn, followed by an open date and then home against national champion Alabama. South Carolina later hosts Tennessee and Arkansas and travels to Florida and Clemson.
3. UCLA (2009 ranking: 38) – The Bruins open the season at Kansas State. They also have non-conference games at home against Houston and at Texas. Pac-10 games include Oregon State, Stanford, USC, at Arizona State, at Oregon and at Washington.
4. Mississippi State (2009 ranking: 4) – Mississippi State has the 4th toughest schedule for the 2nd straight year. The Bulldogs will host non-conference opponents Memphis and UAB and will travel to Houston. SEC games include Arkansas, Auburn, Georgia, at Alabama, at Florida, at LSU and at Ole Miss.
5. Minnesota (2009 ranking: 5) – The Golden Gophers’ schedule is also ranked the same as in 2010. They start the season at Middle Tennessee before hosting the USC Trojans and Northern Illinois. Big Ten games include Iowa, Ohio State, Penn State, at Illinois, at Michigan State and at Wisconsin.
6. Oregon State (2009 ranking: 55) – The Beavers open 2010 with a tough game against TCU at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas. After an off week, they host Louisville and then travel to Boise State. Pac-10 games include Arizona State, California, Oregon, USC, at Stanford, at UCLA and at Washington.
7. Washington (2009 ranking: 16) – Washington opens the season with three straight non-conference games: at BYU and then home against Syracuse and Nebraska. Pac-10 foes include, Arizona State, Stanford, UCLA, at Oregon, at USC and at Washington State.
8. Miami (FL) (2009 ranking: 12) – After opening against FCS team Florida A&M, the Hurricanes travel to Ohio State, have an off week and then travel to Pittsburgh. Miami faces a tough ACC slate: Florida State, Maryland, North Carolina, Virginia Tech, at Clemson and at Georgia Tech. The Canes close the season at home against USF.
9. Duke (2009 ranking: 58) – The Blue Devils host the national champion Alabama Crimson Tide. They also host Army and play at Navy. ACC games include Boston College, Miami (FL), North Carolina, at Georgia Tech, at Maryland and at Virginia Tech.
10. LSU (2009 ranking: 21) – The Tigers open 2010 against North Carolina in the 2010 Chick-fil-A College Kickoff. LSU also hosts West Virginia and ULM in non-conference games. SEC contests include Alabama, Ole Miss, Tennessee, at Arkansas, at Auburn and at Florida.

A Big 12 school owns the toughest schedule, but the SEC and Pac-10 have three teams each in the The Top 10. The ACC has two schools, followed by the Big Ten with one.

The rest of the Top 25 in Phil Steele’s toughest schedule rankings are:

(11) Florida State, (12) Vanderbilt, (13) Washington State, (14) NC State, (15) Alabama, (16) Penn State, (17) Notre Dame, (18) Florida, (19) Auburn, (20) Colorado, (21) Illinois, (22) Oklahoma, (23) Texas A&M, (24) North Carolina, (25) UNLV

What do you think of Phil Steels’s rankings? Discuss them in the comments below.

Sagarin Strength of Schedule Ratings (through week 10):

1. Washington (1)
2. Washington State (6)
3. UCLA (2)
4. Virginia Tech (7)
5. Florida State (10)
6. Oregon (8)
7. USC (5)
8. San Jose State (4)
9. Oregon State (15)
10. Georgia (3)
11. Miami, FL (11)
12. Georgia Tech (12)
13. Virginia (NR)
14. Wake Forest (NR)
15. Stanford (20)
16. Arizona (9)
17. LSU (NR)
18. Minnesota (13)
19. California (16)
20. Arkansas (18)

- Mississippi State played Kentucky and Tennessee played Memphis, dropping them both from the Top 20.
- Virginia and Wake Forest entered the Top 20 after playing Miami, FL and Georgia Tech, respectively.
- LSU entered the Top 20 after playing Alabama.
- Florida State rose 5 spots after losing to Clemson.
- Arizona fell 7 spots after playing Washington State.
- Georgia fell 7 spots after playing FCS team Tennessee Tech.

The SCHEDULE ratings represent the average schedule difficulty faced by each team in the games that it’s played so far.  The schedule difficulty of a given game takes into account the rating of the opponent and the location of the game.

Sagarin Strength of Schedule Ratings (through week 9):

1. Washington
2. UCLA
3. Georgia
4. San Jose State
5. USC
6. Washington State
7. Virginia Tech
8. Oregon
9. Arizona
10. Florida State
11. Miami, FL
12. Georgia Tech
13. Minnesota
14. Kentucky
15. Oregon State
16. California
17. Tennessee
18. Arkansas
19. Mississippi State
20. Stanford

Steele has been publishing a football newsletter since 1982 and started his College Football Preview in 1995. Today, he is one of the premier gurus of college football stats.

Listed below are Phil Steele’s 10 toughest schedules for 2009 (complete list):

1. South Carolina - The South Carolina Gamecocks have the toughest schedule in 2009 according to Steele. The Gamecocks play Clemson, Florida and Ole Miss at home, and travel to face Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia and NC State. Their season opener against the Wolfpack is nationally televised on Thursday night.

2. Florida State - The Seminoles have non-conference games at home against Miami (FL) and USF and road games at BYU and national champion Florida. ACC games include Georgia Tech, NC State, at Boston College, at Clemson and at North Carolina.

3. Oklahoma - The Sooners start the season against BYU at Arlington. They also face Tulsa at home and Miami (FL) on the road. Big 12 games include Kansas State, Oklahoma State, Texas, at Kansas, at Nebraska and at Texas Tech.

4. Mississippi State - The Bulldogs will host non-conference opponents Georgia Tech and Houston and will travel to Middle Tennessee. SEC games include Alabama, Florida, LSU, Ole Miss, at Arkansas, at Auburn and at Kentucky.

5. Minnesota - The Golden Gophers start 2009 at Syracuse before hosting Air Force and California. Big Ten games include Illinois, Michigan State, Wisconsin, at Ohio State and at Penn State.

6. Arkansas - The Razorbacks face the Texas A&M Aggies at Arlington and later host Eastern Michigan and Troy. SEC contests include Auburn, Georgia, at Alabama, at Florida, at LSU and at Ole Miss.

7. Georgia - The Bulldogs open the season at Oklahoma State, host Arizona State and travel to Georgia Tech. SEC games include Auburn, Florida, LSU, South Carolina, at Arkansas and at Tennessee.

8. Virginia Tech - The Hokies open the season against Alabama at the Georgia Dome, host Marshall and Nebraska, and travel to East Carolina. ACC matchups include Boston College, Miami (FL), North Carolina, at Georgia Tech and at Virginia.

9. Tennessee - The Volunteers host non-conference games against Memphis, Ohio, Western Kentucky and UCLA. SEC games include Auburn, Georgia, South Carolina, Vanderbilt, at Alabama, at Florida and at Ole Miss.

10. Michigan State - The Spartans play at Notre Dame and host Central Michigan and Western Michigan. Big Ten games include Iowa, Michigan, Penn State, at Illinois, at Minnesota and at Wisconsin.

The Dawgs will also play non-conference games against Arizona State, Georgia Tech and Tennessee Tech. SEC games for Georgia include South Carolina, at Arkansas, LSU, at Tennessee, at Vanderbilt, Florida (at Jacksonville), Auburn and Kentucky.

Arkansas has the 2nd toughest schedule in his ratings with a non-conference game at Texas and home games against Western Illinois, Tulsa and ULM.  In the SEC, the Razorbacks host Alabama, Florida, Ole Miss and LSU. The Hogs travel to Auburn, Kentucky, South Carolina and Mississippi State.

Steele’s 3rd toughest schedule in 2008 is the Georgia Bulldogs. The Dawgs schedule, which we covered in an earlier story, includes non-conference games with Arizona State, Central Michigan, Georgia Southern and Georgia Tech. Their toughest SEC matchups include at South Carolina, Alabama, Tennessee, Florida and at Auburn.

The 4th and 5th ranked schedules belong to Vanderbilt and Oregon State. Vandy’s non-conference schedule includes at Miami (OH), Rice, Duke and Wake Forest. The Beavers have a schedule which includes Utah State, at Purdue and Boise State.

Next Saturday, the Bulldogs host the Central Michigan Chippewas at home, followed by an SEC match versus the South Carolina Gamecocks in Columbia. Georgia then travels to Arizona State to face the Sun Devils before hosting the Alabama Crimson Tide, Tennessee Volunteers and Vanderbilt Commodores in Athens.

The schedule turns brutal in late October beginning with a trip to Baton Rouge to face LSU and a neutral site game with the Florida Gators in Jacksonville. After facing those two Top 10 teams, UGA hits the road to take on the Kentucky Wildcats and Auburn Tigers.

The Bulldogs wrap up their regular season on November 29th against in-state ACC foe Georgia Tech. They hope to be playing in the SEC Championship game in Atlanta on December 6th. After that, it could be a New Year’s Day bowl game, or even the BCS National Championship Game for the number one ranked Bulldogs.