Ranking the 25 toughest college football schedules of 2019

The Cougars haven't been shying away from competition over the last few years and won't this season. Houston opens by playing at defending Big 12 champion Oklahoma, gets Prairie A&M at home and then plays Washington State at nearby NRG Stadium in Houston. They also have a difficult game at North Texas, a team that won nine games last season. As for American Athletic Conference play, the Cougars will have to go play at UCF, a team that hasn't lost a regular-season game since 2016, and will host Memphis and Cincinnati. It is a tough schedule to deal with, as the Cougars are rebuilding a bit with new head coach Dana Holgorsen.

If new head coach Matt Wells and the Red Raiders want to contend for a spot in the Big 12 title game, then they will have to do so with some big conference road games. Tech will have to go to Oklahoma, Texas and West Virginia as well as Baylor this year. They also will have to travel to Lawrence to face a Kansas team with new head coach Les Miles. TCU, Kansas State, Iowa State and Oklahoma State come calling to Lubbock. As far as the non-conference season goes, the Red Raiders begin the year with Montana State and UTEP before going to Tuscon to face an interesting Arizona team. 

Arizona has six true road games with the first being on Aug. 24 at Hawaii. The Wildcats won't play on the road again until October when they travel to Colorado. In the interim, they'll play Northern Arizona and Texas Tech to finish off their non-conference schedule as well as hosting UCLA. As far as further Pac-12 play, the Wildcats host Washington before finishing the season with four of their final six games on the road. That stretch takes them to USC and Stanford, home against Oregon State, at Oregon, home against division favorite Utah and then at rival Arizona State. 

Will this be the season the 'Noles finally straighten back out? If they do, it will be against a pretty good schedule. Florida State opens in Jacksonville against Boise State in one of the more interesting intersectional matchups this season. Their two biggest games are obviously against their ACC division rival Clemson on Oct. 12 and their season finale against Florida. Both of those games are away from Tallahassee. The rest of FSU's more challenging games are at Doak Campbell Stadium (NC State, Louisville, Syracuse, Miami). 

The Ducks open the season against Auburn in the AdvoCare Classic in Arlington, Texas which is a rematch of the 2010 national championship game. Auburn will be ready...but will Oregon? The Ducks will face a solid Nevada team in Week 2, then Montana, before getting into conference play. Oregon's toughest stretch will be in the middle of the season when it travels to Stanford, hosts California and Colorado, plays at Washington, hosts Washington State and plays USC at the Coliseum. Oregon will have a tough road to go through if it wants to get back to contender status. 

Remember that the Big 12 is one of the few leagues that plays a true round-robin schedule so the only difference within the conference is where and when the teams play their opponents. The Horns know their most important game will be played in Dallas during the State Fair of Texas when they take on Oklahoma. A win in the Red River Rivalry would go a long way toward a Big 12 title and a possible College Football Playoff berth. Texas also has to face highly ranked LSU in the second week of the season. There are road games at Iowa State, West Virginia, Baylor and TCU as well.

The Buffs' three game non-conference schedule features their historic rivals. They open against Colorado State at Broncos Stadium in Denver before facing old Big 8 rival Nebraska — (they'll close out the non-con with Air Force). Colorado's Pac-12 slate is formidable. Alongside their South Division rivals (USC, UCLA, Arizona, Arizona State and Utah), the Buffaloes will go to Oregon and Washington State and host Washington and Stanford. Those were the top four teams in the North Division last season. Colorado has hit hard times since playing in the conference championship game a few years ago and this schedule could keep the Buffaloes at the bottom of the standings.

Florida opens up the season against Miami in Orlando for a fun battle that not only is big for state bragging rights and recruiting battles but the continuing rivalry between the SEC and the ACC. The Gators have the normal SEC East suspects on the schedule, including Kentucky, Tennessee and the Cocktail Party against Georgia in Jacksonville. Florida will also go up against Auburn and LSU — the latter on the road — before ending the season against rival Florida State. There are several games where the Gators should be heavily favored, but if the Hurricanes and Seminoles can make a comeback after disappointing seasons then the schedule could get rocky.

The ACC Coastal Division has seemingly been wide open every year, and this season is no different. Virginia Tech and Miami are looking to bounce back from subpar seasons, Pittsburgh is the defending division champion and rival North Carolina feels rejuvenated with the rehiring of Mack Brown. While there are no powerhouses in the division right now, there are several really good teams that the Blue Devils must navigate through. There are two games on this schedule with huge circles around them: Alabama and Notre Dame. Duke will play Alabama in Atlanta to open the season and will most likely get crushed by the Tide. In November, the Blue Devils welcome the Irish to Durham. In 2016, Duke went into South Bend to stun Notre Dame for one of the biggest wins in program history. That isn't likely to happen again.  

Northwestern made its first appearance in the Big Ten championship game last season and is rewarded with a tough schedule. The first half of the season will see the Cats head to Stanford before coming home to UNLV and Michigan State. They'll then travel to Wisconsin and Nebraska before a title game rematch against Ohio State. After homecoming against Iowa, the schedule lets up a bit with only a home game with Purdue that is concerning. If Northwestern wants to get back to the title game it'll have to earn it.

The Irish, per usual, have some heavy hitters lined up on their schedule. Their third game of the season will be in Athens against Georgia. A month later, the Irish head over the Ann Arbor to renew their rivalry with Michigan. If the Irish can win those two games then they could go undefeated. Notre Dame also will host New Mexico, Virginia, Bowling Green, USC, Virginia Tech, Navy and Boston College and travel to Louisville, Duke and Stanford. USC and Virginia Tech are the scariest games of that bunch, but that doesn't mean that the road back to the playoff is a piece of cake. Virginia is good and traveling to Stanford can be dicey. 

As you'll see, life in the Big Ten East is tough. Sparty will have to play Penn State at home and travel to Ohio State and Michigan. The Spartans also drew the unfortunate assignment of having to play at perennial West Division power Wisconsin and defending West champion Northwestern. In fact the Spartans' season could make or break beginning in October when they play at Ohio State, at Wisconsin, Penn State, Illinois and at Michigan. The non-conference schedule is highlighted with a rematch against Arizona State in East Lansing. 

New head coach Ryan Day has an interesting season ahead of him in Columbus. He'll open the season against Lane Kiffin's Florida Atlantic and then Cincinnati before traveling to Indiana and back home against Miami-Ohio. The non-conference schedule lacks that marquee event that Ohio State has been part of lately. From there, virtually every week is a challenge. The Buckeyes travel to Nebraska, Northwestern, Rutgers and rival Michigan and host Michigan State, Wisconsin, Maryland and Penn State — a hefty slate of games and certainly a worthy start to Day's tenure in Columbus.

Playing in the SEC West is always a dangerous proposition, and the Rebels will again face off against some of the nation's elite. Ole Miss opens with Memphis at the Liberty Bowl before a three-game homestand against Arkansas, Southeastern Louisiana and California. At the end of September, Ole Miss heads to Tuscaloosa to take on an Alabama team that has outscored the Rebels 128-10 over the last two seasons. The last four games will see Mississippi host Texas A&M, go to Auburn and then return home for New Mexico State and LSU before facing rival Mississippi State on the road. 

The Bulldogs have a mix of easy wins and some big-time contests on the schedule. Let's just look at the tough games: In Week 4, the Bulldogs will face off against Notre Dame in what could be a de-facto playoff game. Georgia will have four winnable games before linking up with Florida in Jacksonville in what should be the game to decide the division. Fast-forward to the end of the season when the Bulldogs play at Auburn and host Texas A&M before their rivalry game at Georgia Tech. Auburn and A&M could be in the mix for playoff spots as well and would need this win to add to their resumes. 

The Hawkeyes have one of the more difficult road schedules in the country even though they play just five games away from Kinnick Stadium and none is too far from home. They will travel to Ames to face their rival, Iowa State, in September. As for their Big Ten road games, they will go to Michigan, Northwestern, Wisconsin and Nebraska. October begins with the trip to Ann Arbor to face the Wolverines before both Penn State and Purdue go to Kinnick Stadium. A tough five-game stretch ends with trips to defending Big Ten West division champion Northwestern and Wisconsin. 

First off, UCLA gets to breathe a huge sigh of relief by avoiding both Washington and Oregon in Pac-12 play this year. The Bruins open up the season at a Cincinnati program that is not only improving but also won at UCLA last year. From there they host an improving San Diego State before mighty Oklahoma goes to the Rose Bowl. The next week, UCLA heads up to Washington State to take on the Cougars then goes back down to play at Arizona. After a stretch of three of four games at home, the Bruins head to Utah and USC before the season finale at Cal. The Bruins are coming off a three-win season and could struggle yet again. 

Look, pretty much every team that resides in the SEC West could claim to have a tough schedule, and LSU is no different. The Tigers will host Texas A&M, Auburn and Arkansas and play at Alabama, Mississippi State and Ole Miss, and they will also host the SEC East's Florida in the middle of the season. The most important game of the year could be in Week 2 at Texas. A loss to the Longhorns there could keep a playoff berth out of reach for LSU. Their final five games are Florida, at Mississippi State, Auburn, at Alabama, at Ole Miss, Arkansas and Texas A&M. Good luck!

Every year, the Terps get to play Ohio State, Michigan, Penn State and Michigan State in Big Ten play (they also get to play Rutgers and Indiana), which pretty much saddles them with four losses right off the bat. Their opponents from the Big Ten West are Nebraska, Purdue, and Minnesota — the latter two will be played on the road. In fact, their final four games will be homecoming against Michigan, at Ohio State, Nebraska and at Michigan State. They'll have non-conference games Syracuse and at Temple early on. 

The Wolverines typically play a difficult schedule, and this year is no exception. They start off against a Middle Tennessee squad that isn't a pushover. Neither is Army, which has been really good over the last three seasons. Then they'll head to Wisconsin, which is (typically) a tough place to leave with a win. The second half of the season is tough. Their final six games are at Penn State, Notre Dame, at Maryland, Michigan State, at Indiana and the season finale against rival Ohio State. The silver lining is their three toughest games in that stretch are all at home. The problem is that Michigan has had a tough time beating any of those teams of late. 

Auburn has one of the more funky schedules in the nation. The Tigers will not play at home at all in October and will finish the season with four straight home games. Now, that is the where they play, but let's get into the who they play. The Tigers begin the season against Oregon in the AdvoCare Classic in Arlington, Texas. In Week 4, they will go to College Station to play Texas A&M before hosting Mississippi State and then going on that three-game road trip to Florida, Arkansas and LSU. Two of those four home games to close the season will be against Georgia and, of course, Alabama in the Iron Bowl. Auburn sure is used to these brutal schedules.

USC's three non-conference games are difficult with the opener against Fresno State at the Coliseum and trips to BYU and Notre Dame. As for Pac-12 play, the Trojans will get their normal South Division foes (UCLA, Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado and Utah), but their four-game slate against the North Division does them no favors. They'll travel to Washington and California and host Oregon and Stanford. The toughest stretch will be in the middle of the season when five of their seven games are on the road. At least their bye week comes between the road trips to Washington and Notre Dame. 

Stanford's schedule has no real weaknesses. It opens up the season hosting Northwestern before heading south to face USC. Stanford then travels cross-country to face UCF, one of the four teams that went undefeated in last year's regular season. The Cardinal will face another one of those teams when they close the season against Notre Dame. The Pac-12 slate features trips to both Colorado and Washington State and home games against Oregon and Washington. If they can get to the second half of the schedule with two or less losses then the season could be a big success.

Jimbo Fisher's second season in College Station will feature road trips to Clemson, Georgia and LSU. Fisher resurrects his rivalry with Dabo Swinney and the Clemson Tigers in a game sandwiched between Texas State and Lamar. From there they will host Auburn, play Arkansas in Arlington, Texas and then back home to face Alabama. There is also Ole Miss (road) and Mississippi State (home) to deal with before closing out the season with those two road games against Georgia and LSU. The Aggies' reclamation project will have a lot of high hurdles to jump. 

The Gamecocks will open the season in Charlotte against North Carolina in Mack Brown's return to the sidelines. The Tar Heels weren't good last year, but Brown has created a real buzz in Chapel Hill. After a cupcake game against Charleston Southern, the season gets downright brutal. The Gamecocks will get Alabama, Clemson and Florida at home and will have to travel to Texas A&M and Georgia. Wow. It isn't like the games against Kentucky or Tennessee will be any easier. Even their game against Appalachian State in November is tough.