Toughest college football schedules in 2017

Alabama's season last year ended in disappointment, but the Tide won't have time to sulk with a schedule that opens vs. Florida State. The SEC schedule includes Vanderbilt and Tennessee in the East, plus West opponents Texas A&M, Arkansas, LSU and Auburn. The Iron Bowl will take place at Auburn this year and could have major College Football Playoff implications.

The Razorbacks' schedule is shaping up to be tough with a home game vs. TCU in Week 2 followed by a difficult SEC slate. They get Texas A&M on a neutral field and a home game against Auburn in mid-October. The road games include South Carolina, Alabama, Ole Miss and LSU.

Auburn has to visit Clemson at Death Valley in Week 2 and has a midseason stretch of three straight road games at LSU, Arkansas and Texas A&M. The Tigers play Georgia and Alabama in two of the last three weeks of the season as well, but the games are at home if that's any consolation.

Cal opens the season against a North Carolina team that should still be competitive despite losing quarterback Mitch Trubisky. Two weeks later the Bears face Ole Miss in another difficult out-of-conference matchup. Their Pac-12 schedule is brutal with home games vs. USC and Washington State, along with road games at Oregon, Washington, Colorado, Stanford and UCLA.

As if their personnel losses weren't enough, the defending champs have perhaps the roughest non-conference schedule in the country with a home game vs. Auburn and closing out the year with their annual game vs. South Carolina. A visit to Louisville opens their ACC schedule Sept. 16, ad a visit to Virginia Tech is on the horizon two weeks later. The Tigers also play Florida State Nov. 11 in Death Valley.

Duke avoids playing Clemson this season, but that's one of the few breaks on the schedule. The Blue Devils face Northwestern and Baylor before their ACC schedule even begins, and they have a brutal home schedule that includes Miami, Florida State, Pitt and Georgia Tech. Duke also faces North Carolina and Virginia Tech on the road.

You'll have a hard time finding a tougher out-of-conference schedule than Florida, who open the year vs. Michigan and closes out the regular season vs. rival Florida State. While the Gators avoid Alabama and Auburn in the SEC, they still have to play LSU and Texas A&M, along with East opponents Tennessee and Georgia.

Florida State is one of this year's favorites, but the Seminoles' quest for the College Football Playoff could be curbed early with games vs. Alabama and Miami in two of the first three weeks. While they get Louisville at home Oct. 21, the Seminoles have to visit Clemson and Florida in November.

The Yellow Jackets open the season vs. Tennessee and close it vs. SEC rival Georgia. Sandwiched between are tough home games vs. Pitt, North Carolina and Virginia Tech, along with road games at Miami and Clemson.

Louisville has hopes for a College Football Playoff invite but will have to work through a schedule that's far from easy. The Cardinals' non-conference games include Purdue and a visit to rival Kentucky. The ACC games include Clemson at home and visits to N.C. State and Florida State.

LSU plays BYU at a neutral site to start the year, which is a tough way to begin a season. The SEC schedule couldn't be much tougher with home games vs. Auburn, Arkansas and Texas A&M, along with road games at Mississippi State, Florida, Ole Miss, Alabama and Tennessee.

Maryland will have a rough go as it tries to make a bowl for the second straight year. The year opens at Texas, and an out-of-conference matchup against UCF could also be difficult. However, it's the Big Ten slate that's most brutal. The Terps' road matchups include Minnesota, Ohio State, Wisconsin and Michigan, and the home schedule has Northwestern, Michigan and Penn State.

The Wolverines have a difficult start before their Big Ten schedule, facing Florida, Cincinnati and Air Force. Their conference schedule features home games vs. Michigan State, Minnesota and Ohio State, while they visit Penn State, Maryland and Wisconsin. 

Head coach Brian Kelly needs to dig the Fighting Irish out of the gutter to keep his job, but the team's schedule won't be very cooperative. Tough home games include Temple, Georgia and USC, while the team also has to visit Michigan State, North Carolina, Miami and Stanford.

Head coach Urban Meyer and quarterback J.T. Barrett will have their work cut out for them if they want to return to the College Football Playoff. Their season opens with an in-conference visit to Indiana, followed by a rematch vs. Oklahoma. While they do get Penn State and Michigan State at home, the Buckeyes have to visit Nebraska, Iowa and Michigan.

Oklahoma faces Ohio State again this year, this time in Columbus. That's clearly the biggest test, but the Sooners' Big 12 schedule has great challenges as well. They go on the road to play Baylor, Kansas State and Oklahoma State, in addition to the Red River Showdown vs. Texas in mid-October. Tough home games include TCU and West Virginia.

Oregon has a tall task of getting out of the cellar after a disappointing 2016 season. The Ducks get no relief early in the year with a Week 2 matchup vs. Nebraska and a potentially brutal visit to Wyoming. The Pac-12 schedule includes Washington State and Utah at home, with Stanford, UCLA and Washington on the road.

Penn State has high hopes for a College Football Playoff appearance this season. An early-season matchup vs. Pitt will be the first major test. The Big Ten scheduled is stacked, with visits to Iowa, Northwestern, Ohio State, Michigan State and Maryland, plus home games vs. Michigan and Nebraska.

It's likely to be another long year for Rutgers. The Scarlet Knights open the season vs. Washington, and their Big Ten schedule includes games at Nebraska, Michigan and Penn State, as well as home games vs. Ohio State and Michigan State.

The Cardinal won't have much time to mend after major personnel losses from last year, visiting USC in Week 2 and San Diego State in Week 3. Stanford also closes out the year vs. Notre Dame. The Pac-12 schedule includes home games vs. UCLA, Oregon and Washington, as well as road games at Utah and Washington State.

Syracuse has a pair of tough non-conference games vs. Middle Tennessee and Central Michigan early in the year before the ultimate brutal matchup at LSU. The ACC schedule doesn't get any easier, of course, with visits to Miami, Florida State and Louisville, in addition to home games vs. Pitt and Clemson.

New head coach Tom Herman won't have much time to develop his team before getting tested with Maryland to open the year and a visit to USC in the third week. The Big 12 slate includes Kansas State, Oklahoma State and Texas Tech at home; visits to Baylor, TCU and West Virginia; along with the Red River Showdown vs. Oklahoma.

Quarterback Josh Rosen hopes for a bounce-back season in what's likely his final year at UCLA. The schedule won't help, with Texas A&M in Week 1 and a visit to Memphis in Week 3. The rough Pac-12 schedule includes home games vs. Colorado and Oregon, plus road games at Stanford, Washington, Utah and USC.

Not only do non-conference games vs. Texas and at Notre Dame look difficult on paper, but the Trojans have to be up to speed in early September for a season-altering matchup vs. Stanford. The Pac-12 is stacked again this season, so USC and Sam Darnold don't get many free passes. Their other tough conference games include at Washington State, vs. Utah, at Colorado and vs. rival UCLA to close out the year.

Virginia Tech's matchup vs. West Virginia in Week 1 should be one of the better early-season games. The Hokies' ACC schedule kicks off vs. Clemson at the end of September, and they also have home games vs. North Carolina and Pitt. Road games include Miami and Georgia Tech.