College Football Strength of Schedule Rankings for 2026 Season

Playing a high quality schedule is more important now than ever before as the College Football Playoff places considerable weight onto teams’ opponents before deciding to include them in their official rankings.

Which leaves the question: How do you determine a quality schedule? One way is to simply count up the wins and losses of your opponents from the season before.

That method is far from perfect, though, as the transfer portal, changes in recruiting fortunes, teams organically getting better or worse from year to year, and players leaving for the NFL all force schools to do major surgery on their rosters just about every offseason.

Moreover, all wins are not created equally, meaning a team can play an opponent with fewer overall wins but against better quality opposition, while another team can play a school with more wins but against substandard competition.

That said, at this point in the preseason with no film to watch of teams in their current form, adding up the Ws and Ls for each team on the schedule is simply the best we can do with the information we actually have. Where do things stand entering the summer months?

College football strength of schedule rankings in 2026

College football strength of schedule rankings for 2026 season — USA Today Sports | IMAGN

138. Buffalo ─ 64-88 (42.1%)

137. North Dakota State ─ 64-86 (42.7%)

T-135. Louisiana ─ 66-86 (43.4%)

T-135. Tulsa ─ 66-86 (43.4%)

134. Houston ─ 65-84 (43.6%)

133. MTSU ─ 66-85 (43.7%)

132. UConn ─ 68-82 (45.3%)

131. Coastal Carolina ─ 69-83 (45.4%)

130. Eastern Michigan ─ 68-81 (45.6%)

T-128. Virginia ─ 69-82 (45.7%)

T-128. Texas Tech ─ 69-82 (45.7%)

T-126. Toledo ─ 69-80 (46.3%)

T-126. Hawai’i ─ 69-80 (46.3%)

124. Wisconsin ─ 69-79 (46.6%)

123. Ohio ─ 71-80 (47%)

T-120. UL Monroe ─ 72-81 (47.1%)

T-120. Louisiana Tech ─ 72-81 (47.1%)

T-120. Pittsburgh ─ 72-81 (47.1%)

119. UMass ─ 70-78 (47.3.%)

118. Marshall ─ 72-80 (47.4%)

T-114. Kennesaw State ─ 72-79 (47.7%)

T-114. Appalachian State ─ 72-79 (47.7%)

T-114. Miami (OH) ─ 72-79 (47.7%)

T-114. Maryland ─ 72-79 (47.7%)

T-112. Old Dominion ─ 73-80 (47.7%)

T-112. Notre Dame ─ 73-80 (47.7%)

110. Navy ─ 72-77 (48.3%)

109. Rutgers ─ 74-79 (48.4%)

T-106. Sacramento State ─ 73-77 (48.7%)

T-106. New Mexico ─ 73-77 (48.7%)

T-106. Miami (FL) ─ 73-77 (48.7%)

105. San Diego State ─ 75-79 (48.7%)

104. Wyoming ─ 74-77 (49%)

103. Fresno State ─ 75-78 (49%)

102. Ball State ─ 74-76 (49.3%)

101. Clemson ─ 76-78 (49.4%)

100. James Madison ─ 76-77 (49.7%)

T-97. New Mexico State ─ 76-76 (50%)

T-97. Akron ─ 77-77 (50%)

T-97. UTEP ─ 74-74 (50%)

96. San Jose State ─ 82-81 (50.3%)

95. Northern Illinois ─ 78-77 (50.3%)

94. East Carolina ─ 77-76 (50.3%)

93. Georgia State ─ 78-76 (50.6%)

T-91. Western Michigan ─ 77-75 (50.7%)

T-91. Washington State ─ 77-75 (50.7%)

90. UCF ─ 76-74 (50.7%)

T-88. Liberty ─ 78-75 (51%)

T-88. Arkansas State ─ 78-85 (51%)

T-86. Tulane ─ 79-75 (51.3%)

T-86. Minnesota ─ 79-75 (51.3%)

85. Iowa State ─ 77-73 (51.3%)

T-83. Texas State ─ 80-74 (51.9%)

T-83. Oregon ─ 80-74 (51.9%)

82. Kansas ─ 78-72 (52%)

81. Sam Houston State ─ 81-74 (52.3%)

T-79. Troy ─ 80-73 (52.3%)

T-79. California ─ 80-73 (52.3%)

T-74. USF ─ 79-72 (52.3%)

T-74. Utah ─ 79-72 (52.3%)

T-74. UNLV ─ 79-72 (52.3%)

T-74. SMU ─ 79-72 (52.3%)

T-74. Oklahoma State ─ 79-72 (52.3%)

T-72. Western Kentucky ─ 82-74 (52.6%)

T-72. North Texas ─ 82-74 (52.6%)

T-70. Nevada ─ 81-73 (52.6%)

T-70. Illinois ─ 81-73 (52.6%)

T-68. UAB ─ 81-72 (52.9%)

T-68. UCLA ─ 81-72 (52.9%)

67. Air Force ─ 80-71 (53%)

66. Central Michigan ─ 82-72 (53.2%)

T-63. Kent State ─ 81-71 (53.3%)

T-63. Army ─ 81-71 (53.3%)

T-63. Iowa ─ 81-71 (53.3%)

62. South Alabama ─ 83-72 (53.5%)

T-60. Jacksonville State ─ 82-71 (53.6%)

T-60. Bowling Green ─ 82-71 (53.6%)

59. Kansas State ─ 82-70 (53.9%)

58. Auburn ─ 85-72 (54.1%)

57. Delaware ─ 84-71 (54.2%)

T-54. Missouri State ─ 83-70 (54.2%)

T-54. Georgia Tech ─ 83-70 (54.2%)

T-54. NC State ─ 83-70 (54.2%)

53. Arizona State ─ 82-69 (54.3%)

52. BYU ─ 81-68 (54.4%)

51. Virginia Tech ─ 85-71 (54.5%)

50. Texas A&M ─ 84-70 (54.5%)

49. Georgia Southern ─ 86-70 (55.1%)

48. Florida Atlantic ─ 84-68 (55.3%)

47. Colorado State ─ 86-69 (55.5%)

46. Vanderbilt ─ 87-69 (55.8%)

45. South Carolina ─ 86-68 (55.8%)

44. Colorado ─ 85-67 (55.9%)

43. Boise State ─ 89-70 (56%)

42. Georgia ─ 87-68 (56.1%)

41. Florida State ─ 89-69 (56.3%)

40. Utah State ─ 88-68 (56.4%)

39. Boston College ─ 87-67 (56.5%)

38. Alabama ─ 86-66 (56.6%)

37. Southern Miss ─ 88-67 (56.5%)

36. Ole Miss ─ 87-66 (56.9%)

35. Missouri ─ 88-66 (57.1%)

34. Wake Forest ─ 90-67 (57.3%)

T-31. Louisville ─ 89-66 (57.4%)

T-31. Memphis ─ 89-66 (57.4%)

T-31. Temple ─ 89-66 (57.4%)

T-28. UTSA ─ 88-65 (57.5%)

T-28. Florida ─ 88-65 (57.5%)

T-28. Michigan State ─ 88-65 (57.5%)

27. TCU ─ 87-64 (57.6%)

26. LSU ─ 90-66 (57.7%)

25. USC ─ 91-66 (58%)

T-23. Rice ─ 90-64 (58.4%)

T-23. Tennessee ─ 90-64 (58.4%)

21. Oregon State ─ 93-65 (58.9%)

20. Charlotte ─ 92-64 (59%)

19. Purdue ─ 91-63 (59.1%)

18. Oklahoma ─ 92-63 (59.4%)

17. Cincinnati ─ 91-62 (59.5%)

16. Syracuse ─ 92-62 (59.7%)

T-14. Duke ─ 94-63 (59.9%)

T-14. Texas ─ 94-63 (59.9%)

13. Arkansas ─ 92-61 (60.1%)

T-11. Kentucky ─ 94-61 (60.1%)

T-11. Indiana ─ 94-61 (60.1%)

10. Arizona ─ 94-59 (61.4%)

T-8. West Virginia ─ 95-59 (61.7%)

T-8. Baylor ─ 95-59 (61.7%)

T-6. Northwestern ─ 99-60 (62.3%)

T-6. Michigan ─ 99-60 (62.3%)

5. Mississippi State ─ 100-57 (63.7%)

4. Nebraska ─ 102-57 (64.2%)

3. Stanford ─ 101-56 (64.3%)

2. Ohio State ─ 102-56 (64.6%)

1. North Carolina ─ 103-55 (65.2%)

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