Toughest Row To Hoe

[Snaggletiger]

247 released it's way too early rankings of the 15 toughest schedules for 2020.  No rest for the SEC weary.  copy/pasta 247

Battling through the most important regular season in sports, reaching the College Football Playoff means perfection for most — playing with fire week to week over a 12-game meatgrinder hoping to avoid burns. That's what makes a program like Clemson's recent dominance so impressive despite the national notion that schedule favorability has played a pivotal role in the Tigers' success.
"Who has beat Alabama in SEC? In the past five years? Ain't many," a noticeably candid Dabo Swinney said last season. "Yet we've had a great run in our conference because nobody else is good. We’ve only won in postseason because people are tired or there are distractions ... it’s funny.”
And once again, from the outside looking in, you could say Clemson's slate appears tailor-made to get back to the final four. The same can not be said for many others, however.

Using our preseason way-too-early Top 25 as a guide, we ranked college football's toughest schedules for the upcoming 2020 season based on opponent quality, when the game occurs, likelihood it affects team success — reasoning behind South Carolina facing one of nation's toughest in 2019 — and circumstances surrounding the matchups (opponent coming off an open week; tough back to back, etc.).
All of that is also attached to a schedule strength rating (5 points for a preseason Top 5 opponent, 4 for Nos. 6-10, etc.), a numeral grade that is factored into a subjective placement in the overall schedule toughness rankings.

15. Ohio State

14. Fuck Georgia (Emphasis all my own)

13. Michigan State

12. Indiana

11. Michigan

10. Georgia Tech

9. Nebraska

8. LSU

7. Alabama

6. Tennessee

5. USC

4. Auburn

3. Ole Miss

2. Arkansas

1. Sakerlina

I was surprised not to see Notre Dame on there because to me, laugh if you want, they always seem to have a solid schedule throughout.  They do play Clemson and whiny Dabo, but the difference is it appears they dropped Michigan and picked up Arkansas.  I'll make that trade all day long.

Some of the marquee match ups in and out of conference:

Ohio State vs. Oregon 

Alabama vs. USC

Texas vs. LSU

Clemson vs. Notre Dame

Fuck Georgia vs. Alabama 

[wesfau2]

...We’ve only won in postseason because people are tired...

Yeah, dipshit, that's legit.  You cakewalk for 13 weeks and then play teams that have been beating their heads against legit competition over that span.

[Snaggletiger]

...We’ve only won in postseason because people are tired...

Yeah, dipshit, that's legit.  You cakewalk for 13 weeks and then play teams that have been beating their heads against legit competition over that span.

Damn it, man.  That Wake Forest game just sucks the life out of any team.  It takes weeks to recover.

[Snaggletiger]

There's 1 ACC team, Georgia Tech, in the top 15.  There are 7 SEC teams in the top 10.  GT is at #10 because they have Clemson and their traditional rival, Fuck Georgia.  Plus, they added the Fighting Irish and the UCF Knights to the schedule.  Now, that's a bona fide OOC slate.

[GH2001]

Miss State and Aggie must get the weaklings from the east this year. Otherwise every West team should be Top 15 almost every year. Especially Auburn since FUGa is a constant. Its nice to see FUGa finally plays a real schedule this year though.

[Snaggletiger]

Miss State and Aggie must get the weaklings from the east this year. Otherwise every West team should be Top 15 almost every year. Especially Auburn since FUGa is a constant. Its nice to see FUGa finally plays a real schedule this year though.

Yep.  MSU has Kentucky and Mizzou while A&M plays Vandy and South Carolina.