College Football's Hardest Schedules for 2024 Contenders
Making a run at a national championship requires a special combination of talent, coaching and execution. One important factor out of a team's control, however, is the schedule.
Sure, you have to "beat the best to be the best." No argument.
No reasonable person would argue that Michigan—overwhelming as the Wolverines were in 2023—did not also benefit from a softer schedule. Alabama and Texas, meanwhile, played five opponents that finished as ranked teams before taking on a sixth in the College Football Playoff.
Sometimes, the road is perilous. It can be overcome—as Bama and Texas showed—and the CFP now expanding to 12 certainly helps.
The teams considered hold +4000 odds or shorter to win the national title, according to DraftKings. Key factors are number of anticipated Top 25 matchups, home/road splits, home-field advantage and preparation time.
Welcome to Tuscaloosa and the SEC, Kalen DeBoer. Enjoy the gauntlet!
Alabama opens the season with Western Kentucky and South Florida at home, but a trip to rowdy Camp Randall Stadium to play Wisconsin awaits in Week 3. Following a bye, the Tide host Georgia, which may be the nation's top-ranked team entering the showdown.
The second half of the season is loaded with marquee games, beginning with a trip to rival Tennessee on Oct. 19. Alabama turns around to host Missouri on the next weekend.
Following its traditional idle Saturday to begin November, the Tide close the regular season at LSU, home to lower-division Mercer, at Oklahoma and home to rival Auburn.
DeBoer's debut season may include seven or eight Top 25 opponents, but at least he'll have quarterback Jalen Milroe to lead the charge.
Georgia has posted a 12-0 mark in three straight regular seasons with no more than four matchups against year-end ranked teams.
That trend may change in a substantial way in 2024.
Kirby Smart's team kicks off the campaign opposite Clemson and travels to both Kentucky and Alabama in September. Later in the season, the Dawgs head to Texas (Oct. 19) and Ole Miss (Nov. 9). Georgia also welcomes rival Tennessee (Nov. 16) to Athens.
Fortunately for UGA, the expanded Playoff provides a greater margin for error. The return of quarterback Carson Beck, among many other talented players, is reason to expect the Dawgs will be a title contender.
Still, that quartet of road games—plus Clemson, as faux-neutral as Atlanta will be—is a much tougher road for the SEC powerhouse.
Jim Harbaugh and more than a dozen expected draft picks are headed to the NFL, leaving Sherrone Moore to oversee a new-look Michigan roster in its title defense.
The good news, as usual, is the Wolverines play eight of their 12 games inside the Big House. Home-field advantage is a positive.
However, their level of competition will provide a stiff challenge.
Michigan hosts Texas on Sep. 7. Later on, Oregon (Nov. 2) comes to Ann Arbor before the Wolverines head to Columbus for the annual rivalry finale opposite Ohio State (Nov. 30). Heading into 2024, those are merely three of the five most-respected teams in the country.
Plus, the Maize and Blue are home against USC (Sep. 21) and fly to Washington (Oct. 5) for a rematch of the national championship.
Moore's first season will be a massive test.
Oklahoma eases into the SEC, relatively speaking, with an opening stretch of Temple, Houston, Tulane, Tennessee and a trip to Auburn. Not easy, not terribly perilous.
But the Sooners had better take advantage of the Oct. 5 idle weekend, because it basically only gets worse.
Texas awaits on Oct. 12 for the first SEC edition of the Red River Rivalry. After hosting South Carolina—led by former OU assistant Shane Beamer—the Sooners travel to Ole Miss (Oct. 26). Two weeks later, they head to Missouri (Nov. 9) and rekindle the traditional rivalry.
Oklahoma isn't done, either.
Following a post-Missouri idle weekend, OU plays Alabama (Nov. 23) at home and goes to LSU (Nov. 30).
Let's put it this way: As of this writing, DraftKings has 15 teams with shorter championship odds than the Sooners. Six of them are on OU's regular-season schedule.
While Oklahoma adjusts to the SEC, the Trojans are ready to make their challenging debut as a Big Ten program.
First up: LSU on Sep. 1 in Las Vegas. USC's collapse in 2023 is a reminder that early results are simply one part of a long story, but the winner of this Sunday night showdown may land a valuable bullet point for its CFP resume.
Then on Sep. 21, the Trojans play at Michigan. The following weekend, the Trojans host a rested Wisconsin team.
Penn State (Oct. 12) comes to Los Angeles before USC makes a cross-country flight to Maryland (Oct. 19). The closing month's slate includes a trip to Washington (Nov. 2), a clash at rival UCLA (Nov. 23) and a home finale against rival Notre Dame (Nov. 30).
Perhaps that's only a handful of Top 25 opponents, but the Trojans should take on eight-plus bowl qualifiers.
