Ranking Strength of Schedule for penultimate College Football Playoff Top 25 from weakest to strongest

Tuesday night, the penultimate College Football Playoff rankings dropped. That means the final Top 25 is on the way soon, and strength of schedule is becoming an even bigger topic of conversation as teams present their case for the field.

ESPN’s FPI is a way to gauge how strong each team’s schedule is. While committee chairman Warde Manuel said it’s not the only metric used when determining the rankings, it’s still a way to separate teams with similar records, especially without common opponents.

Although the CFP outsources data from SportSource Analytics, executive director Rich Clark said, that data is not available to the public. As a result, ESPN and its FPI is a way to gauge the caliber each team’s opponents are ahead of Championship Week. Here is each College Football Playoff team’s strength of schedule, ranked from weakest to strongest, to this point.

Memphis – SOS: 112

CFP Top 25 Ranking: No. 25

After reaching the 10-win mark with last week’s stunner against Tulane, Memphis jumped into the College Football Playoff rankings this week. The Tigers have the weakest strength of schedule of the Top 25 teams, but did enough to get into the No. 25 slot.

Games Remaining: N/A

UNLV – SOS: 107

CFP Top 25 Ranking: No. 20

Don’t look now, but here comes UNLV. If the Rebels can get a win in the Mountain West title game on Saturday, they could make things interesting when the College Football Playoff committee has to evaluate the fifth-highest ranked conference champion on Sunday.

Games Remaining: Boise State (Mountain West Championship)

Army – SOS: 100

CFP Top 25 Ranking: No. 24

Army moved back into the College Football Playoff Top 25 after falling out of last week’s rankings. The Black Knights have the American Athletic Conference Championship next week against Tulane to set the table for the annual game against Navy a week later.

Games Remaining: Tulane (American Athletic Conference Championship)

Boise State – SOS: 86

CFP Top 25 Ranking: No. 10

Ashton Jeanty and Boise State take an 11-1 record in the Mountain West Championship, with the only loss coming to No. 1 Oregon. That helps bolster the Broncos’ resume despite their No. 86-ranked strength of schedule, according to ESPN’s FPI.

Games Remaining: UNLV (Mountain West Championship)

SMU – SOS: 75

CFP Top 25 Ranking: No. 8

An impressive first year in the ACC continues for SMU in Saturday’s conference championship. A win over Clemson would likely make the Mustangs one of the four highest-ranked conference champions, which would earn them a bye.

Games Remaining: Clemson (ACC Championship)

Arizona State – SOS: 72

CFP Top 25 Ranking: No. 15

One of the biggest risers in the College Football Playoff rankings over the last few weeks, Arizona State is a win away from a berth in the field. The Sun Devils will take on Iowa State in Saturday’s Big 12 Championship after coming in as the No. 12 seed in the projected bracket after the penultimate rankings reveal.

Games Remaining: Iowa State (Big 12 Championship)

Syracuse – SOS: 71

CFP Top 25 Ranking: No. 22

Syracuse played spoiler last week against Miami, defeating the Hurricanes to keep them out of the ACC Championship. That win also got the Orange into the College Football Playoff rankings, which is an impressive way to cap Year 1 for Fran Brown.

Games Remaining: N/A

Colorado – SOS: 69

CFP Top 25 Ranking: No. 23

Colorado missed out on the Big 12 Championship, but still ended the regular season ranked in the College Football Playoff Top 25. The Buffaloes will await their bowl fate after completing an impressive turnaround under Deion Sanders, finishing 9-3 this season.

Games Remaining: N/A

Iowa State – SOS: 68

CFP Top 25 Ranking: No. 16

A spot in the Big 12 Championship presents an opportunity for Iowa State to officially seal a berth in the College Football Playoff. The Cyclones will take on Arizona State in the game, which is sure to draw plenty of CFP intrigue.

Games Remaining: Arizona State (Big 12 Championship)

Indiana – SOS: 65

CFP Top 25 Ranking: No. 9

A loss to Ohio State knocked Indiana down the College Football Playoff rankings, but the Hoosiers remained in the Top 10 after the penultimate rankings reveal. Their strength of schedule was a key discussion point before that game against the Buckeyes, and it now ranks No. 65, according to ESPN’s FPI.

Games Remaining: N/A

Oregon – SOS: 60

CFP Top 25 Ranking: No. 1

The last remaining undefeated team, Oregon will look to officially lock up the No. 1 seed after this week’s Big Ten Championship. The Ducks will take on Penn State at Lucas Oil Stadium with the top seed on the line.

Games Remaining: Penn State (Big Ten Championship)

Notre Dame – SOS: 57

CFP Top 25 Ranking: No. 4

A big rivalry win over USC sealed an 11-1 season for Notre Dame as the Fighting Irish continued to overcome a loss to Northern Illinois in Week 2. They’re now in line to host a first-round College Football Playoff game and will see how the final rankings shake out on Sunday.

Games Remaining: N/A

Remaining CFP teams’ strength of schedule

Miami | SOS: 55 | CFP Ranking: No. 12
Clemson | SOS: 53 | CFP Ranking: No. 17
BYU | SOS: 44 | CFP Ranking: No. 18
Penn State | SOS: 36 | CFP Ranking: No. 3
Texas | SOS: 32 | CFP Ranking: No. 2
Ole Miss | SOS: 31 | CFP Ranking: No. 13
Illinois | SOS: 30 | CFP Ranking: No. 21
Tennessee | SOS: 28 | CFP Ranking: No. 7
Missouri | SOS: 27 | CFP Ranking: No. 19
Ohio State | SOS: 26 | CFP Ranking: No. 6
Alabama | SOS: 17 | CFP Ranking: No. 11
South Carolina | SOS: 15 | CFP Ranking: No. 14
Georgia | SOS: 3 | CFP Ranking: No. 5