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

Rivalry Week is here, and the College Football Playoff race is heating up quickly, meaning strength of schedule will be a key talking point. The fourth Top 25 rankings came out Tuesday night, meaning time is running out for teams to separate themselves.

One way to do that is through strength of schedule, which is a key metric in the rankings process. ESPN’s FPI provides a look at where each team stands, ranking each schedule from weakest to strongest.

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 Week 14. Here are each College Football Playoff team’s strength of schedule, ranked from weakest to strongest, to this point.

UNLV – SOS: 103

CFP Top 25 Ranking: 22

After jumping into the College Football Playoff rankings a week ago, UNLV moved up two spots to No. 22 this week. The Rebels are looking to chart a path to the Mountain West Championship against Boise State, and that road runs through this week’s rivalry matchup vs. Nevada.

Games Remaining: Nevada

Tulane – SOS: 100

CFP Top 25 Ranking: No. 17

An eight-game winning streak is sending Tulane up the College Football Playoff rankings entering Week 14 despite the second-weakest schedule in the Top 25. The Green Wave will look to close the regular season strong before the American Athletic Conference Championship against Army.

Games Remaining: Memphis, Army (AAC Championship)

Boise State – SOS: 81

CFP Top 25 Ranking: No. 11

The projected No. 4 seed in the 12-team bracket, Boise State is the highest-ranked Group of 5 team in the latest rankings. The Broncos, led by Heisman Trophy hopeful Ashton Jeanty, will host the Mountain West Championship and await their opponent after this week’s game vs. Oregon State.

Games Remaining: Oregon State, TBD (Mountain West Championship)

Notre Dame – SOS: 78

CFP Top 25 Ranking: No. 5

Notre Dame put together another dominant showing in the Shamrock Series against Army, continuing its dominance after a stunning loss to Northern Illinois. The Fighting Irish will close out the year with the rivalry against USC, although that game likely won’t boost their strength of schedule the way it would in years past.

Games Remaining: USC

SMU – SOS: 77

CFP Top 25 Ranking: No. 9

Year 1 in the ACC has been one to remember for SMU. The Mustangs are heading to the conference championship and rank No. 9 in the latest College Football Playoff rankings, although their strength of schedule sits just outside the Top 75, according to ESPN.

Games Remaining: Cal

Iowa State – SOS: 69

CFP Top 25 Ranking: No. 18

It’s been an interesting year for Iowa State, which checked in at No. 18 in Tuesday’s College Football Playoff rankings. The Cyclones are in the thick of a crowded Big 12 race, which is going to be one of the biggest storylines of Week 14.

Games Remaining: Kansas State

Arizona State – SOS: 66

CFP Top 25 Ranking: No. 16

Arizona State has been flying up the College Football Playoff rankings the last few weeks, and the Sun Devils are now the highest-ranked Big 12 team. That makes them the projected conference champion and, despite being ranked 16th, the No. 12 seed in the bracket.

Games Remaining: Arizona

Colorado – SOS: 61

CFP Top 25 Ranking: No. 25

After falling to Kansas last week, the question was if Colorado would stay in the College Football Playoff rankings. The Buffaloes barely made the cut, checking in at No. 25 entering the regular-season finale against Oklahoma State.

Games Remaining: Oklahoma State

Miami – SOS: 59

CFP Top 25 Ranking: No. 6

A win this week would put Miami in the ACC Championship, and the Hurricanes came in as the projected ACC champion in the latest College Football Playoff rankings. Cam Ward continues to lead a high-powered offense, which will face a sneaky test against Syracuse.

Games Remaining: Syracuse

Clemson – SOS: 57

CFP Top 25 Ranking: No. 12

Despite its No. 12 ranking, Clemson finds itself on the outside looking in on the 12-team College Football Playoff bracket. But a Miami loss would send the Tigers to the ACC Championship, which would make the path a bit clearer.

Games Remaining: South Carolina

Oregon – SOS: 52

CFP Top 25 Ranking: No. 1

The last unbeaten team standing, Oregon is heading to the Big Ten Championship in its first year in the league. The Ducks have dominated their schedule this year, which ranks at No. 52 in the nation, according to ESPN’s FPI.

Games Remaining: Washington, TBD (Big Ten Championship)

Remaining CFP teams’ strength of schedule

Indiana | SOS: 51 | CFP Ranking: No. 10
Kansas State | SOS: 48 | CFP Ranking: No. 24
BYU | SOS: 39 | CFP Ranking: No. 19
Texas | SOS: 36 | CFP Ranking: No. 3
Penn State | SOS: 32 | CFP Ranking: No. 4
Ole Miss | SOS: 27 | CFP Ranking: No. 14
Illinois | SOS: 26 | CFP Ranking: No. 23
Ohio State | SOS: 25 | CFP Ranking: No. 2
Texas A&M | SOS: 23 | CFP Ranking: No. 20
Tennessee | SOS: 22 | CFP Ranking: No. No. 8
Missouri | SOS: 20 | CFP Ranking: No. 21
South Carolina | SOS: 12 | CFP Ranking: No. 15
Alabama | SOS: 11 | CFP Ranking: No. 13
Georgia | SOS: 1 | CFP Ranking: No. 7

Rivalry Week is one of the most exciting slates on the college football calendar, and there’s even more on the line for some teams in the mix for the 12-team College Football Playoff. With conference championships on the horizon, the picture is becoming clearer.