College football's 10 easiest schedules in 2025: Texas Tech, Illinois playoff roads clear of major obstacles
College football schedule metrics vastly differ this time of year with most relying on perception, last season's results or lookahead predictions to determine toughness. On the other side of the coin, there are several Power Four programs blessed with favorable schedules that could lead to momentum-changing seasons near the top of their respective conferences.
These "easiest schedule rankings" are heavily influenced by our cumulative post-spring top 25 rankings, which averaged out various polls from CBS Sports, ESPN, Sporting News, Athlon Sports, Fox Sports and Bleacher Report. Our strength of schedule rankings for each conference were also considered.
Schedule favorability matters for a program trying to get to the playoff and these teams -- like Indiana and SMU demonstrated last season -- are potentially equipped to win with slates conducive to success in 2025.
Number of opponents in cumulative top 25: 3
Jalon Daniels is back to finish what he started with the Jayhawks in hopes of getting Kansas to the Big 12 Championship Game for the first time in program history. There's going to be considerable hype around the Jayhawks if they're able to start the season 6-0, highlighted by a road win over Missouri in September. That would given this team a chance at a top-tier finish in the conference with three top 25 games the rest of the way -- Texas Tech, Kansas State and Iowa State.
9. Penn State Nittany LionsNumber of opponents in cumulative top 25: 3
No elite team has a yellow brick road as bright as the Nittany Lions in their return quest to the playoff. The home showdown with defending Big Ten champion Oregon has already been announced as a prime-time whiteout in Happy Valley and the only other worrisome matchup comes at Ohio State. Split those and go chalk the rest of the way and that's another 11-win finish and playoff appearance for James Franklin -- guaranteed. Penn State should score more than 100 points over its first three games against Nevada, FIU and Villanova.
8. Maryland TerrapinsNumber of opponents in cumulative top 25: 3
Mike Locksley's seat cools off early if Maryland gets halfway to bowl eligibility after three winnable nonconference games against FAU, Northern Illinois and Towson. From there, the Terrapins play Indiana, Illinois and Michigan as the ranked league opponents -- about the best scenario you can ask for in the Big Ten given the other elites headlining the top of the conference.
7. Illinois Fighting IlliniNumber of opponents in cumulative top 25: 2
Illinois is getting the Indiana treatment this summer in more ways than one. Often the answer to every "who will be the Big Ten's Indiana in 2025" question, the Fighting Illini should also benefit from having a 2024 Hoosiers-like schedule this season. Indiana and Ohio State are the only top 25 opponents for Bret Bielema's team, which also must navigate a trip to Duke in Week 2 and a home bout with USC -- a conference unknown -- on Sept. 27. This slate sets up for the first playoff appearance in school history if Luke Altmyer and Illinois execute.
Number of opponents in cumulative top 25: 2
Joey McGuire and the Red Raiders assessed every need on their roster this offseason and landed several big fish, enough for the program to warrant "Big 12 championship threat" status ahead of the opener. For a program that's never reached the league's title game, it doesn't hurt that the 2025 schedule should do its part too with Arizona State and Kansas State being the only nationally ranked opponents.
5. Houston CougarsNumber of opponents in cumulative top 25: 2
One of four Big 12 teams inside this top 10, the Cougars know what they'll have to do to reach the playoff for the first time -- handle business in the nonconference and tip-toe through a Big 12 slate alternating home and away contests throughout. We'll know if Houston has taken advantage of a favorable schedule once the Cougars return from their trip to Tempe in late October.
4. BYU CougarsNumber of opponents in cumulative top 25: 2
BYU squandered a potential playoff chance down the stretch last season but faces a slate not as daunting in 2025. In fact, we've got the Cougars' schedule as the Big 12's easiest with only a couple games where BYU is expected to be a betting underdog (at Iowa State, at Texas Tech). Following quarterback Jake Retzlaff's transfer to Tulane this summer, BYU will use its first couple of games against inferior foes to get things sorted out offensively. And that's a mini-blessing for coach Kalani Sitake.
3. North Carolina Tar HeelsNumber of opponents in cumulative top 25: 1
Graced with an extremely manageable schedule, Bill Belichick may do more winning in Year 1 than many expect. There's a chance TCU and Clemson are the only games in which the Tar Heels will not be favored this fall and only one of those teams -- Clemson -- will be nationally ranked. North Carolina misses SMU, Miami, Louisville and Georgia Tech, an opponent the Tar Heels have lost four straight against.
Number of opponents in cumulative top 25: 1
First-year coach Jake Dickert and the Demon Deacons won't leave Winston-Salem until Week 6 this season when they take the two-hour ride to Virginia Tech. SMU is Wake Forest's toughest game and the Demon Deacons host the Mustangs coming out of an open week on Oct. 25. Ole Miss, Clemson and Miami blasted Wake Forest by a combined score of a 131-34 last fall and the Demon Deacons won't have to deal with any of those teams this time around.
1. Virginia CavaliersNumber of opponents in cumulative top 25: 1
This is Tony Elliott's fourth chance to get to bowl season with the Cavaliers and arguably his best opportunity to do so. Virginia plays three West Coasters (Stanford, Cal, Washington State) with a better roster than each and Louisville is the only nationally ranked opponent during conference action. That may change if the Cardinals fail to play up to their standards early against JMU and Pitt.
Just missed the cut: Nebraska, NC State, SMU, Oklahoma State
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