The chaos of conference realignment ahead of the 2024 season has given us larger conferences. And those larger conferences have led to some daunting schedules.
With all four remaining power conferences without divisions this season, many teams’ chances of qualifying for the expanded College Football Playoffs or even a bowl game could depend on having one or two top teams from the conference on their schedule.
Other teams like Florida, Colorado, and even Georgia appear to have drawn incredibly difficult schedules ahead of the 2024 season. Here’s a look at the teams that appear to have the most difficult schedules this fall.
Florida
The third year of the Billy Napier era at Florida includes what appears to be the toughest schedule in the country. Not only does Florida have the toughest SEC schedule of any team in the conference, the Gators also have Miami and Florida State as non-conference opponents.
Florida opens the season against Miami before traveling to Florida State to close the season. After an off week in the last week of October, the Gators’ final stretch looks extremely tough with games against Georgia, Texas, LSU and Mississippi before facing the Seminoles. Florida hasn’t won more than six games in Napier’s first two seasons. Given the opponents on the schedule, a six-win season in 2024 would be an accomplishment.
The Bruins’ first season in the Big Ten won’t be easy as former UCLA RB Deshaun Foster begins his time as the team’s head coach. The non-conference schedule begins with a game in Hawaii before a trip to LSU in Week 4.
After LSU, UCLA plays Oregon and Penn State before traveling across the country to Rutgers for the last of six games in a six-week period. The final four games of the season include Iowa, Washington, USC and Fresno State. A bowl game would be a huge accomplishment.
Colorado
The Buffaloes have a much more challenging schedule in 2024 than last season. And they won’t surprise anyone.
Seven of Colorado’s nine Big 12 games are against teams that played in a bowl last season. The Buffs’ schedule includes trips to Arizona and Kansas, as well as home games against Big 12 favorites Kansas State, Utah and Oklahoma State. The non-conference schedule begins with a game against FCS perennial North Dakota State on Aug. 29, before road games against an improved Nebraska and rival Colorado State.
Deion Sanders and his team have put in a lot of work through the transfer portal to improve the offensive and defensive lines ahead of the 2024 season. That improvement will have to be significant if Colorado wants to compete in a bowl game.
Georgia
The Bulldogs are the most talented team in the SEC. And they are the only team in the conference that has played away games against three of the four top favorites to win the conference.
Georgia visits Alabama on Sept. 28 before the annual rivalry game against Auburn a week later. On Oct. 19, the Bulldogs visit Texas for the first time since 1958. This game could be a preview of the SEC Championship; Texas was picked to finish second behind Georgia in the SEC preseason media poll.
And a week after playing Florida in Jacksonville, the Bulldogs visit Mississippi before hosting Tennessee on Nov. 16. Oh, we also didn’t mention Georgia opens the season against Clemson in Atlanta. An undefeated season in 2024 would be an incredible accomplishment.
USC
Like their cross-town rivals, USC will play LSU in 2024. The Trojans will play the Tigers in one of the top games of Week 1 on Sept. 1. Three weeks after the LSU game, USC will visit Michigan and host Wisconsin a week later.
Penn State also travels to Los Angeles and the Trojans have to go to Washington. USC avoids Oregon on its 2024 schedule but finishes the season against a Notre Dame team with its sights set on the College Football Playoff. We’ll find out very early if USC’s defense is much better than it was last season.
Alabama
The Crimson Tide’s schedule isn’t quite as daunting as Georgia’s, but for Kalen DeBoer, his first season in Tuscaloosa is anything but easy.
Alabama visits Wisconsin in Week 3 before a week off before visiting Georgia in Week 5. Late October includes a trip to Tennessee on the 19th before visiting Missouri on the 26th. Both the Volunteers and Tigers enter 2024 with playoff hopes.
The schedule doesn’t get any easier in November, as the final four weeks of the season include road trips to LSU and Oklahoma before the annual Iron Bowl.
