College football strength of schedule: 2022 mid-season rankings

We’ve reached the mid-point of the 2022 season, which means it’s a good time to take a look at the college football strength of schedule rankings (SOS) as they stand now.

There are several sources for strength of schedule, most of them computer components that were formerly part of the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) rankings. Note that these rankings are for strength of schedule to date and will differ from preseason rankings.

For comparison purposes, we will use Phil Steele’s preseason strength of schedule rankings. Click the title to view the complete rankings for each source.

Preseason Strength of Schedule Rankings

Phil Steele

1. Auburn
2. Mississippi State
3. Georgia Tech
4. Arkansas
5. Vanderbilt
6. LSU
7. Stanford
8. Indiana
9. Louisville
10. Rutgers

The Auburn Tigers, currently 3-4 overall and 1-3 in the SEC, topped Phil Steele’s preseason list. Currently ranked teams that Auburn has already played include No. 16 Penn State, No. 1 Georgia, and No. 7 Ole Miss. The Tigers have remaining games at home vs. Arkansas, Texas A&M, and WKU and on the road at No. 24 Mississippi State and No. 6 Alabama.

Mid-Season Strength of Schedule Rankings

Colley Matrix

Auburn tops the strength of schedule rankings in the Colley Matrix. The Tigers are third in Sagarin, fifth in Massey, seventh in Billingsley, and second in the ESPN FPI (see below). Auburn is followed by Colorado and FCS Group 12. See Colley’s site for an explanation of FCS Groupings.

1. Auburn
2. Colorado
3. FCS Group 12
4. Georgia Tech
5. Vanderbilt
6. Indiana
7. Houston
8. Oklahoma
9. Alabama
10. Stanford

Jeff Sagarin

Jeff Sagarin’s index has the Stanford Cardinals with the toughest schedule in the country. Auburn, which is first in the Colley Matrix, comes in at third behind Arkansas.

1. Stanford
2. Arkansas
3. Auburn
4. Texas Tech
5. Colorado
6. Georgia Tech
7. Texas A&M
8. Arizona State
9. Vanderbilt
10. Texas

Kenneth Massey

Alabama tops the strength of schedule rankings in the Massey Ratings, followed by Texas and Arkansas. While ranked first here, Alabama’s 2022 schedule is currently ranked 18th by Jeff Sagarin.

1. Alabama
2. Texas
3. Arkansas
4. Tennessee
5. Auburn
6. Texas Tech
7. Iowa State
8. Ohio State
9. Texas A&M
10. Oklahoma

Billingsley Rankings

Billingsley is the only computer index to rank Arkansas’ schedule as the toughest. They also rank Florida State, BYU, and UConn’s schedule in the Top 10, whereas those three schools do not appear in the Top 10 of any other computer ranking.

1. Arkansas
2. Vanderbilt
3. Texas Tech
4. Iowa State
5. Texas
6. Alabama
7. Auburn
8. Florida State
9. BYU
10. UConn

ESPN FPI

According to ESPN’s Football Power Index (FPI), the Vanderbilt Commodores have played the toughest schedule so far this season. Among the teams Vandy has played are Alabama and Georgia on the road and Wake Forest and Ole Miss at home.

1. Vanderbilt
2. Auburn
3. ULM
4. Texas A&M
5. Kent State
6. Alabama
7. Michigan State
8. Arkansas
9. Notre Dame
10. Utah State

Looking at each of the rankings, Auburn has played the toughest schedule in the eyes of the computer indexes, which matches up with the preseason prediction by Phil Steele. Other tough schedules played include Alabama, Arkansas, Texas Tech, and Vanderbilt.

According to the Sagarin ratings, here are the top 10 divisions in schedule strength:

1. SEC West
2. Big 12
3. SEC East
4. Big Ten East
5. Pac-12 North
6. ACC Atlantic
7. Pac-12 South
8. Big Ten West
9. ACC Coastal
10. AAC

Bonus: Here’s a look at the top 10 toughest remaining schedules according to the ESPN FPI:

1. Mississippi State
2. Northwestern
3. Iowa
4. Ole Miss
5. Auburn
6. TCU
7. Georgia Tech
8. Kansas State
9. Indiana
10. LSU