College football strength of schedule is sure to be a hot topic this season as the inaugural 12-team College Football Playoff (CFP) approaches. With the first set of CFP rankings due Tuesday, it’s a good time to take a look at the strength of schedule rankings (SOS) as they stand now.

There are several sources for strength of schedule, including ESPN and the 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, such as Phil Steele’s.

College football strength of schedule

Rankings through Week 10

ESPN FPI

According to ESPN’s Football Power Index (FPI), the Georgia Bulldogs have played the toughest schedule so far this season. Among the teams Georgia has played are No. 11 Alabama and No. 5 Texas on the road and No. 19 Clemson in Atlanta.

1. Georgia
2. Kentucky
3. Oklahoma
4. Mississippi State
5. Michigan State
6. UCLA
7. South Carolina
8. Florida
9. Louisville
10. Stanford

ESPN SOS rankings for other top AP Top 10 teams include Oregon (45), Ohio State (19), Miami (46), Texas (54), Penn State (28), Tennessee (33), Indiana (103), BYU (61), and Notre Dame (75).

Jeff Sagarin

Jeff Sagarin’s ratings have the UCLA Bruins with the toughest schedule in the country. Georgia, which is first in the ESPN FPI, comes in at fifth.

1. UCLA
2. South Carolina
3. Alabama
4. Kentucky
5. Georgia
6. Florida
7. Houston
8. LSU
9. USC
10. Michigan State

Sagarin SOS rankings for other top AP Top 10 teams include Oregon (39), Ohio State (40), Miami (54), Texas (49), Penn State (32), Tennessee (36), Indiana (81), BYU (41), and Notre Dame (64).

Colley Matrix

UCLA tops the strength of schedule rankings in the Colley Matrix. The Bruins are also first in Sagarin, fourth in Massey, and sixth in the ESPN FPI. See Colley’s site for an explanation of FCS Groupings.

1. UCLA
2. Alabama
3. Florida State
4. Michigan
5. Ohio State
6. Michigan State
7. Stanford
8. Louisville
9. South Carolina
10. FCS Group 2

Massey Ratings

Georgia tops the strength of schedule rankings in the Massey Ratings, followed by South Carolina and Alabama.

1. Georgia
2. South Carolina
3. Alabama
4. UCLA
5. Florida
6. Kentucky
7. USC
8. LSU
9. Houston
10. Oklahoma

Billingsley Rankings

Billingsley is the only computer index to rank Michigan State’s schedule as the toughest. They also rank several schools that do not appear in the Top 10 of any other computer ranking.

1. Michigan State
2. Michigan
3. South Carolina
4. Louisville
5. Vanderbilt
6. Florida State
7. Wisconsin
8. Mississippi State
9. Georgia Tech
10. Kentucky

Looking at each of the rankings, Georgia and UCLA appear to have played the toughest schedules, with each claiming the top spot in two computer rankings. Other toughest schedules played, per the computer indexes, include Kentucky, Alabama, and South Carolina.

The Oregon Ducks, who will likely be ranked No. 1 in the first College Football Playoff rankings, are outside the Top 10 in each of the SOS rankings. Oregon’s best schedule ranking is No. 17 via Billingsley, while their lowest is No. 45 in the ESPN FPI.