ESPN FPI’s schedule strength updated as rankings approach
12/03/2024
By Chris Marler
The College Football Playoff rankings will soon be updated, so before they are let’s dive into a metric that seems to be getting the most attention as of late – strength of schedule. We have kept up with the strength of schedule rankings for most of the year in the SEC as well as for contenders in the college football playoff.
Hot take, I think these specific rankings are more important than any others including the ones that will be updated for the Sunday Selection show on December 8. These are the rankings at the end of the regular season when every FBS team has played and finished their 12-game slate. After championship week the numbers will be a little skewed with some teams playing a 13th game and every of the Power Four championship opponents getting a boost by playing a ranked team.
Winning a conference championship is obviously a resumé boost that deserves recognition, but in the case of a team like SMU a potential quality loss to Clemson should not be something of value for the CFB Playoff Committee. Not when they’ve played a strength of schedule ranked No. 75 all after 12 games.
With that being said here’s every SEC team’s end of season strength of schedule ranking according to ESPN FPI, followed by every non-SEC Playoff contender’s as well.
**Reminder we are using the FPI rankings because that is what the committee uses.
SEC Teams
No. 1 Mississippi State
No. 2 Kentucky
No. 3 Georgia
No. 4 Oklahoma
No. 5 Florida
No. 8 Vanderbilt
No. 9 Texas A&M
No. 10 LSU
No. 15 South Carolina
No. 17 Alabama
No. 20 Arkansas
No. 21 Auburn
No. 27 Missouri
No. 28 Tennessee
No. 31 Ole Miss
No. 32 Texas
Non-SEC Playoff Contenders
No. 26 Ohio State
No. 36 Penn State
No. 53 Clemson
No. 55 Miami
No. 57 Notre Dame
No. 60 Oregon
No. 65 Indiana
No. 72 Arizona State
No. 75 SMU
No. 86 Boise State
No. 107 UNLV
