More than ever, College Football is not fair. With a new 12-team playoff, a team no longer has to go 11-1 or better to have an outside shot of making the CFP. Because of this, a schedule is now much more than a schedule. Factors such as SOS will be looked at under a microscope and evaluated.
For example, if you read yesterday’s “3 Toughest Schedules”, those teams may get away with going 9-3 and still getting the same look and opportunity as a team that goes 11-1 on this list.
For the criteria on this list, there will be a few factors that will be looked at:
- Opponents – This is obvious. You play tough teams, the SOS gets tougher.
- Travel – The SOS drops for this list if the toughest games are all at home.
- Order of games – Is there a BYE before the toughest game? Are tough games back-to-back?
- Brand – Let’s be honest: Georgia and Georgia Tech, even if they had the exact same schedule and results, would be viewed very differently. Some teams just have a bigger brand and can take a few losses that other teams can’t.
All of these schedules are looking at the easiest path to the CFP.
3. Kansas
![College Football: 3 Teams With the Easiest Path to the 2024 College Football Playoff 1 College football, kansas jayhawks](https://gridironheroics.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/USATSI_19024975-1536x994-1-1024x663.jpg)
When you look at the Big 12’s Top 5 projected teams, those are Utah, Kansas State, Oklahoma State, Kansas, and Arizona. Kansas only plays one of those opponents, Kansas State. On the flip side, when you look at the six lowest projected teams with Colorado, Baylor, BYU, Cincinnati, Houston, and Arizona State, the Jayhawks face off against five of those teams.
The conference could not have handed the Jayhawks an easier schedule. Their nonconference slate is very manageable, with games against Lindenwood, UNLV, and Illinois.
It would be a disappointing season if Kansas doesn’t go at least 9-3. With the CFP committee probably wanting to be overly fair this year, a 10-2 Kansas may be a lock, even with this easy schedule.
2. Missouri
![College Football: 3 Teams With the Easiest Path to the 2024 College Football Playoff 2 USATSI 22193086 168400517 lowres 1](https://gridironheroics.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/USATSI_22193086_168400517_lowres-1-1024x682.webp)
Yes, I know any SEC schedule will technically be tougher than any ACC or Big 12 schedule, but here is why they make the list. The SEC patch on the jersey confers a lot of credibility, and the committee is very unlikely to look at any SEC school and really dock them for a weak schedule.
But when you look at the schedule, it is a very manageable slate.
- Murray State
- Buffalo
- Boston College
- Vanderbilt
- at Texas A&M
- at UMass
- Auburn
- at Alabama
- Oklahoma
- at South Carolina
- at Mississippi State
- Arkansas
The nonconference is a joke. Boston College may be 6-6 in the ACC, but in every other game, the Tigers could probably win with their third-string players. Also, why is Missouri playing a road game against UMass? Their BYE weeks aren’t favorable or play against them.
As far as the SEC slate goes, they play just about every lower-tiered SEC squad outside of Alabama and maybe Texas A&M (big, maybe). Arkansas, Mississippi State, South Carolina, and Vanderbilt are just hoping to go 2-6 in the SEC and make a bowl game, while Oklahoma and Auburn have high aspirations but would be lucky to go 4-4 in SEC play.
The Tigers are being handed playoff spot, the only question is whether or not they’ll take it.
1. Notre Dame
![College Football: 3 Teams With the Easiest Path to the 2024 College Football Playoff 3 notre dame jayden harrison](https://gridironheroics.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/USATSI_22877397_168400545_lowres-1024x926.webp)
Notre Dame falls into the same category as SEC schools when it comes to reputation and prestige. Nobody really looks at Notre Dame’s actual SOS; they just assume that, being Independent, the Irish are playing Alabama and Michigan every other week.
While there have certainly been seasons like that in the past, this season does not look like that at all. The Irish play four G5 teams, more than any other P4 program in the country. They also face Purdue, Stanford, and Virginia, which finished last year with a combined 10-26 record.
The Irish only have four big games all season:
- at Texas A&M to start off the season
- Louisville (game five)
- Florida State (game nine)
- at USC to finish the season
Yes, these are four very good teams, but with Notre Dame’s brand, they could go 2-2 in these games, breeze through the rest of their schedule, finish 10-2, and be an absolute lock into the Playoffs. There aren’t many other teams that only have four or fewer games against P4 opponents with winning records last year that could go 10-2 and feel good about their spot.
Some may point to their schedule and say, “What about the travel?”They travel to California twice. Once coming off a BYE week, and once after playing Army in the Bronx. That second trip will be tough, but every other game is manageable. The Irish only play three true away games all season. Yes, the Georgia Tech game is in Georgia, but half of Mercedes Benz Stadium will wear green and gold.
Get More NFL and College Football Content
Check out more of my stories, or leave a comment below! For more of the biggest storylines of College Football, the transfer portal, or the NFL, click here or follow me on Twitter/X.