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Now that spring practice has started and we’re all pining for August when we can celebrate the start of another football season, we decided to take a look at the strength of schedule for all 14 SEC teams.
RELATED: 2014 SEC strength of schedule
It’s imperfect and based on the 2014 winning percentage of this year’s opponents. But it’s a good starting point for discussion and an interesting exercise nonetheless.
| Team | Opp. Win-Loss | Opp. Win % | Bowl Opp. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arkansas | 99-57 | .635 | 10 |
| Alabama | 96-58 | .623 | 10 |
| Kentucky | 95-58 | .621 | 9 |
| Auburn | 92-60 | .605 | 8 |
| Texas A&M | 93-61 | .604 | 9 |
| Georgia | 93-61 | .604 | 8 |
| South Carolina | 89-64 | .582 | 9 |
| Tennessee | 89-65 | .575 | 8 |
| Mississippi State | 89-66 | .574 | 8 |
| Vanderbilt | 87-65 | .572 | 10 |
| Ole Miss | 87-67 | .565 | 9 |
| Florida | 86-67 | .562 | 8 |
| LSU | 87-70 | .554 | 9 |
| Missouri | 78-73 | .517 | 8 |
- According to Phil Steele, Arkansas (No. 2), Alabama (No. 4), Kentucky (No. 5), Auburn (No. 8), Texas A&M (No. 10), Georgia (No. 11), South Carolina (No. 22) and Tennessee (No. 24) all rank in the Top 25 in terms of toughest opponent win percentage based on ’14.
- Just four FBS teams face 10 bowl participants from last season, and three of them are from the SEC: Arkansas, Alabama, Vanderbilt and Virginia.
- Missouri’s opponents collectively won nine fewer games than the next-lowest total for any SEC team and 21 fewer games than the Razorbacks’ 2015 opponents. Last year the Tigers faced opponents with a collective win percentage of .556, so Mizzou could see an even more favorable schedule this fall. Some of the SEC East teams like Tennessee and Florida should make major progress, though, and the weak point of the Mizzou schedule is non-conference, so if the Tigers are good again don’t excuse it as due to an easy schedule.
- Kentucky coach Mark Stoops signed an extension when it seemed unimaginable to most that the Wildcats could miss out on a bowl game. Then the bottom dropped out last season. Now the team must face a brutal 2015 schedule that includes crossover games against Auburn and Mississippi State and non-conference tilts with Louisville, feisty Louisiana-Lafayette, and FCS playoff team Eastern Kentucky, not to mention the expected improvement in the SEC East.
- Someone must finish last in the SEC West. Arkansas and Mississippi State aren’t bad teams, but right now they’re the best bets. The Razorbacks’ brutal schedule doesn’t help. Judging solely on 2014 results, Washington is the only team in the country that has it tougher.
- Arkansas, Tennessee and Texas A&M faced the toughest schedules entering last season, based on 2013 results. That’s difficult to do, as teams change from year to year, as does the location (home vs. away for SEC division opponents). But all three of those teams did lose five or six games last season.
- Auburn may have the nation’s eighth-toughest schedule in 2015 on paper, but check out the difference. In 2015, the Tigers face road games at LSU, Kentucky, Arkansas and Texas A&M. That’s really not bad. In 2014, the Tigers faced road games at Kansas State, Mississippi State, Ole Miss, Georgia and Alabama. All five of those teams ranked in the Top 15 of the final College Football Playoff poll. Just brutal. Along with an improved defense, a more manageable schedule is one of the reasons pointing to the Tigers as a true national contender.
An itinerant journalist, Christopher has moved between states 11 times in seven years. Formally an injury-prone Division I 800-meter specialist, he now wanders the Rockies in search of high peaks.
