The 2025 college football season is just around the corner, and several fan bases are already dreading their upcoming schedules. Power conference expansion has resulted in some teams drawing a difficult list of opponents this year. Here are the top five toughest college football schedules of the 2025 campaign.
Top 5 Toughest College Football Schedules of 2025 Season
1. LSU Tigers
The LSU Tigers will have their work cut out for them in the 2025 season. They will open their campaign on the road against the Clemson Tigers, a team that is considered one of the favorites to win the College Football Playoff National Championship.
It doesn’t get any easier for Brian Kelly’s men, who will host the Florida Gators at Tiger Stadium on Sept. 13. The Tigers’ schedule also includes daunting away games against Alabama, Oklahoma and Ole Miss, as well as home fixtures against the South Carolina Gamecocks and the Texas A&M Aggies.
2. Wisconsin Badgers
The pressure is mounting on Luke Fickell after Wisconsin finished the 2024 season with a 5-7 record. Things are bound to get tougher for the Badgers, who have been handed a difficult schedule in 2025.
The Badgers will be immediately tested in their first away game of the season as they will face the Alabama Crimson Tide in a blockbuster Week 3 clash in Tuscaloosa on Sept. 13. It won’t get any easier for Wisconsin as its Big Ten schedule also includes away games against Oregon, Michigan, Indiana and Minnesota, as well as home fixtures against Illinois and reigning national champion Ohio State.
mark your calendars, our 2025 schedule is set ✔️
more details and new ticket info: https://t.co/0J3g4ftk9k#OnWisconsin pic.twitter.com/y85ROYgF3H
— Wisconsin Football (@BadgerFootball) December 11, 2024
3. Arkansas Razorbacks
Arkansas fans are sweating their team’s schedule for the 2025 season. The Razorbacks’ non-conference schedule is no walk in the park, with Sam Pittman’s men set to face Memphis and Notre Dame in back-to-back games in September.
It won’t get any easier for the Hogs when it comes to their SEC schedule, as they will face four teams with 10-win seasons in 2024. Apart from hosting Missouri, Arkansas will also have difficult away games against Texas, Ole Miss and Tennessee. The Razorbacks will also face the Texas A&M Aggies and the LSU Tigers this coming season.
4. UCLA Bruins
DeShaun Foster’s first season at UCLA didn’t go according to plan, finishing 2024 with a 5-7 slate. It won’t get any easier for Foster in Year 2 as the Bruins will have to navigate a bunch of tough opponents this coming season. UCLA will open its 2025 campaign with a showdown against Big 12 favorite Utah on Aug. 30.
The Bruins will then follow that clash with an away game on Sept. 6 against the UNLV Rebels, who reached last year’s Mountain West title game. UCLA’s schedule also includes matchups against Ohio State, Penn State and Indiana, teams that qualified for the College Football Playoff last season. The Bruins conclude their 2025 regular season with games against Washington and Lincoln Riley’s USC.
5. Oklahoma Sooners
The road to the College Football Playoff won’t be easy for the Oklahoma Sooners in the 2025 season. Two of their first three home games will come against powerhouse teams, with Oklahoma hosting Michigan on Sept. 6 and Auburn on Sept. 20.
The Sooners will then have a tough stretch of games in October, with Brent Venables’ men set to face Texas in the Red River Rivalry, South Carolina and Ole Miss. Oklahoma’s difficult schedule continues in November, with the Sooners concluding their season with games against Tennessee, Alabama, Missouri and LSU.
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