As the 2025 college football season approaches, fan bases across the country are nervously eyeing their teams’ schedules. With power conference expansions creating lopsided fixtures, some teams have drawn a brutal path that could derail even the most promising campaigns. Programs like LSU, Oklahoma, and Wisconsin headline a list of teams facing daunting slates where every win will be hard-earned.
Here are eight teams staring down the toughest schedules in 2025:
Arkansas Razorbacks
Sam Pittman’s future in Fayetteville may hinge on a winning season, but the schedule isn’t doing him any favors. Arkansas faces a 5.5-win over/under, largely because of a punishing combination of conference and non-conference opponents.
The Razorbacks visit Memphis on Sept. 27 and host Notre Dame a week later — both potential Top-25 teams. Their SEC schedule is merciless, with road games at Ole Miss, Tennessee, LSU, and Texas, plus home matchups against Texas A&M and Missouri. That’s six opponents with 10+ wins in 2024. If Pittman navigates this minefield, his job security will be well-earned.
LSU Tigers
LSU opens its 2025 season with a massive test — a road trip to Clemson, a preseason favorite for the national title. This is especially crucial as LSU has lost its season opener five years in a row since their undefeated 2019 campaign.
After Clemson, the Tigers host Florida in Week 3 and face road trips to Ole Miss, Alabama, and Oklahoma. Home games against South Carolina and Texas A&M add to a treacherous path. A playoff berth would require near-perfection against this murderers’ row.
Mississippi State Bulldogs
Being at the bottom of the SEC comes with a price — one of the hardest schedules in the nation. First-year head coach Jeff Lebby faces a nearly impossible task of securing his first conference win in 2025 without a major upset.
MSU’s home slate includes Tennessee, Texas, Georgia, and Ole Miss. Their road trips? Texas A&M, Florida, and Missouri. Oh, and defending Big 12 champ Arizona State visits Starkville too. It’s a tall order for Bulldogs fans.
Oklahoma Sooners
Optimism surrounds Oklahoma in 2025 with the arrival of offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle and quarterback John Mateer from Washington State. Coupled with a strong defense, the Sooners could be playoff contenders.
But first, they must survive a gauntlet. Oklahoma hosts Michigan in Week 2, then faces a brutal seven-game stretch: Texas (in Dallas), at South Carolina, Ole Miss, at Tennessee, at Alabama, Missouri, and LSU. If the Sooners make the playoff, their résumé will be bulletproof.
Purdue Boilermakers
Barry Odom’s rebuild at Purdue is a long-term project. The Boilermakers went 1-11 in 2024, and 2025 isn’t much kinder.
They should start 2-0 with wins over Ball State and Southern Illinois, but from there, the climb steepens. Purdue hosts USC and visits Notre Dame in September. October includes a home clash with playoff sleeper Illinois. November? Michigan, Ohio State, Washington, and the rivalry finale against Indiana. Odom’s patience will be tested.
Syracuse Orange
After a stellar 10-3 season under Fran Brown, Syracuse is primed for regression with a revamped offense and a brutal schedule.
The Orange open in Atlanta against Tennessee, travel to Clemson in Week 4, and finish September against a tough Duke squad. Road trips to SMU, Georgia Tech, Miami, and Notre Dame await. Their home slate isn’t much easier with Pitt, North Carolina, and Boston College all visiting the Carrier Dome. Reaching double-digit wins again would be a minor miracle.
UCLA Bruins
The Bruins’ Big Ten debut ended with a 5-7 record, and second-year coach DeShaun Foster faces another uphill battle in 2025.
UCLA opens with Utah, a Big 12 title contender, followed by a tricky Week 2 road game at UNLV, a 2024 Mountain West finalist. Their Big Ten gauntlet includes Penn State, Ohio State, Indiana, Nebraska, Washington, and USC. Three playoff teams and three more fighting for Big Ten glory — the Bruins will need multiple upsets just to reach bowl eligibility.
Wisconsin Badgers
No team in college football may face a tougher 2025 schedule than Wisconsin. After getting trounced by Alabama in 2024, the Badgers will travel to Tuscaloosa in Week 3 for another uphill battle.
Their Big Ten grind includes visits to Michigan, Oregon, and Indiana, and home games against Ohio State and Illinois. They close the season on the road at Minnesota, who has dominated the rivalry recently. With just 12 wins over the past two seasons under Luke Fickell, matching last year’s six wins would be a major success.
The Bottom Line
In an era of super-conferences and imbalanced scheduling, strength of schedule will weigh heavily in playoff debates. For teams like LSU, Oklahoma, and Wisconsin, every win in 2025 will carry extra weight — and every loss will be judged with nuance.
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