2025 College Football: Ranking the Toughest FBS Schedules

The landscape of college football is shifting fast, and the rules for making it to the College Football Playoff (CFP) are changing too. In 2025, strength of schedule matters more than ever.

There are now 136 teams in the mix, with newcomers like the Missouri State Bears and Delaware Fighting Blue Hens. Figuring out which teams have the toughest or easiest road to the postseason feels more important than ever.

The Pro Football Network (PFN) has rolled out its own strength of schedule metric to help make sense of it all. It’s meant to shine a light on each team’s path through the season, for better or worse.

This article digs into how that metric works and what it might mean for the 2025 season. There’s a lot to unpack.

Understanding the PFN Strength of Schedule Metric

The PFN strength of schedule metric is built to judge how tough each team’s slate really is. It pulls together a bunch of factors, trying to get as close to the truth as possible.

• Returning Production: Looks at which players are back from last year and how much they matter.
• Roster Projections: Takes a shot at how the current group might perform.
• Coaching Staff: Considers the coaches’ experience and track record.
• Incoming Talent: Weighs the impact of new recruits and transfers.
• Home-Field Advantage: Accounts for the boost teams get playing at home.

When you put all that together, you get a pretty detailed look at what teams are up against. The metric doesn’t just sit there, either—it gets updated every week as games are played and new info rolls in.

Projected Win-Loss Records

The PFN metric spits out projected win-loss records for all 136 teams. These numbers give a sense of which teams might shine and which could have a rough go.

• Top Performers: Teams with projections like 10.9-1.1, 9.9-2.1, and 9.8-2.2 are expected to do really well. They’re the ones to watch for a CFP run.
• Mid-Tier Teams: Squads with records like 7-5, 6.9-5.1, or 6-6 are likely to have seasons with ups and downs—nothing too wild either way.
• Teams Facing Challenges: Then there are teams looking at 3-9, 2.7-9.3, or 3.2-8.8. They’ll need to pull off something big to turn things around.

The Impact of New Additions to FBS

Adding the Missouri State Bears and Delaware Fighting Blue Hens to the FBS definitely shakes things up for 2025. They’re stepping into a tougher league, and it won’t be easy.

The PFN metric tries to account for that, giving projections that reflect just how steep their climb might be.

Missouri State Bears

The Missouri State Bears are looking at a projected record of 4.1-7.9. Adjusting to FBS play isn’t simple, but maybe their returning players and new faces can help them stay competitive.

Delaware Fighting Blue Hens

The Delaware Fighting Blue Hens aren’t expected to have it much easier—PFN projects them at 3.5-8.5. How quickly they gel and handle the jump in competition will probably decide how things go.

Weekly Updates and Dynamic Projections

One thing that stands out about the PFN metric—it’s not set in stone. It gets updated every week, keeping up with each game’s results and what they mean for the weeks ahead.

How Game Results Influence Projections

Every game can shake up the numbers. An upset can make a team’s schedule look a lot tougher, while a blowout win might mean things are easier than expected.

With these constant updates, PFN’s metric gives a real-time snapshot of how each team’s journey is unfolding. It’s not perfect, but it’s about as close as you’ll get to seeing the season as it happens.

Conclusion

The 2025 college football season looks like it could be one of the most competitive in recent memory. There’s a lot of buzz around strength of schedule this year, and honestly, it’s kind of fascinating to see how much it might shake things up.

The PFN strength of schedule metric digs into the details, weighing stuff like returning players, roster shifts, and coaching changes. It’s not just numbers—it’s a pretty solid way to get a feel for what each team is actually up against.

If you’re a fan or just someone who likes to analyze the game, keeping tabs on strength of schedule feels more important than ever. Who’s going to surprise us? Who’s going to fall short? It all comes down to how these teams handle their slates.

If you want to keep up with the latest projections and get more college football takes, check out the Pro Football Network. There’s always something new popping up over there.