College
Ranking the Toughest College Football Schedules in 2026
Which Texas team faces the toughest path in 2026? The answer starts in the SEC with Texas and Texas A&M, but the weekly grind stretches across every level of the FBS, including UTEP and North Texas.
(Photo: Getty Images)
Roughly 100 days separate us from the start of the college football season, which begins in Texas at the FBS level when TCU faces North Carolina in Ireland on Aug. 29. Spending so much time previewing and predicting the upcoming season for the summer magazine forced a deep dive into the schedules of each of the 13 FBS teams in Texas.
So, which ones are the hardest? SEC schools Texas and Texas A&M lead the way for a second year in a row because of that weekly grind. The Big 12 schools and SMU fight it out for the next five spots. And then in the G6 ranks, non-conference schedules road trips typically play the deciding factor.
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