As I think many people here know, I follow the preseason rankings pretty closely and I also have an interest in the calculation of strengths of schedule. There are a lot of sketchy ways to make this calculation. Most of the methods posted online use winning percentages for the previous season. This tells us something, but it is a deeply flawed method. Phil Steele does a better job in that he is actually using his projects for the current year. This article summarizes Steele's results:
As the article states, according to Steele, MSU has the toughest schedule in the Big Ten and the No. 3 toughest schedule in the nation. Iowa has the weakest at No. 68 in the nation. Michigan, notably is No. 67
I am still working on my (more rigorous) calculations, but at least they roughly agree with Phil's numbers. I agree that MSU has the toughest schedule in the Big Ten, but I have MSU's schedule at No. 6 nationally. I actually have Wisconsin with the easiest schedule in the Big Ten.
I will have some more hard numbers in the coming weeks.
The toughest and easiest schedule in each FBS conference in 2023
A look at the toughest and easiest schedule in each FBS college football conference in 2023.
fbschedules.com
As the article states, according to Steele, MSU has the toughest schedule in the Big Ten and the No. 3 toughest schedule in the nation. Iowa has the weakest at No. 68 in the nation. Michigan, notably is No. 67
I am still working on my (more rigorous) calculations, but at least they roughly agree with Phil's numbers. I agree that MSU has the toughest schedule in the Big Ten, but I have MSU's schedule at No. 6 nationally. I actually have Wisconsin with the easiest schedule in the Big Ten.
I will have some more hard numbers in the coming weeks.
