College football teams who play most preseason AP Top 25 opponents in 2025: Validation for SEC scheduling?

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In the age of massive conferences, schedule draws are more important than ever. Getting the right collection of teams can help guide a manageable path to a conference championship game and even help set up a national championship run.

Then, there's the other side. Some years, seemingly every bad schedule break goes your way and can elevate a coach to the hot seat. With the arrival of the preseason AP Top 25, we're taking a look at how things land.

Four teams sit at the top of the board with seven ranked opponents on their schedule. All of them have something in common: They play in the SEC and have a marquee nonconference opponent. LSU opens the year against Clemson, while Oklahoma travels to Michigan. Mississippi State gets another crack at Arizona State, while Florida plays in-state rival Miami. All four coaches face serious pressure to perform, especially with revamped rosters.

However, that group is not alone. Heading into the 2025 season, 16 teams play at least five games against ranked opponents. Thirteen of them are from the SEC. Auburn, Missouri and Tennessee still each play four games against ranked opponents. Wisconsin, Syracuse and Purdue are the only non-SEC interlopers.

On the other side, Cincinnati, Wake Forest and California are the big winners of the scheduling draw. Each plays only one game against a preseason ranked opponent. There's little excuse for them to force their way out of the cellar.

Here are the teams that play the most games against preseason ranked opponents in 2025.