The parity in the SEC East is closer than it has been in years. Such a statement is almost mind-boggling since the lesser teams have steadily improved to make this true. South Carolina, Vanderbilt and Kentucky now field extremely competitive teams while also returning a great deal of experience...ergo, higher expectations go hand-in-hand with parity. Coach Rich Brooks' Wildcats are coming off of a big bowl win (2006 Music City) over Clemson and an 8-5 record. Improving on last year's success for any of these SEC East teams is next to impossible since they all have to face each other as well as division-mates Georgia, Tennessee and Florida. Kentucky actually squares off against three of NationalChamps.net’s preseason Top 10 teams (#2 LSU, #4 Florida, and #9 Louisville). Whew! Just what should be considered a legitimate expectation in Lexington for ‘07? Another eight-win season would be enough success under these daunting circumstances.

2007 NationalChamps.net Preseason Poll
Schedule rank in parenthesis ( )
1. Southern California (52)
2. Louisiana State (18)
3. Michigan (46)
4. Florida (11)
5. West Virginia (62)
6. Wisconsin (38)
7. Texas (49)
8. Oklahoma (62)
9. Louisville (57)
10. Ohio State (30)
11. Virginia Tech (40)
12. Arkansas (25)
13. California (27)
14. Auburn (6)
15. Georgia (42)

No wonder numerous prognosticators are picking West Virginia to make it through the regular season unscathed - the Mountaineers 62nd-ranked SOS is the easiest of any in our Top 15, and no Big East conference championship game exists. Naturally, Big East partner Louisville also has an easy ride, which makes their Thursday night ESPN game on November 8 at Mountaineer Field a genuine test for both, with major BCS and/or national championship ramification just like last year. Surprisingly, Oklahoma gets somewhat of an easier ride this fall. Their non-conference schedule is a breeze outside of a home date with the 'not so now' Hurricanes. The tougher Big 12 South opponents are all at home outside of the neutral Red River Shootout versus Texas.

TOUGHEST RIDE OF THE TOP 15 – Auburn
Once again, the SEC shines in terms of conference difficulty. The Tigers have a venerable senior QB in Brandon Cox. They will need his invaluable experience - road games at Florida, Arkansas, LSU and Georgia will severely test the newest Tigers. Unlike most SEC schools, Auburn does not back away from building a challenging non-conference schedule in 2007. The first two games contain upstart South Florida and a worthy Kansas State squad. In their 12-game schedule, only two dates can legitimately be considered sure victories.

Memphis receives the award for the easiest schedule in Division I-A (119th). OK, so the 12-team C-USA line up isn't going to find many (if any) of its participants involved in the Top 25 or BCS race. The hardest game will likely be either the opener at home versus Ole Miss or their final road game at Southern Miss. Also on the non-conference slate is Arkansas State and I-AA Jacksonville State. Maybe head coach Tommy West can get his team back to postseason play.

Using our sliding scale point formula, the SEC is still king...and by a huge margin. The biggest changes in this index from a year ago include the Big 12 dropping in the ranks and the ACC dropping to last in the rankings of the BCS conferences. The unsteady nature of the Big 12 North has caused the strength of this league to diminish, while the ACC only has one team worthy of a Top 20 ranking.

Toughest and Easiest Schedule by BCS conference

ACC
Toughest - Florida State: During his long career, Bobby Bowden has been no stranger to scheduling difficult non-conference games. In 2007, the list is much the same (Colorado, Alabama, Florida) and none of them is in the confines of Doak Campbell Stadium. Back-to-back road contests in November include division favorites Boston College and Virginia Tech.

Easiest - Wake Forest: The Deacs did not shy away from building a descent non-conference schedule (Nebraska and Vanderbilt). The fact is, though, that the reigning ACC Champs are void of having to play the three toughest teams in the opposing Coastal Division (Virginia Tech, Georgia Tech and Miami). Those who think they can win another league title may not just be whistling ‘Dixie’.

Big East
Toughest - South Florida: So da Bulls want to continue to live in the Top 25, eh (NationalChamps.net Preseason No. 25 team)? It won't be so easy since USF travels to Auburn the second week. A loss will likely drop them from the rankings immediately. Auburn is the only preseason ranked team to dot any of the Big East’s non-conference schedules.

Easiest - West Virginia: Don't blame WVU for their scheduling woes. The Big East was raided by the ACC, and that now means five non-cons annually for each of its eight members. The Mountaineers were left scrambling to find opponents on short notice. That is why their schedule reflects such despair and is the reason (as stated already) why WVU is considered a solid favorite to make national championship noise.

Big Ten
Toughest - Michigan State: With the nation's No. 10 schedule, new coach Mark Dantonio will find it difficult avoiding downtime during bowl season (much like the past three campaigns). Road trips to Notre Dame, Wisconsin, Ohio State and Iowa mark a rough stretch before Halloween.

Easiest - Iowa: The Hawkeyes are void of having to play big dogs Ohio State and Michigan. This about says it all. The toughest non-conference game may come from one of two MAC opponents.

Big 12
Toughest - Nebraska: Now in his fourth season at the helm, this may be the best shot coach Bill Callahan has had yet. The North Division is by far the less competitive of the two, but the non-conference games include a road trip to defending ACC Champ Wake Forest and a visit by the nation's unanimous No. 1 team, USC.

Easiest - Kansas: The Jayhawks don't play Texas and they don't play Oklahoma. The non-conference schedule, which encompasses the first four games of the season, is so bad, we are certain the ‘Fighting Manginos’ would be the worst undefeated team at the completion of September if still unscathed.

Pac Ten
Toughest - Washington: Coach Tyrone Willingham wants to get his team over the .500 mark for the first time in five seasons. He will find out quickly where his team stands as no team in America opens the season with such a brutal start. September's slate includes four highly ranked teams (Boise State, Ohio State, UCLA, USC), three of whom were BCS finalists. They will need some late season victories to become bowl eligible. They close a 13-game schedule at scoring machine Hawai'i. Ouch!

Easiest - Southern California: By no means is this an easy slate. The Trojans cannot play themselves, which hurts their overall conference SOS standing. These numbers may be misleading. Challenging non-conference road games include trips to Lincoln and South Bend. The bottom line: the Pac Ten has gotten much more difficult, but the Trojans can expect to be on top playing the other wanna-be’s until someone knocks them off.

SEC
Toughest - Kentucky: As already stated here, this is the nation's No. 1 rated SOS in the nation's No. 1 rated conference. That means being competitive and winning should be considered two different results with such a tough 12-game road.

Easiest - Georgia: The Dawg’s 42nd-ranked list still contains tough battles with Oklahoma State, Alabama, Auburn and Georgia Tech in addition to the typical East Division grindstone. If the easiest schedule in the league is ranked 42nd (out of 119 I-A teams) for SOS, this just proves why, bar none, the SEC is the best conference. The term ‘easiest’ should not be a part of the vocabulary when describing the Dawg’s slate, except for the fact that it is the easiest in this ever-toughening league.