Georgia enters 2008 as the preseason No. 1 team in both the AP and Coaches poll. They also enter the season with the team maintaining the nation's No. 1 schedule. Can Georgia win their first national championship since 1980? The signs point to no! Yes, the SEC is well known for its brutal conference schedules, where others such as LSU have survived this gauntlet while winning a national title, but the slate for Georgia in 2008 could be labeled absolutely insane. Not only is the East Division of the SEC demanding in terms of scheduling...the Dawgs’ three crossover opponents from the West Division are big boys Alabama, Auburn and LSU. Whew! Throw in worthy non-conference opponents Arizona State, Central Michigan and Georgia Tech on top of a possible SEC Championship Game, and the road to a BCS title game appears too overwhelming.

2008 AP Poll Top Ten
Schedule rank in parenthesis (..)
1. Georgia (1)
2. Ohio State (26)
3. Southern California (29)
4. Oklahoma (27)
5. Florida (15)
6. Missouri (54)
7. Louisiana State (18)
8. West Virginia (51)
9. Clemson (66)
10. Auburn (17)

Clemson gets the distinction of having the easiest road when compared to all the other top 10 teams in the current AP Preseason Poll. Two FCS (formerly I-AA) opponents now dot the list, and the tougher games against two SEC opponents - one at home (South Carolina) and the opener on a neutral field in Atlanta (Alabama) – look tough. How big is that opener versus Alabama for head coach Tommy Bowden with the usually overwhelming expectations? Whew! Let's say it is a must-win game despite being played in August.

Although Missouri plays in a much-improved Big 12 conference, the Tigers are void of having to play crossover opponents Texas Tech and Oklahoma in the regular season. If they can win the dangerous opener versus Illinois, the Tigers likely head into mid-October undefeated.

West Virginia continues to post one of the easier schedules amongst top 10 teams for the third year in a row. However, their non-conference schedule did get a major upgrade with Auburn and Colorado, which now means the road back to a BCS bowl will not be quite as easy. The Big East does not have a conference championship game. But mark down the December 6 game in Morgantown when South Florida pays a visit. The Bulls are the only team to have beaten the Mountaineers in each of the past two seasons. That one is shaping up to be a (by default) conference championship game with the surging Bulls.

Memphis receives the award for the easiest FBS schedule (120th) for the second year in a row. Not one single team ranked in the NationalChamps.net Top 50 Preseason Poll is on their list. The toughest match up is likely going to be their opener in Oxford versus Ole Miss. Also on the non-conference slate are Arkansas State and I-AA Nicholls State. In the process, head coach Tommy West looks to take Memphis to their fifth bowl game in the last six years, and an easy road can again be traveled to get there.

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 moving up in the ranks and the Pac Ten dropping to last when comparing the BCS conferences. Only one Pac Ten team cracked the AP Top 10 in USC, while only two others cracked the Top 25 in Arizona State and Oregon. The Mountain West Conference continues to rank as the best amongst the mid-majors.

Toughest and Easiest Schedule by BCS conference

ACC
Toughest - Virginia
Kudos to the Virginia administration for getting powerhouse Southern California to visit Charlottesville. The problem is that USC is the opener for Al Groh and the new faces at QB. Hopefully the Cavs get bowl eligible early as the final two games are against the ACC's best, Clemson and Virginia Tech.

Easiest - Virginia Tech
Three of the Hokies non-conference opponents are East Carolina, Furman and Western Kentucky. The ACC schedule also does not include the only two ranked teams from the Atlantic Division, Clemson and Wake Forest. The schedule sets up well, despite the player turnover, for VT to at least get back to the ACC title game.

Big East
Toughest - Cincinnati
A final road trip to the islands to tackle Hawai'i gives the Bearcats a nasty 13-game schedule. Other road trips to Norman, OK and Morgantown, WV should make for interesting upset possibilities.

Easiest – Connecticut
The Huskies defense held ten opponents under 20 points last season and return eight starters on that side of the ball. The first four opponents include Hofstra, Temple and Baylor. Don't look for this stingy trend to change through the first part of September.

Big Ten
Toughest - Michigan State
For the second year in a row, the Spartans win this award for having the Big Ten's toughest schedule. An underrated Michigan State may surprise some teams in this league. But they will have to close the season versus four ranked teams - Ohio State, Michigan, Wisconsin and Penn State…ouch!

Easiest – Northwestern
Do not be surprised if the Wildcats enter the month of October undefeated as they are likely to be favored in their first four games against lighter foes.

Big 12
Toughest – Baylor
The Big 12 South is one of the better divisions in college football and Baylor's schedule reflects as much. The non-conference games against Wake Forest and UConn could make first year head coach Art Briles' debut one to forget.

Easiest - Texas Tech
Last season Kansas won this dubious honor and wound up winning a BCS bowl game. This time around, Texas Tech is loaded with talent primed to repeat the same successes. While the South Division road doesn't make things easy, we guarantee the Red Raiders go undefeated through September with a non-conference schedule that is the division’s easiest.

Pac Ten
Toughest – UCLA
Ouch! First year coach Rick Neuheisel has his hands full. Not only did he lose both starting QBs for 2008 due to injury, but also his plate has been loaded with Tennessee, Brigham Young, Arizona and a ranked Fresno State in the first four games.

Easiest – Arizona
Coach Mike Stoops needs to start showing improvement in the win column. The good news is that his Wildcats will be favored to win the first six games against inferior competition. The Cats might get bowl eligible before mid-October.

SEC
Toughest – Georgia
The nation's No. 1 ranked team gets honored by having to play the nation's hardest schedule. That does not even include a possible SEC Championship Game.

Easiest - Mississippi State
While no team in the SEC can be considered to have an easy schedule, at least the Bulldogs non-conference opponents (Louisiana Tech, SE Louisiana and Middle Tennessee) make sure coach Sylvester Croom gets another shot at winning a bowl game. No Georgia or Florida, either.