College football’s 10 toughest October schedules: SEC teams, Ohio State lead way

September gave us a glimpse into the College Football Playoff picture. October is about to shake it up.

For several contenders, the next five weeks bring a schedule that leaves little room to catch their breath. Ranked opponents and road trips in conference with playoff implications are stacked together across the SEC and Big Ten. 

Those results bleed into the CFP selection committee’s initial rankings reveal on Nov. 3, the first of five sets of rankings prior to selection day on Dec. 6. A squad that looks like a playoff lock today could be fighting to stay in the conversation by Halloween, given the upcoming slate.

Here are college football’s 10 toughest October schedules, along with the playoff stakes attached to each.

1. Auburn Tigers

Number of ranked opponents: 4
The slate: at No. 17 Tennessee, at No. 2 Georgia, vs. No. 11 LSU, at No. 9 Ole Miss

By no means are we calling Alex Golesh’s squad a CFP threat after splitting their first two SEC games. However, what the Tigers are about to endure over the next four weeks and change will undoubtedly put them in the national spotlight if they’re able to post at least three wins in four matchups against nationally ranked teams. No other program nationally faces off with four top-25 opponents in October. This is why Golesh left South Florida and returned to the SEC, right?

2. Florida Gators

Number of ranked opponents: 3
The slate: at No. 25 Missouri, vs. South Carolina, at No. 1 Texas, vs. No. 2 Georgia (Atlanta)

From unranked to No. 8 after the first third of the regular season, the Gators are hungry. A chance at a second top-25 win comes this weekend on the road before they’ll take on the nation’s top two teams later on. The magic number for any SEC team to reach the CFP, in our eyes, is 10 wins this season. The CFP selection committee’s introduction of the strength-of-conference metric as another data point will benefit teams like the Gators down the road.

3. Ohio State Buckeyes

Number of ranked opponents: 3
The slate: at No. 14 Iowa, vs. Maryland, at No. 6 Indiana, at No. 18 USC

It’s not often the Buckeyes have a loss prior to October, but that’s how the cookie crumbled for Ohio State after squandering the showdown at Texas early. The Buckeyes remain our favorite to win the Big Ten, but that changes after this weekend if they’re tripped up at unbeaten Iowa. The Hawkeyes, by the way, will not play another ranked team after the Buckeyes and have set themselves up for prime CFP billing following last week’s win at Michigan.

4. Mississippi State Bulldogs

Number of ranked opponents: 3
The slate: vs. No. 7 Alabama, at No. 11 LSU, vs. Oklahoma, at No. 1 Texas

The games are only getting bigger from here for Kamario Taylor and the Bulldogs, who are starting to resemble that 2014 Dak Prescott-led Mississippi State team that debuted at No. 1 in the first playoff rankings that season. The SEC’s just as treacherous week to week, and the Bulldogs are going to experience that against Alabama, LSU and Texas coming up. When a matchup with Oklahoma is considered the most favorable over a four-game stretch, you know the schedule’s challenging.

5. Alabama Crimson Tide

Number of ranked opponents: 3
The slate: at No. 16 Mississippi State, vs. No. 2 Georgia, at No. 17 Tennessee, vs. Texas A&M

The first ranked matchup of the season for Alabama comes Saturday in Starkville against one of the hottest quarterbacks in the country. Of course, the Crimson Tide likes their guy, too, after Keelon Russell’s terrific 365-yard, five-touchdown performance against South Carolina. The game in Tuscaloosa against Georgia gives the winner a leg up in the SEC Championship discussion, if that still means anything in the expanded CFP era.

6. Oklahoma Sooners

Number of ranked opponents: 3
The slate: vs. No. 1 Texas (Dallas), vs. No. 24 Kentucky, at No. 16 Mississippi State, vs. South Carolina

There’s a chance the Sooners’ bowl eligibility is in jeopardy this season if October goes awry against several SEC teams that can take advantage. Oklahoma’s offense is not explosive enough to get into shootouts with Texas, Kentucky or Mississippi State, so Brent Venables’ defense will have to flex in the interim.

7. Wisconsin Badgers

Number of ranked opponents: 3
The slate: vs. Michigan State, at No. 23 UCLA, vs. No. 18 USC, at No. 14 Iowa

An agent of chaos in the Big Ten, the Badgers can write their own story this fall if they conquer conference competition over their next four games. One of only two league teams that miss Ohio State, Indiana and Oregon, the schedule sets up for success if execution is on point and Colton Joseph continues his ascension at quarterback. The win at Penn State last weekend put the rest of the Big Ten on notice that Wisconsin is legit.

8. North Carolina Tar Heels

Number of ranked opponents: 2
The slate: vs. No. 3 Notre Dame, at Pittsburgh, at Duke, vs. Syracuse, vs. No. 4 Miami

Buckle up, Bill Belichick. Four of the five teams the Tar Heels face in October haven’t lost yet, including two top-5 opponents with talent overflow at every position. UNC will be a betting underdog for trips to Pitt and Duke as well, two ACC squads with notable offensive playmakers, Mason Heintschel and Nate Sheppard, sparking matching 4-0 starts. Getting to bowl eligibility remains the goal for a UNC squad that has shown improvement in Belichick’s second campaign.

9. South Carolina Gamecocks

Number of ranked opponents: 3
The slate: vs. No. 24 Kentucky, at No. 8 Florida, vs. No. 17 Tennessee, at Oklahoma 

This is where the rubber meets the road for Shane Beamer, who’s on the SEC’s hottest seat entering a tenure-defining month. Consecutive losses to open SEC play for the Gamecocks have pushed decision-makers to the brink at South Carolina and a home loss to the Wildcats this weekend could be the nail in the coffin. A win over Kentucky, followed by a loss at Florida, could release the hammer entering the open date, too.

10. Georgia Bulldogs

Number of ranked opponents: 2
The slate: vs. Vanderbilt, at No. 7 Alabama, vs. Auburn, vs. No. 8 Florida (Atlanta)

If there’s any team prepared for what they’re about to endure over their next four games, it’s the Bulldogs. Kirby Smart’s defense entertains freshman quarterback Jared Curtis and the Commodores this weekend before three straight rivalry matchups in conference play. Georgia moves to No. 1 in the country if the Bulldogs emerge from October unblemished.