The countdown to the 2017 college football season is already on. And though kickoff for the openers won't arrive for about 32 weeks, that doesn't mean we can't begin thinking about some of the truly intriguing early season matchups. Which teams have the toughest nonconference schedules, and which ones will fatten up on cupcakes?
Here is a look at the Big Ten's most difficult non-league schedules, ranked 1-7. We'll examine the other seven teams later today in our list of the easiest nonconference schedules.