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College Football's Top 25 Toughest Non-Conference Schedules for 2019

Non-conference scheduling is one of the more contentious topics in a sport that feeds on contentious topics. The College Football Playoff has yet to establish a clear guideline when navigating the non-conference terrain, so scheduling continues to wildly fluctuate among the Power 5 conference programs.

Meanwhile, Group of 5 conference teams sometimes load up on high-profile dates — as much a testament to the game's economic disparities than trying to prove any playoff point.

No matter their motivation, the following programs take on challenging non-conference schedules. Not among the 25 are independents Notre Dame, Army, BYU, UMass, Liberty, and New Mexico State.