Toughest Strength of Schedule For All FCS Teams

EDITOR’S NOTE – Samuel Akem is a lead analyst and contributor podcast collaborator who breaks down the Big Sky Conference and the FCS for Skyline Sports. He’s a former Griz All-American who’s been covering college football since 2023.

He has been diving into the strength of schedules for the Football Championship Subdivision entering the 2026 season.

What determines a team’s strength of schedule? 

A team’s strength of schedule (SOS) is determined by the combined winning percentage of its opponents from the previous season. 

Not all schedules are made equally

SOS is a metric that can shed some light on the difficulty or lack thereof regarding someone’s schedule. But it does not tell the full story; each SOS should be taken with a grain of salt. Most FBS teams are naturally better than the average FCS team. So, although an FBS team may have had a bad record the previous season, that doesn’t necessarily mean they are worse than the average FCS team.

Another thing SOS does not take into account is the fact that an FCS team that had a bad record in 2025 may be significantly better in 2026. To add to that, a team may have a “tough” SOS, but that may be made up of non-D1 teams who are good at their respective level, but do not measure up to an FCS team. In conclusion, SOS is a metric that can shed light on schedule make-up, but it’s not the end-all, be-all. 

Ranking every FCS team’s 2026 strength of schedule

Based on their win-loss opponents’ win percentage from the 2025 season:

1. Merrimack (.653)
2. Southern (.614)
3. Abilene Christian (.607) 
4. Eastern Kentucky (.604) 
5. Butler (.603)
6. Fordham (.593)
7. Holy Cross (.591)
8. Idaho (.583)
9. Cornell (.582)
10. Dartmouth (.573)
11. Columbia (.569)
12. Austin Peay (.568) 
13. Central Arkansas (.568) 
14. Northern Colorado (.568)
15. William & Mary (.560)
16. Penn (.555)
17. Colgate (.555)
18. Portland State (.551)
19. Utah Tech (.551)
20. Northern Iowa (.548)
21. West Georgia (.544)
22. Brown (.541)
23. West Florida (.538) 
24. Towson (.524)
25. Stetson (.524)
26. Richmond (.523)
27. Florida A&M (.523)
28. MVSU (.518)
29. Chattanooga (.517)
30. Bucknell (.517)
31. McNeese (.517)
32. Mercer (.515)
33. Northwestern State (.514)
34. Marist (.514)
35. Eastern Washington (.513)
36. Cal Poly (.510)
37. Mercyhurst (.510)
38. Howard (.510)
39. North Alabama (.507)
40. Furman (.507)
41. The Citadel (.507)
42. CCSU (.507)
43. Norfolk State (.507)
44. Lehigh (.504)
45. Lafayette (.503) 
46. Villanova (.500)
47. Georgetown (.500) 
48. Western Carolina (.500)
49. UAPB (.500) 
50. HCU (.497) 
51. Tarleton State (.496) 
52. Davidson (.496)
53. Yale (.495)
54. Southern Illinois (.494)
55. Stephen F. Austin (.493)
56. East Texas A&M (.493)
57. Wofford (.493)
58. South Dakota (.491)
59. Northern Arizona (.487)
60. Youngstown State (.486)
61. New Hampshire (.483)
62. Samford (.483)
63. Prairie View A&M (.483)
64. UIW (.482)
65. Wagner (.479)
66. Alabama A&M (.479)
67. Princeton (.477)
68. Harvard (.477)
69. LIU (.477) 
70. UAlbany (.476) 
71. North Dakota (.474)
72. Tennessee State (.473)
73. Valparaiso (.473)
74. St. Thomas (.472)
75. Delaware State (.472)
76. New Haven (.469)
77. Grambling State (.469)
78. Idaho State (.467)
79. Drake (.466)
80. Montana (.463)
81. Stonehill (.462)
82. UTRGV (.457)
83. Murray State (.457)
84. Morgan State (.456)
85. South Dakota State (.455)
86. Bryant (.455)
87. NC Central (.455)
88. Lamar (.453)
89. Campbell (.451) 
90. Morehead State (.450)
91. Tennessee Tech (.448)
92. VMI (.448)
93. San Diego (.447)
94. Montana State (.446)
95. Monmouth (.445) 
96. SEMO (.444)
97. SC State (.443)
98. Eastern Illinois (.441)
99. Charleston Southern (.441)
100. Bethune-Cookman (.441)
101. Indiana State (.439)
102. Dayton (.438)
103. Rhode Island (.434) 
104. Southern Utah (.434)
105. Texas Southern (.433)
106. UC Davis (.432)
107. Elon (.432)
108. Western Illinois (.429) 
109. Presbyterian (.426) 
110. Nicholls (.426)
111. Duquesne (.423)
112. Robert Morris (.423)
113. Illinois State (.421) 
114. Maine (.419) 
115. Gardner-Webb (.417)
116. Alabama State (.417)
117. Weber State (.416)
118. ETSU (.416) 
119. NC A&T (.415) 
120. Stony Brook (.415)
121. Alcorn State (.413)
122. Chicago State (.405) 
123. Jackson State (.403)
124. UT Martin (.398)
125. Lindenwood (.397)  
126. SELA (.388)
127. Hampton (.382) 

Ranking SOS Based On Conference 

Some conferences are tougher than others, and something important to look at is how teams stack up in SOS within their conference. Below are the rankings of each conference and which teams have tougher vs weaker SOS for the 2026 season. 

SOS Ranking In The Big Sky For 2026

1. Idaho (.583)
2. Northern Colorado (.568)
3. Portland State (.551)
4. Utah Tech (.551)
5. Eastern Washington (.513)
6. Cal Poly (.510)
7. Northern Arizona (.487)
8. Idaho State (.467)
9. Montana (.463)
10. Montana State (.446)
11. Southern Utah (.434)
12. UC Davis (.432)
13. Weber State (.416)

SOS Ranking In The MVFC For 2026

1. Northern Iowa (.548)
2. Southern Illinois (.494)
3. South Dakota (.491)
4. Youngstown State (.486)
5. North Dakota (.474)
6. Murray State (.457)
7. South Dakota State (.455)
8. Indiana State (.439)
9. Illinois State (.421) 

SOS Ranking In The CAA For 2026

1. Towson (.524)
2. New Hampshire (.483)
3. UAlbany (.476) 
4. Bryant (.455)
5. Campbell (.451) 
6. Monmouth (.445) 
7. Rhode Island (.434) 
8. Elon (.432) 
9. Maine (.419) 
10. NC A&T (.415) 
11. Stony Brook (.415) 
12. Sacred Heart (.406)
13. Hampton (.382) 

SOS Ranking In The UAC For 2026

1. Abilene Christian (.607) 
2. Eastern Kentucky (.604) 
3. Austin Peay (.568) 
4. Central Arkansas (.568) 
5. West Georgia (.544)
6. West Florida (.538) 
7. North Alabama (.507)
8. Tarleton State (.496) 

SOS Ranking In The Ivy League For 2026

1. Cornell (.582)
2. Dartmouth (.573)
3. Columbia (.569)
4. Penn (.555)
5. Brown (.541)
6. Yale (.495)
7. Princeton (.477)
8. Harvard (.477) 

SOS Ranking In The Patriot League For 2026

1. Fordham (.593)
2. Holy Cross (.591)
3. William & Mary (.560)
4. Colgate (.555)
5. Richmond (.523)
6. Bucknell (.517)
7. Lehigh (.504)
8. Lafayette (.503) 
9. Villanova (.500)
10. Georgetown (.500) 

SOS Ranking In The Southern Conference For 2026

1. Chattanooga (.517)
2. Mercer (.515)
3. Furman (.507)
4. The Citadel (.507)
5. Western Carolina (.500)
6. Wofford (.493)
7. Samford (.483)
8. Tennessee Tech (.448)
9. VMI (.448)
10.  ETSU (.416) 

SOS Ranking In The Pioneer League For 2026

1. Butler (.603)
2. Stetson (.524)
3. Marist (.514)
4. Davidson (.496)
5. Valparaiso (.473)
6. St. Thomas (.472)
7. Drake (.466)
8. Morehead State (.450)
9. San Diego (.447)
10. Dayton (.438)
11. Presbyterian (.426) 

SOS Ranking In The Southland Conference For 2026

1. McNeese (.517)
2. Northwestern State (.514)
3. HCU (.497) 
4. Stephen F. Austin (.493)
5. East Texas A&M (.493)
6. UIW (.482)
7. UTRGV (.457)
8. Lamar (.453)
9. Nicholls (.426)
10. SELA (.388) 

SOS Ranking In The Big South-OVC For 2026

1. Tennessee State (.473)
2. SEMO (.444)
3. Eastern Illinois (.441)
4. Charleston Southern (.441)
5. Western Illinois (.429)
6. Gardner-Webb (.417)
7. UT Martin (.398)
8. Lindenwood (.397)  

SOS Ranking In The NEC For 2026

1. Mercyhurst (.510)
2. CCSU (.507)
3. Wagner (.479)
4. LIU (.477) 
5. New Haven (.469)
6. Stonehill (.462)
7. Duquesne (.423)
8. Robert Morris (.423)   

SOS Ranking In The SWAC For 2026

1. Southern (.614)
2. Florida A&M (.523)
3. MVSU (.518)
4. UAPB (.500) 
5. Prairie View A&M (.483)
6. Alabama A&M (.479)
7. Grambling State (.469)
8. Bethune-Cookman (.441)
9. Texas Southern (.433)
10. Alabama State (.417)
11. Alcorn State (.413)
12. Jackson State (.403)     

SOS Ranking In The MEAC For 2026

1. Howard (.510)
2. Norfolk State (.507)
3. Delaware State (.472)
4. Morgan State (.456)
5. NC Central (.455)
6. SC State (.443)

SOS Ranking FOR The FCS Independents In 2026

1. Merrimack (.653)
2. Chicago State (.405)