I'm not sure I'm buying this one...but it looks good on paper

Jackson




Rating by Conferences
Rnk Conference Rating
1 Big East 1.2955
2 SEC 1.1887
3 Big 12 1.1750
4 ACC 1.1544
5 Pac-10 1.1294
6 Indep. 1.0883
7 Big Ten 1.0716
8 WAC 0.9094
9 M. West 0.8908
10 MAC 0.7853
11 C-USA 0.7362
12 Sun Belt 0.6661


2005 Strength of Schedule
Rnk School Conf. Rating
1 North Carolina ACC 1.3893
1 Georgia Tech ACC 1.3893
3 West Virginia Big East 1.385
3 Rutgers Big East 1.385
5 Notre Dame Independent 1.380
6 Kentucky SEC 1.369
7 Syracuse Big East 1.320
8 South Florida Big East 1.293
9 Georgia SEC 1.287
10 Connecticut Big East 1.276
10 Pittsburgh Big East 1.276
12 Cincinnati Big East 1.258
13 Arizona Pac-10 1.2718
13 Stanford Pac-10 1.2718
15 South Carolina SEC 1.269
16 UCLA Pac-10 1.262
17 Arkansas SEC 1.260
18 Duke ACC 1.235
19 Baylor Big 12 1.229
20 Maryland ACC 1.226
21 Kansas Big 12 1.2208
21 Oklahoma State Big 12 1.2208
21 Texas A&M Big 12 1.2208
24 Ohio State Big Ten 1.213
25 Texas Tech Big 12 1.211
26 Illinois Big Ten 1.189
27 Florida SEC 1.178
28 Louisville Big East 1.030






Notes on the formula
Each conference team started with a base number. That number was reached by determining the overall 2004 winning percentage of each conference (based on 2005 membership). In the ACC that number was .571. To that number was added the percentage of 2004 bowl teams multiplied by .75. Seventy-five percent of the ACC's seven bowl teams (including Boston College) is .4374.

Added together the ACC's base number is 1.0088.

Teams were then given credit for playing 2004 bowl teams in the non-conference (.0178 per team) and for each game overall against a 10-win team (.109). The thinking being that even though it is a new year, bowl teams, especially really good bowl teams, will have some carryover.

Both Carolina and Georgia Tech were from the same conference. Each face three bowl teams in the non-conference and three 10-win teams from 2004. That's why their total is identical -- 1.3893.

The Big East has the toughest schedule strength overall largely because six of its eight teams went to bowls last season. The league got a huge boost in schedule strength by inheriting Louisville and Cincinnati, two 2004 bowl teams from Conference USA.

Seven of the top 12 teams in CBS SportsLine.com's strength of schedule rating are from that reconfigured Big East. That will be a big surprise to SEC (No. 2 in schedule strength) and Big 12 (No. 3) loyalists who annually argue about the strongest conference.

What about defending champion USC? It is in the middle at No. 56 overall. Orange Bowl opponent Oklahoma is tied for the 36th-toughest schedule. Not that that necessarily indicates success. Last year USC ended the season No. 18 in NCAA schedule strength. Oklahoma was No. 11.

In case you're wondering about the Big Three talent-producing states: Baylor (Texas), South Florida (Florida) and Stanford (California) have the toughest schedules in those states.

Amazing. Now all we have to do is win 6 out 10 non conference games and we will be set.

Rutgers has the 3rd hardest schedule in the country. That doesn't make any sense at all, we have Villanova and Buffalo on there. Navy is competitive these days and beat us bad last year. Illinois is still a Big Ten team so I understand Illinois and Navy. So if we go say 8-3 on that schedule we should be playing in the Gator Bowl. Wow, come on Greg we need a breakout year.