Is Florida's 2024 football schedule the toughest ever? Members of Sewanee's 1899 team laugh from the grave

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Any discussion over the toughest college football schedule of all-time must begin with the 1899 Sewanee team that won five road games in six days against a series of big-name opponents. The vanquished foes on the legendary trip were Texas, Texas A&M, Tulane, LSU and Ole Miss. Not bad for a week's work.

The Tigers had no charter flights -- they traveled by train -- and there were no cryotherapy tubs to aid their recovery. In fact, Sewanee had just 21 players, according to a 1999 Associated Press article commemorating the 100-year anniversary of the team's legendary 12-0 season.

But what about in modern times? While the 1899 Sewanee run will never be replicated, Florida's 2024 slate is shaping up to be the toughest of the 21st century. The Gators will face 11 power conference opponents, including eight featured in Dennis Dodd's post-spring top 25. Florida opens the season against Miami.

Florida's 2024 Power Four opponents

Aug. 31	Miami (Fla.)
In Gainesville: Miami (7-6, 3-5 ACC) returns 6 starters on offense, 5 on defense and signed No. 10 transfer portal class, headlined by star QB Cameron Ward.
Sept. 7	Texas A&M
In Gainesville: Texas A&M (7-6, 4-4 SEC) has new coach in Mike Elko, returns 7 starters on offense, 4 on defense and brings in 28 transfers, which ranks No. 4.
Sept. 21	Miss. State
In Starkville: Mississippi State (5-7, 1-7 SEC) hired new coach Jeff Lebby to groom an offense that may replace 11 starters.
Oct. 5	UCF
In Gainesville: UCF (6-7, 3-6 Big 12) returns 6 starters on offense and 5 on defense. Its incoming transfers include QB KJ Jefferson , formerly of Arkansas
Oct. 12	Tennessee
In Knoxville: Tennessee (9-4, 4-4 SEC) has 20 wins in last two seasons, its most in two-season span since early 2000s. Vols only return five starters on offense and three on defense but should be improved with new QB Nico Iamaleava
Oct. 19	Kentucky
In Gainesville: Kentucky (7-6, 3-5 SEC) returns 6 starters on offense and 9 on defense. Its 13 incoming transfers ties most in program history, while 22 outgoing transfers breaks prior record.
Nov. 2	Georgia
In Jacksonville: Georgia (13-1 in 2023) has best record in FBS over last three seasons (42-2), which is best in any three-year span since mid-1990s Nebraska
Nov. 9	Texas
In Austin: Texas (12-2, 8-1 Big 12 returns 6 starters on offense and 8 on defense from team that made College Football Playoff. Notable incoming transfers include No. 1 WR transfer Isaiah Bond , from Alabama
Nov. 16	LSU
In Gainesville: LSU (10-3, 6-2 SEC) returns 6 starters on offense and 6 on defense. The Tigers must replace Heisman-winning QB Jayden Daniels and need to improve one of nation's worst defenses.
Nov. 23	Ole Miss
In Gainesville: Ole Miss (11-2, 6-2 SEC) returns 8 starters on offense and 6 on defense -- and added No. 1-ranked transfer class, too, which includes former Florida EDGE Princely Umanmielen , a second-team All-SEC performer last season.
Nov. 30	Florida State
In Tallahassee: Florida State (13-1, 9-0 ACC) returns 4 starters on offense and 4 on defense, which is par for the course for the Seminoles, who hit the transfer portal as ferociously as anybody.

Florida's November may not be quite as daunting as Sewanee's 1899 road trip, but by today's standards, it's absolutely brutal. The Gators play Georgia (Nov. 2), Texas (Nov. 9), LSU (Nov. 16), Ole Miss (Nov. 23) and Florida State (Nov. 30). All five finished in the top 13 of last season's final CFP rankings. Four of them are among the top-10 of Dodd's post-spring ranking.

The criteria for assessing a schedule's difficulty are endless, and comparing the difficulty of slates from different seasons and eras is difficult. But after combing through the data, here's how Florida's 2024 slate shapes up against the toughest college football schedules of the 21st century.

The 21st century's toughest schedules, ranked

Note: The first number listed after an opponent's name signifies the opponent's ranking at the time the game was played. The second number listed denotes the the opponent's ranking at season's end.

6. 2002 USC

If you count Notre Dame, each opponent on USC's 2002 schedule was a power conference foe. Eight of the Trojans' 12 opponents were ranked at the time of the game, and five of them finished in the top 20 of the final AP poll. All but one opponent (Stanford) finished with a winning record. The Trojans handled the challenge well, finishing 11-2 and winning in the Orange Bowl in a breakthrough second season for coach Pete Carroll. The absence of a top-five opponent is the only thing holding this schedule back from being higher.

5. 2014 Arkansas

Six of Arkansas' 12 opponents were ranked in the top 10 at kickoff. Though only six ended up ranked at season's end, it was still a daunting slate for the Razorbacks. Even a buy game against Northern Illinois in Week 4 required beating an opponent that went on to win 11 games. Texas A&M and LSU didn't finish the season ranked, but they were each talented teams that spent time in the top 10.

4. 2017 Maryland

Not only did Maryland begin the season on the road against Texas, but the Terrapins also welcomed UCF to town in Week 4. It was the year the Knights finished 13-0. In addition to those non-conference nightmares, Maryland played at Wisconsin and at Ohio State. Then, its final three games in a 4-8 season were against the ranked trio of Michigan, Michigan State and Penn State. Six of Maryland's opponents finished among the top 17 teams in the final AP poll and four finished in the top 10.

3. 2019 Auburn

Auburn had to chase around Ja'Marr Chase and LSU as part of a grueling 2019 schedule. Getty Images

This schedule had its share of gimmes since the Mississippi schools and Arkansas were all down. But the top end was ridiculously difficult. The Tigers played five of the top-eight teams in the final AP poll. Auburn went 2-3 in those games and kept it close in the three losses.

2. 2011 LSU

LSU beat three of the top-5 teams in the final AP poll during the course of an utterly dominant regular season. Though the campaign ultimately ended in defeat against Alabama in the BCS Championship Game, the Bayou Bengals navigated a tricky slate with authority. Of their 12 regular season games, seven came against teams ranked at kickoff. Only two were against non-power conference teams, and the Tigers had just six home games.

1. 2024 Florida

As Florida coach Billy Napier enters a critical third season with an 11-14 record, his path to progress is paved with potholes. If the Gators are going to finish above .500 for the first time since 2020, it will likely require a fast start and a couple upsets. The Gators face 11 power conference opponents -- even playing 10 is usually regarded as bold for SEC teams -- and have a nightmare November. While Samford should be a gimme in Week 2, you can't comfortably circle any other games as automatic wins. Even though Mississippi State is rebuilding, it's still an SEC road game. Though unranked by Dodd, Kentucky and UCF are also quality opponents led by proven coaches.

Note: rankings are from Dennis Dodd's post-spring top 25.