ACC Football Schedule 2015: Comparing Non-Conference Strength Of Schedules

It's no secret that Boston College has one of the easier non-conference slates in 2015. But is it the weakest in the conference? To answer that question, I turned to Jeff Sagarin's computer rankings (which include both FBS and FCS teams) to find the answer.

Here's the average Sagarin rating for each ACC team's four non-conference opponents (home/road/neutral was not factored in):

1. Virginia Cavaliers -- 59.5
2. Louisville Cardinals -- 60.0
3. Clemson Tigers -- 78.5
4. Pittsburgh Panthers -- 80.5
5. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets -- 84.0
6. Florida State Seminoles -- 88.75
7. Virginia Tech Hokies -- 89.75
8. Miami-Florida Hurricanes -- 100.25
9. North Carolina Tar Heels -- 118.25
10. Syracuse Orange -- 123.25
11. Wake Forest Demon Deacons -- 123.5
12. Boston College Eagles -- 130.0
13. Duke Blue Devils -- 140.5
14. N.C. State Wolfpack -- 145.0

So, the answer here is no. By this measure, N.C. State has the weakest non-conference schedule in the conference. This is what happens when you schedule zero Power 5 conference opponents and instead play four FCS and FBS transitional schools so bad that the casual observer would have a hard time determining which one of the four is still a member of the Football Championship Subdivision.

At the other end of the spectrum, umm, WHAT ARE YOU DOING VIRGINIA? Probably can go ahead and schedule that Mike London roast for November 28, 2015.

Other interesting tidbits:

-- Five highest-ranked ACC non-conference opponents:

1. Ohio State (Virginia Tech)
5. Georgia (Georgia Tech) 
11. Auburn (Louisville)
14. LSU (Syracuse)
19. UCLA (Virginia)

-- Five lowest-ranked ACC non-conference opponents:

195. Furman (Virginia Tech)
199. NC Central (Duke)
219. Elon (Wake Forest)
228. Howard (Boston College)
231. Rhode Island (Syracuse)

-- Number of teams ranked 1-100: 29
-- Number of teams ranked 100+: 27

-- Power 5 conference opponents: 21
-- FCS opponents: 16

-- Shared opponents:

Army -- Duke and Wake Forest
Notre Dame -- Boston College, Clemson, Georgia Tech, Pittsburgh, Virginia and Wake Forest
South Carolina -- Clemson and North Carolina
South Florida -- Florida State and Syracuse
Tulane -- Duke and Georgia Tech

Each team's top ranked opponent:

Boston College -- 31. Notre Dame
Clemson -- 31. Notre Dame
Duke -- 66. Northwestern
Florida State -- 26. Florida
Georgia Tech -- 5. Georgia
Louisville -- 11. Auburn
Miami -- 29. Nebraska
North Carolina -- 35. South Carolina
N.C. State -- 116. Old Dominion
Pittsburgh -- 31. Notre Dame
Syracuse -- 14. LSU
Virginia -- 19. UCLA
Virginia Tech -- 1. Ohio State
Wake Forest -- 31. Notre Dame

Each team's lowest ranked opponent:

Boston College -- 228. Howard
Clemson -- 146. Wofford
Duke -- 199. NC Central
Florida State -- 147. South Florida
Georgia Tech -- 158. Alcorn State
Louisville -- 106. Samford
Miami -- 176. Bethune-Cookman
North Carolina -- 193. Delaware
N.C. State -- 178. Troy
Pittsburgh -- 134. Akron
Syracuse -- 231. Rhode Island 
Virginia -- 152. William & Mary
Virginia Tech -- 195. Furman
Wake Forest -- 219. Elon