Analysis: USC has toughest non-conference football schedule in SEC

South Carolina has the toughest non-conference football schedule in the SEC, according to an ESPN analysis.

The Gamecocks are at No. 18 -- the only SEC Team in the Top 20 -- in ESPN’s ranking of the 64 power-conference teams based on future non-conference schedules, taking into account the next five years.

ESPN’s formula ranks the SEC last among the Power 5 conferences in non-conference foes. The Big Ten and ACC each placed six teams in the Top 20. The Pac-12 has five, while the Big 12 has No. 1 Texas and No. 5 Oklahoma.

In addition to the annual game against Clemson in 2015, USC faces North Carolina, a second power-conference opponent, and UCF, a respectable FBS team. The Citadel is USC’s other non-conference foe.

With all nonconference games yet to be determined, ESPN’s formula “filled in the holes for teams with either an average Power 5 opponent, an average Group of 5 opponent or an FCS opponent, based on analysis from scheduling trends. Also, the number of nonconference teams each team plays didn’t matter. The strength of competition did."

This story was originally published April 22, 2015 at 1:33 PM with the headline "Analysis: USC has toughest non-conference football schedule in SEC."