The return of a star quarterback or a stout defense are common ways to evaluate a team heading into the 2023 FCS college football season, but don’t overlook the schedule of opponents.
Schedules aren’t built the same way.
To get a stronger feel for the upcoming season, the list below provides the combined winning percentage of each FCS team’s Division I opponents last season (opponents from sub-FCS levels are not included in the percentages).
Harvard rises to the top with its strength of schedule – is that good or bad? – while Fordham enters with the weakest D-I opponent winning percentage for the second consecutive season.
Here’s the 1-to-128 ranking:
FCS College Football – 2023 Strength of Schedules
Winning percentage based on 2022 records of Division I-classified opponents (FBS and FCS)
1. Harvard (Ivy) – .648 (68-37), 10 of 10 opponents were Division I members in 2022
2. Nicholls (Southland) – .610 (83-53), 11 of 11
3. Elon (CAA) – .606 (80-52), 11 of 11
4. Cal Poly (Big Sky) – .585 (69-49), 10 of 11
5. Campbell (CAA) – .583 (77-55), 11 of 11
6. North Alabama (UAC) – .573 (71-53), 11 of 11
7. Yale (Ivy) – .571 (60-45), 10 of 10
8. ETSU (SoCon) – .570 (65-49), 10 of 11
9. Central Arkansas (UAC) – .568 (67-51), 10 of 11
10. Northern Arizona (Big Sky) – .561 (74-58), 11 of 11
11. South Dakota State (MVFC) – .559 (66-52), 10 of 11
12. Delaware (CAA) – .559 (71-56), 11 of 11
T13. Eastern Washington (Big Sky) – .559 (76-60), 11 of 11
T13. Mississippi Valley State (SWAC) – .559 (57-45), 9 of 11
15. North Carolina A&T (CAA) – .558 (72-57), 11 of 11
16. Brown (Ivy) – .553 (57-46), 10 of 10
17. Dartmouth (Ivy) – .552 (58-47), 10 of 10
18. Northern Colorado (Big Sky) – .549 (73-60), 11 of 11
19. VMI (SoCon) – .547 (70-58), 11 of 11
20. Idaho State (Big Sky) – .545 (72-60), 11 of 11
T21. Towson (CAA) – .543 (70-59), 11 of 11
T21. Wofford (SoCon) – .543 (70-59), 11 of 11
23. Montana State (Big Sky) – .542 (71-60), 11 of 11
24. Morehead State (Pioneer) – .541 (60-51), 10 of 11
25. Stephen F. Austin (UAC) – .536 (67-58), 11 of 11
26. Valparaiso (Pioneer) – .535 (53-46), 9 of 11
27. Charleston Southern (Big South-OVC) – .534 (62-54), 10 of 11
28. Stetson (Pioneer) – .534 (55-48), 9 of 11
29. Maine (CAA) – .530 (70-62), 11 of 11
30. Missouri State (MVFC) – .527 (69-62), 11 of 11
31. Eastern Kentucky (UAC) – .523 (67-61), 11 of 11
32. UAlbany (CAA) – .518 (73-68), 12 of 12
33. Drake (Pioneer) – .518 (59-55), 10 of 11
34. Bethune-Cookman (SWAC) – .517 (60-56), 10 of 11
35. Texas Southern (SWAC) – .517 (61-57), 10 of 11
36. Lafayette (Patriot) – .516 (64-60), 11 of 11
37. Robert Morris (Big South-OVC) – .513 (59-56), 10 of 11
38. Western Illinois (MVFC) – .512 (65-62), 11 of 11
39. Northern Iowa (MVFC) – .511 (68-65), 11 of 11
40. Princeton (Ivy) – .510 (52-50), 10 of 10
41. Montana (Big Sky) – .509 (59-57) 10 of 11
42. Houston Christian (Southland) – .508 (60-58), 10 of 11
43. Hampton (CAA) – .508 (65-63), 11 of 11
44. Stony Brook (CAA) – .504 (65-64), 11 of 11
T45. Georgetown (Patriot) – .500 (60-60), 11 of 11
T45. South Dakota (MVFC) – .500 (66-66), 11 of 11
T45. Utah Tech (UAC) – .500 (64-64), 11 of 11
48. Villanova (CAA) – .496 (64-65), 11 of 11
49. Colgate (Patriot) – .496 (61-62), 11 of 11
50. Columbia (Ivy) – .495 (51-52), 10 of 10
T51. Kennesaw State (Independent) – .492 (32 of 33), 6 of 9
T51. Murray State (MVFC) – .492 (64-66), 11 of 11
53. Lehigh (Patriot) – .492 (60-62), 11 of 11
54. Southern (SWAC) – .491 (55-57), 10 of 11
55. Alabama State (SWAC) – .490 (50-52), 9 of 11
56. Southern Illinois (MVFC) – .489 (64-67), 11 of 11
57. UC Davis (Big Sky) – .488 (63-66), 11 of 11
T58. Chattanooga (SoCon) – .488 (62-65), 11 of 11
T58. The Citadel (SoCon) – .488 (62-65), 11 of 11
T58. Western Carolina (SoCon) – .488 (62-65), 11 of 11
61. Austin Peay (UAC) – .488 (61-64), 11 of 11
62. Cornell (Ivy) – .485 (50-53), 10 of 10
63. Alcorn State (SWAC) – .484 (61-65), 11 of 11
64. Duquesne (NEC) – .482 (55 of 59), 10 of 11
T65. Texas A&M-Commerce (Southland) – .481 (62-67), 11 of 11
T65. UT Martin (ASUN-OVC) – .481 (62-67), 11 of 11
67. Butler (Pioneer) – .480 (49-53), 9 of 11
68. Dayton (Pioneer) – .480 (48-52), 9 of 11
T68. Illinois State (MVFC) – .480 (60-65), 11 of 11
T68. Richmond (CAA) – .480 (60-65), 11 of 11
71. Alabama A&M (SWAC) – .476 (49-54), 9 of 11
72. Bucknell (Patriot) – .475 (58-64), 11 of 11
73. Wagner (NEC) – .473 (53-59), 10 of 11
74. Furman (SoCon) – .472 (59-66), 11 of 11
T75. South Carolina State (MEAC) – .470 (54-61), 10 of 11
T75. Tarleton (UAC) – .470 (54-61), 10 of 11
77. Samford (SoCon) – .469 (53-60), 10 of 11
78. Abilene Christian (UAC) – .469 (60-68), 11 of 11
T79. Arkansas-Pine Bluff (SWAC) – .465 (53-61), 10 of 11
T79. Stonehill (NEC) – .465 (53-61), 10 of 10
81. Monmouth (CAA) – .465 (59-68), 11 of 11
82. Portland State (Big Sky) – .462 (55-64), 10 of 11
83. North Dakota (MVFC) – .462 (61-71), 11 of 11
T84. Southeastern Louisiana (Southland) – .461 (59-69), 11 of 11
T84. Youngstown State (MVFC) – .461 (59-69), 11 of 11
86. Southern Utah (UAC) – .460 (52-61), 10 of 11
87. San Diego (Pioneer) – .459 (50-59), 10 of 11
88. Marist (Pioneer) – .458 (55-65), 11 of 11
89. Penn (Ivy) – .456 (47-56), 10 of 11
90. Grambling State (SWAC) – .456 (52-62), 10 of 11
91. Gardner-Webb (Big South-OVC) – .456 (57-68), 11 of 11
92. Norfolk State (MEAC) – .455 (51-61), 10 of 11
T93. Lamar (Southland) – .453 (53-64), 10 of 11
T93. Weber State (Big Sky) – .453 (53-64), 10 of 11
95. Prairie View A&M (SWAC) – .452 (56-68), 11 of 11
96. Delaware State (MEAC) – .448 (47-58), 9 of 11
97. Bryant (Big South-OVC) – .446 (54-67), 11 of 11
98. Morgan State (MEAC) – .444 (55-69), 11 of 11
99. Holy Cross (Patriot) – .443 (54-68), 11 of 11
100. North Carolina Central (MEAC) – .442 (50-63), 10 of 11
101. Mercer (SoCon) – .441 (56-71), 11 of 11
102. Central Connecticut State (NEC) – .440 (48-61), 10 of 11
T103. LIU (NEC) – .440 (55-70), 11 of 11
T103. Rhode Island (CAA) – .440 (55-70) 11 of 11
105. Idaho (Big Sky) – .439 (58-74), 11 of 11
106. Florida A&M (SWAC) – .437 (45-58), 9 of 11
107. Tennessee Tech (Big South-OVC) – .437 (55-71), 11 of 11
108. Southeast Missouri (Big South-OVC) – .435 (54-70), 11 of 11
109. St. Thomas (Pioneer) – .435 (47-61), 10 of 11
110. Eastern Illinois (Big South-OVC) – .431 (53-70), 11 of 11
111. Sacred Heart (NEC) – .430 (52-69), 11 of 11
112. McNeese (Southland) – .430 (55-73), 11 of 11
113. Tennessee State (Big South-OVC) – .429 (48-64), 10 of 11
114. Presbyterian (Pioneer) – .422 (46-63), 10 of 11
115. Sacramento State (Big Sky) – .414 (53-75), 11 of 11
116. New Hampshire (CAA) – .413 (50-71), 11 of 11
117. North Dakota State (MVFC) – .413 (52-74), 11 of 11
118. Northwestern State (Southland) – .411 (53-76), 11 of 11
119. William & Mary (CAA) – .410 (50-72), 11 of 11
120. Jackson State (SWAC) – .407 (50-73), 11 of 11
121. Merrimack (NEC) – .393 (44-68), 10 of 11
122. Howard (MEAC) – .389 (44-69), 10 of 11
123. Lindenwood (Big South-OVC) – .384 (38-61), 9 of 10
124. UIW (Southland) – .381 (43-70), 10 of 11
125. Indiana State (MVFC) – .379 (47-77), 11 of 11
126. Davidson (Pioneer) – .378 (37-61), 9 of 11
127. Saint Francis (NEC) – .369 (41-70), 10 of 10
128. Fordham (Patriot) – .350 (43-80), 11 of 11
U.S. Data Insights senior editor Chase Weight of Stats Perform contributed research.