Scheduling matters more than ever before in the College Football Playoff era. As we've seen in the short history of the CFP, it's one of the biggest factors in deciding who gets a shot to play for a national title and who does not. It's not just whether you win your conference but who you play along the way. It's also proven that it's not just about who you have beaten, but who you lost to during the season.

Both Ohio State and Alabama made their way into the final four the last two years without winning their conference thanks in large part to the schedule they played. Because of this, I've undertaken the process of attempting to figure out which teams will be playing the toughest schedules in 2018.

Methodology: It's hard to know with any certainty seeing as how the season doesn't start for another few months, and while no process is perfect, this one provides a good overview. I took a look at how every team performed over the last five years in my ranking system. While there are always exceptions, teams tend to find their level over a longer time span, hence the five-year period. I then considered other factors like whether a game is on the road, or if a team is coming off a bye week, allowing them extra time to get healthy and prepare. I put all this information together and came out with a ranking system I believe to be fairly accurate.

So which teams will be playing the toughest schedules in 2018? The weakest? Today we look at the 14 schedules in the ACC.

ACC Strength of Schedule Rankings
1
Georgia Tech
Georgia Tech takes home top honors in the ACC this season, which isn't always an award you want to win. The Jackets have a difficult road both in and out of the ACC. The nonconference schedule is headlined by a trip to Athens to take on Georgia to finish the regular season, as well as another road trip against South Florida, a team that's proven to be one of the best programs outside the Power Five in recent years. Inside the conference, the Jackets draw both Clemson and Louisville from the Atlantic Division and have to take on Virginia Tech on the road. Miami will come to Atlanta.
2
Florida St.
The Seminoles begin their first year under Willie Taggart with a nonconference schedule that includes Samford, Northern Illinois, Notre Dame and Florida. All of those games save for Notre Dame will be in Tallahassee. While the Noles will get Clemson at home this season, they'll have to go on the road for both Louisville and NC State. They also hit the road to take on Miami.
3
Syracuse
Like a lot of ACC teams, Syracuse's noncon is headlined by Notre Dame. The rest includes a road game against Western Michigan, Wagner and UConn. So, you know, it's not that bad. In conference play, the Orange must play Clemson, Pitt, Wake Forest and Boston College on the road while they get Florida State, North Carolina, NC State and Louisville at home.
4
Miami (Fla.)
Miami has one of the tougher nonconference schedules in the ACC. The Canes will play LSU in Texas and also have to hit the road to take on Toledo, one of the strongest teams in the MAC. ACC play is not too difficult, however, as the Canes get Florida State at home. The toughest stretch is probably playing Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech on the road in consecutive weeks.
5
Pittsburgh
An argument can be made that Pitt has the most difficult nonconference schedule in the ACC. It plays Penn State and both UCF and Notre Dame on the road. Where things get less difficult is in conference play, as the Panthers avoid Clemson, Florida State, Louisville and NC State. Instead, they get Wake Forest and Syracuse from the Atlantic. Inside the division, they get Virginia Tech at home and finish the regular season on the road against Miami.
6
Wake Forest
The Demon Deacons have a pretty easy nonconference slate. Yes, they have to play Notre Dame, but it's at home. The other three games feature Tulane, Towson and Rice. That doesn't mean life will be easy, though. The Deacons will play a stretch of games against Clemson, Florida State, Louisville, Syracuse and NC State over a six-week span. Florida State, Louisville and NC State are all road games, with a bye between FSU and Louisville.
7
Clemson
As is sometimes the case when I do these rankings, top teams are hurt by not having the chance to play themselves. Clemson falls victim to that a bit here. The nonconference includes two SEC teams in Texas A&M and South Carolina, as well as games against Furman and Georgia Southern. The Tigers get both NC State and Louisville at home, while they'll hit the road for Florida State. That's not too bad, but this is where I tell you those three games are in consecutive weeks, which increases the degree of difficulty slightly.
8
Louisville
Louisville opens the season with Alabama, which is obviously the most difficult nonconference game any ACC team will play this year. In November, they'll have to play Clemson on the road as well, so that means the Cardinals will play the last two national champions. Those games boost this schedule quite a bit, as the rest of the schedule isn't easy, but it's not a death march either.
9
Duke
Duke's nonconference schedule isn't going to wow anybody, but it isn't a cakewalk by any means. The Blue Devils open the season with Army and then hit the road for both Northwestern and Baylor. ACC play has Duke at home against Virginia Tech, Virginia, North Carolina and Wake Forest. The road schedule features Georgia Tech, Pittsburgh, Miami, and Clemson.
10
Virginia Tech
The Hokies have what should be considered one of the easier nonconference slates in the ACC. They get Notre Dame at home, and their other three opponents are William & Mary, East Carolina and Old Dominion. That's balanced out by opening the season with a road game against Florida State, though. The rest of the ACC schedules sees Tech getting Miami -- which is likely its main challenger in the Coastal -- at home, and manageable road games against Duke, North Carolina and Pitt.
11
Boston College
Boston College will face one of the most difficult stretches of games anybody in the ACC will see this year. Beginning in October, the Eagles start a stretch of games that sees them playing NC State, Louisville, Miami, Virginia Tech, Clemson and Florida State. There's a bye between Louisville and Miami, but still, that's a gauntlet. What holds this schedule back is a nonconference that includes UMass, Holy Cross, Purdue and Temple.
12
Virginia
The ACC schedule will provide the bulk of the challenge for Virginia this season. The Cavs get Virginia Tech on the road and draw both Louisville and NC State from the Atlantic. Outside the ACC, the Cavs will play Richmond, Indiana, Ohio and Liberty (Liberty is moving to the FBS level in 2018 but is still graded as an FCS opponent in my rankings).
13
NC State
It's hard to have an easy schedule when you play in the ACC Atlantic, but when your nonconference schedule is James Madison, Georgia State, West Virginia and Marshall, it's going to hold you back. West Virginia can only do so much for your SOS. Still, the Wolfpack will have to play both Clemson and Louisville on the road, but they do get Florida State at home.
14
North Carolina
The Tar Heels will play consecutive road games against California and East Carolina to open the season. Their other two nonconference games are against UCF and Western Carolina. Unfortunately for UNC, these rankings are based on how opponents have fared over the last five years so that UCF game doesn't carry as much weight as it would have if these rankings were based on last season only. In division play, the Heels have a manageable road schedule that includes Miami, Syracuse, Virginia and Duke.