2009 toughest schedules

[Plinnius]

According to Phil Steele, the Gophers played the #11 toughest schedule in 2009, while Iowa State played the #73 toughest schedule. Of all the bowl games, the Insight Bowl features third largest disparity in SOS between teams.

Interestingly, in 2008, the Insight Bowl also had the third largest disparity in SOS. However, the Gophers were at the opposite end of things, as Kansas's schedule was ranked #18 and the Gophers' ranked #65.

Steele notes that in the ten bowl games last year with the largest disparity in SOS, the team that played the stronger schedule won seven times.

 

[AhliBobwa]

That's a great stat. It's nice to see Steele give the Gophers credit. After Cal's initial swoon many wrote off the strength of the Gophers schedule. But it turned out Cal was still a decent albeit inconsistent team and the only Big Ten teams the Gophers didn't play were the conference's two worst teams (come on down Michigan and Indiana). After a breakthrough bowl season from the Big Ten the SOS will probably rise into the top 10