No. 1 USC* vs Texas
Tougher Game: USC
Texas still counts Taysom Hill’s instead of sheep as they are haunted by perhaps the most embarrassing loss in Texas history in their own stadium, and believe me they want revenge. While Texas always seems to underperform, one of these years they are going to finally be what their recruiting says it should be, and if that is this year, watch out!
On the flip side, USC is going to be a title contender. They bring a lot of their production from last year and could realistically be a top five team at the end of the season.
Again, under the scenario that BYU would have still been Independent, I don’t see BYU going into the Coliseum and taking down a Top 10 Trojan team who has a lot of reason to win this game while BYU would already have been obligated to head back to Shreveport. (So glad that isn’t a thing anymore).
Verdict
Tougher Schedule: Big 12 Schedule
If this was a book and you just looked at the covers, the easier games and toughest games favor the original schedule. However, aside from the first and last two games, the middle eight are overwhelmingly tougher in the Big 12.
And let’s be honest, a season isn’t made by the easiest or the toughest matchup, it’s made by what is done in the middle. And for BYU, the middle is definitely much tougher with their new schedule.