Texas, Ohio State, Arkansas? Which college football teams have the most difficult schedules in 2026

Indiana spent the past two seasons listening to how it played weak schedules as it went a combined 27-2 and won the program's first national championship with an undefeated 2025 season.

No. 6 Indiana has a much tougher road this season if it's going to repeat as champions, with games against top-ranked Ohio State, No. 14 USC, No. 16 Michigan and No. 17 Washington.

The schedule is tougher, but it's still not one of the most difficult in the Bowl Subdivision, which has can't-miss games all over the place. A look at the schools that have the toughest schedules in the 2026 season and one school that could have an easy-ish run to the national title game:

The Longhorns have a gantlet of a schedule, starting with a nonconference game against the No. 1 Buckeyes at home Sept. 12. Texas opens Southeastern Conference play at No. 20 Tennessee on Sept. 26, faces No. 10 Oklahoma in the Red River Showdown and hosts No. 9 Ole Miss on Oct. 24. The Longhorns also play at No. 25 Missouri on Nov. 7 and at No. 11 LSU a week later, closing the regular season season at No. 8 Texas A&M. Get through that in decent shape and Texas could be back in the College Football Playoff for the second time in three years. It is No. 3 on ESPN's list of the nation's toughest schedules, though Pro Football Network and others rank it No. 1.

The Wolverines host No. 10 Oklahoma in Week 2 and open Big Ten play at home against No. 22 Iowa on Sept. 26. They also host No. 18 Penn State three weeks later. The Wolverines then get reigning national champion and No. 6 Indiana on Oct. 24, then face rival Michigan State. Michigan closes with two brutal road games the final three weeks of the season: at No. 2 Oregon and another rivalry game at No. 1 Ohio State on Nov. 28.

The Razorbacks weren't ranked in the preseason AP Top 25, but could slide into the rankings if they post some wins in a brutal schedule that includes an early visit to No. 21 Utah and the SEC opener against No. 3 Georgia. The Razorbacks have road games against No. 8 Texas A&M (Oct. 3) and No. 5 Texas (Nov. 21), with home games against No. 20 Tennessee (Oct. 10), No. 25 Missouri (Oct. 25) and No. 11 LSU to close out the regular season on Nov. 28. That's some kind of schedule for coach Ryan Silverfield's first season. It is No. 1 on ESPN's list of the toughest this season.

The Trojans have a weak nonconference schedule, but make up for it in a loaded Big Ten with three straight games against ranked opponents: No. 2 Oregon, No. 14 Washington and a visit to No. 18 Penn State on Oct. 10. Following a potentially difficult road game at Wisconsin, the Trojans host top-ranked Ohio State and play at No. 6 Indiana in consecutive weeks. They close the season against rival UCLA on Nov. 28.

The Buckeyes opened the season as the preseason No. 1 and will have to play well to retain the top spot. We mentioned the Week 2 showdown against No. 5 Texas on Sept. 12, but there is a potentially tricky visit from Illinois before a game at No. 22 Iowa on Oct. 3, two weeks before a trip to No. 6 Indiana. That kicks off a run of three straight games against ranked opponents that includes a visit to No. 14 USC and hosting No. 2 Oregon on Nov. 7. The regular season ends with the rivalry game against No. 16 Michigan at home. It is No. 8 on ESPN's list of toughest schedules.

After falling flat amid high expectations last season, Kansas State could make some noise in its first season under former quarterback Collin Klein. The Wildcats play Washington State and Tulane in nonconference games but face only one team ranked in the preseason AP Top 25: No. 23 Houston at home on Oct. 20. The Wildcats have the kind of schedule that can make them a dark horse for a Big 12 title and potential playoff spot.

AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football

FILE - Michigan quarterback Bryce Underwood throws during an NCAA college football spring game in Ann Arbor, Mich., April 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya, File)

FILE - Texas quarterback Arch Manning (16) looks for a receiver during the first half of the Citrus Bowl NCAA college football game against Michigan, Dec. 31, 2025, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux, File)

ISLAMABAD (AP) — A fire triggered by an exploding air conditioner killed 14 newborns in a hospital nursery in Pakistan’s capital on Wednesday, officials said.

One baby of the 15 who were in the nursery at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences was rescued, the hospital said.

Television footage showed rescue workers using ladders to reach the third-floor nursery through broken windows. Grieving parents and relatives gathered at the hospital, some weeping while others demanded answers about how the fire began and whether the nursery had adequate firefighting equipment.

The government has opened an investigation, and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif ordered Health Secretary Aslam Ghauri, the Health Ministry’s highest civil servant, to be removed from office.

A woman who identified herself as Mrs. Mohammad Sami said she gave birth three days earlier and her baby was receiving intensive care in the nursery when the fire broke out.

“I don’t know what to say or whom to blame,” she said through tears. “I have lost my child."

The fire was confined to the nursery at the institute, which is one of Islamabad’s largest public hospitals. The rest of the facility was unaffected with no other injuries reported, according to hospital officials and witnesses. The blaze was later extinguished, Islamabad Chief Commissioner Suhail Ashraf said.

It was among Pakistan’s deadliest recent tragedies involving children. In June, 14 schoolchildren were killed when the roof of a tutoring center under construction collapsed in the eastern city of Lahore.

Health Minister Mustafa Kamal, who confirmed the death toll, told the Geo News channel that he was traveling from Karachi to Islamabad to oversee the investigation.

Dr. Aneeza Jalil, a hospital spokesperson, said a doctor rescued one baby. She said the bodies of six babies had been handed over to their families, while the remaining bodies would be released soon.

The Islamabad district magistrate appointed a fact-finding committee and asked it to submit a report within 24 hours. The panel will investigate the cause of the fire and its spread, determine whether adequate fire-safety measures were in place, and evaluate the emergency response, according to a government order.

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi and Sharif, the prime minister, expressed sorrow over the fire.

“A tragedy involving children is an irreparable loss,” said Sharif, who held a high-level meeting with officials from relevant agencies hours after the fire.

President Asif Ali Zardari also offered condolences to the families, describing the deaths as “heartbreaking and an irreparable loss.” He called for those responsible to be brought to justice and urged hospitals to ensure effective fire-safety measures and emergency procedures.

Police officers stand guard outside a nursery following a fire at a hospital in Islamabad, Pakistan, Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2026. (AP Photo/M.A. Sheikh)

A father, center, of a victim in a fire, is comforted as his child's coffin is carried outside a hospital in Islamabad, Pakistan, Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2026. (AP Photo/M.A. Sheikh)

A woman, who lost her baby in a hospital fire, reacts at a hospital in Islamabad, Pakistan, Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2026. (AP Photo)

A father, center, of a victim in a fire is comforted as his child's coffin is carried outside a hospital in Islamabad, Pakistan, Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2026. (AP Photo/M.A. Sheik) CORRECTION: Corrects date/day

A father, center, of a victim in a fire is comforted as his child's coffin is carried outside a hospital in Islamabad, Pakistan, Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2026. (AP Photo/M.A. Sheik)

Parents react after their child died in a hospital fire in Islamabad, Pakistan, Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2026. (AP Photo/

Relatives of the children who died in a hospital fire, gather at the hospital, in Islamabad, Pakistan, Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2026. (AP Photo/M.Yousaf)