2027 – Schedule Difficulty Breakdown

Here’s the ranking of schedule difficulty for the upcoming SAE-12 season, followed by a detailed explanation for each team’s placement.

SAE-12 In-Conference Schedule Difficulty Rankings

1. St Bagman – 9.6
2. NC State – 9.2
3. Lime Tech – 8.9
4. Don Rubio – 8.7
5. Zed Christian – 8.3
6. UWinterfell – 8.2
7. Wally State – 7.9
8. Wiley – 7.5
9. Taj Mahal – 7.3
10. Xie City – 6.9
11. Claymy Tech – 6.5
12. Kaytown – 6.1
13. Rome U – 5.8

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Team-by-Team Schedule Difficulty Breakdown

1. St Bagman (9.6)

• Why so high? St Bagman faces one of the most brutal schedules in the conference. They play four Tier 1 coaches (NC State, Lime Tech, Don Rubio, and Wally State), and all but one of those games are away.
• Away Games: NC State, Zed Christian, Xie City, Don Rubio, Wally State, Claymy Tech.
• Home Games: Lime Tech, UWinterfell.
• Toughest Matchups: Lime Tech (home), NC State (away), Don Rubio (away), Wally State (away).
• Verdict: Their high number of away games against top-tier teams, including two teams that beat them last year, puts them at the top of the difficulty rankings.

2. NC State (9.2)

• Why so high? NC State has the toughest road-heavy schedule in the league. They play seven away games, including Lime Tech, Zed Christian, Don Rubio, Wally State, and UWinterfell.
• Away Games: Taj Mahal, Lime Tech, Zed Christian, Wally State, Don Rubio, Claymy Tech, UWinterfell.
• Home Games: St Bagman.
• Toughest Matchups: St Bagman (home), Lime Tech (away), Don Rubio (away), Wally State (away).
• Verdict: Playing multiple top teams on the road makes this an extremely difficult schedule.

3. Lime Tech (8.9)

• Why so high? The defending national champions face a difficult road schedule, taking on St Bagman, Zed Christian, and Don Rubio on the road.
• Away Games: Kaytown, Wiley, St Bagman, Rome U, Zed Christian, Don Rubio.
• Home Games: NC State, Wally State.
• Toughest Matchups: NC State (home), St Bagman (away), Don Rubio (away), Zed Christian (away).
• Verdict: While they get NC State and Wally State at home, their road schedule against three other Tier 1 or 2 teams makes this a challenge.

4. Don Rubio (8.7)

• Why so high? Don Rubio’s schedule features four Tier 1 coaches (Wiley, St Bagman, NC State, Lime Tech), but five home games helps balance it out.
• Away Games: Zed Christian.
• Home Games: Wiley, Taj Mahal, Kaytown, St Bagman, NC State, Rome U, Lime Tech.
• Toughest Matchups: St Bagman (home), NC State (home), Zed Christian (away), Lime Tech (home).
• Verdict: Their home-heavy schedule prevents them from ranking higher, but they still face multiple top-tier programs.

5. Zed Christian (8.3)

• Why so high? Facing St Bagman, Wiley, NC State, Don Rubio, and Lime Tech is a challenge, but four of these games are at home.
• Away Games: Kaytown, Wiley, Rome U.
• Home Games: St Bagman, NC State, Don Rubio, Lime Tech, Xie City.
• Toughest Matchups: St Bagman (home), NC State (home), Don Rubio (home), Lime Tech (home).
• Verdict: Getting their hardest games at home helps lower their ranking slightly.

6. UWinterfell (8.2)

• Why so high? UWinterfell plays St Bagman, Wally State, and NC State, with only four home games.
• Away Games: Wally State, Wiley, Rome U, Taj Mahal, St Bagman.
• Home Games: Claymy Tech, Kaytown, NC State.
• Toughest Matchups: St Bagman (away), NC State (home), Wally State (away).
• Verdict: While they avoid Lime Tech, the combination of tough road games keeps them high.

7. Wally State (7.9)

• Why so high? Wally State plays three Tier 1 coaches (St Bagman, NC State, Lime Tech), but they get St Bagman at home.
• Away Games: Lime Tech, Taj Mahal, Claymy Tech.
• Home Games: UWinterfell, Xie City, NC State, St Bagman, Kaytown.
• Toughest Matchups: NC State (home), St Bagman (home), Lime Tech (away).
• Verdict: Their home schedule is manageable, but the road game against Lime Tech hurts.

8. Wiley (7.5)

• Why so high? Wiley faces four Tier 1 or 2 coaches (UWinterfell, Don Rubio, Zed Christian, Lime Tech), but gets most of them at home.
• Away Games: Don Rubio, Xie City, Rome U.
• Home Games: UWinterfell, Zed Christian, Lime Tech, Taj Mahal, Kaytown.
• Toughest Matchups: UWinterfell (home), Don Rubio (away), Zed Christian (home), Lime Tech (home).
• Verdict: A challenging schedule, but manageable compared to the toughest teams.

9. Taj Mahal (7.3)

• Why so high? They play NC State, Don Rubio, and Wally State, but avoid St Bagman and Lime Tech.
• Away Games: Don Rubio, Wiley, Xie City.
• Home Games: Rome U, NC State, UWinterfell, Wally State, Claymy Tech.
• Toughest Matchups: NC State (home), Don Rubio (away), Wally State (home).
• Verdict: Avoiding St Bagman and Lime Tech keeps their ranking lower.

10. Xie City (6.9)

• Why so high? They play St Bagman, Wally State, and Zed Christian, but have some winnable games.
• Away Games: Wally State, Kaytown, Rome U, Zed Christian.
• Home Games: Claymy Tech, St Bagman, Wiley, Taj Mahal.
• Toughest Matchups: St Bagman (home), Wally State (away), Zed Christian (away).
• Verdict: A few tough matchups, but their middle-tier schedule keeps them low.

11. Claymy Tech (6.5)

• Why so low? They avoid St Bagman, Don Rubio, and Lime Tech.
• Away Games: Kaytown, Xie City, UWinterfell, Rome U.
• Home Games: Taj Mahal, Wally State, NC State, St Bagman.
• Toughest Matchups: St Bagman (home), NC State (home), Wally State (home).

12. Kaytown (6.1)

• Why so low? They avoid NC State and St Bagman, and only play one Tier 1 coach (Lime Tech).

13. Rome U (5.8)

• Why the easiest? Rome U avoids St Bagman, NC State, and Don Rubio, making this the weakest schedule.