What is the most important factor in reaching the College Football Playoff during the 2019 season?

Hint: It's not always about having an elite head coach or several future draft picks in your two deep — though it certainly helps.

Schedule favorability, above all, is a chief indicator during the preseason on who might be the best bets to reach the final four. It usually means many of your toughest games come at home and there are notable breaks — needed byes in key spots or missing a titan from the other side of the conference — highlighting your favorite team's respective docket.

Heading into summer, we've re-ranked college football's toughest schedules, a subjective look at the nation's most daunting slates with an emphasis on potential nationally-ranked opponents and difficulty levels relative to the team's respective talent.

Two elites noticeably missing from this list? Alabama and Clemson. The Crimson Tide will likely be double-digit favorites in every game and should take advantage of the most favorable schedule they've had during Nick Saban's tenure. The Tigers on the other hand may only play two teams all season ranked inside the Top 25 and both come early.

Here's a look at our definitive ranking of college football's most treacherous schedules during the 2019 season: