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A college football team's chances for success are based mostly on the players it has, the coaching those players get and how those things come together in on-field performance. If all goes as planned, it shouldn't matter who is on the schedule because great teams can handle any challenge.

But who are we fooling? A manageable schedule makes it easier to navigate the season, while tougher slates offer plenty of challenging pitfalls.

Last week, we identified teams whose 2016 schedules set up well for a playoff run, yet some of those slates are still pretty difficult. Do any of them rank among the 25 hardest for next season? Follow along as we list the toughest upcoming slates based on record, bowl opponents and overall makeup of the schedule.