And here is the first part of the three parts of the Strength of Schedule. In years past we have either just realist the top 25, or just released the teams that were ranked in the Pre-Season Rankings. This year though we have changed that. We will have the entire NJCAA Ranked based on divisions of course.Â
For Division 2, there are 146 teams that play. And before you ask your self “Wait did these guys really go and look at all 146 teams’ schedules and do this?” yes yes we did… we have a problem.Â
What is interesting to see is where some of the Toughest schedules lie. Below will be the Regions by Rank of Toughest Schedules which you can interpret as the “Toughest Regions” if you want to:
| Rank | Region | # of Teams | Highest Ranked | Lowest Ranked |
| 1st | 11 | 8 | 1st – Iowa Lakes | 30th – Iowa Central |
| 2nd | 3 | 1 | 15th – Monroe CC | |
| 3rd | 24 | 9 | 4th – Illinois Central | 126th – Danville Area |
| 4th | 1 | 7 | 5th – GateWay | 41st – Scottsdale |
| 5th | 23 | 16 | 26th – Copiah-Lincoln | 81st – Holmes |
| 6th | 2 | 11 | 22nd – NOC-Enid | 77th – UA Rich Mountain |
| 7th | 8 | 6 | 29th – St. Johns River | 103rd- Florida State Jacksonville |
| 8th | 4 | 15 | 3rd – Bryant & Stratton (WI) | 139th – Illinois Valley |
| 9th | 21 | 1 | 76th – UConn Avery Point | |
| 10th | 16 | 3 | 67th – North Central Missouri | 110th – Moberly Area |
| 11th | 19 | 7 | 40th – Lackawanna | 133rd – Lehigh Carbon |
| 12th | 10 | 13 | 24th – Patrick & Henry | 131st – Pitt |
| 13th | 20 | 11 | 45th – CCBC Essex | 115th – Fredrick |
| 14th | 12 | 24 | 20th – Marian-Ancilla | 137th – St. Clair County |
| 15th | 13 | 7 | 57th – Dakota County Tech | 138th – Bismarck State |
| 16th | 15 | 6 | 11th – Rockland | 142nd – Dutchess |
| 17th | 6 | 1 | 132nd – Hesston |
Now for the part that you all are really here for the 1st – 146th Strength of Schedule Rankings. These are based on a few different things taking into account our Pre-Season Rankings.Â
| Rank | Pre-Season Rank | School | Reg |
| 1 | Iowa Lakes | 11 | |
| 2 | 23 | North Iowa Area | 11 |
| 3 | Bryant & Stratton (WI) | 4 | |
| 4 | Illinois Central | 24 | |
| 5 | Gateway | 1 | |
| 6 | Carl Sandburg | 4 | |
| 7 | Vincennes | 24 | |
| 8 | 31 | Southeastern (IA) | 11 |
| 9 | 13 | Parkland | 24 |
| 10 | Ellsworth | 11 | |
| 11 | Rockland | 15 | |
| 12 | 11 | Lincoln Land | 24 |
| 13 | Spoon River | 24 | |
| 14 | Lewis & Clark | 24 | |
| 15 | Monroe CC | 3 | |
| 16 | Glendale | 1 | |
| 17 | 27 | Northeast (NE) | 11 |
| 18 | 14 | Des Moines Area | 11 |
| 19 | John Wood | 24 | |
| 20 | Marian-Ancilla | 12 | |
| 21 | 3 | Kirkwood | 11 |
| 22 | NOC-Enid | 2 | |
| 23 | National Park | 2 | |
| 24 | Patrick & Henry | 10 | |
| 25 | Rock Valley | 4 | |
| 26 | Copiah-Lincoln | 23 | |
| 27 | South Arkansas | 2 | |
| 28 | Chandler Gilbert | 1 | |
| 29 | St. Johns River State | 8 | |
| 30 | 10 | Iowa Central | 11 |
| 31 | Lake Michigan | 12 | |
| 32 | Mississippi Gulf Coast | 23 | |
| 34 | 8 | Murray State | 2 |
| 33 | 15 | Kellogg | 12 |
| 35 | 19 | Phoenix | 1 |
| 36 | East Central (MS) | 23 | |
| 37 | Mesa | 1 | |
| 38 | Paradise Valley | 1 | |
| 39 | Kalamazoo Valley | 12 | |
| 40 | 26 | Lackawanna | 19 |
| 41 | Scottsdale | 1 | |
| 42 | Muskegon | 12 | |
| 43 | Elgin | 4 | |
| 44 | 6 | LSU-Eunice | 23 |
| 45 | CCBC Essex | 20 | |
| 46 | Lake County | 4 | |
| 47 | South Florida State | 8 | |
| 48 | 21 | Hinds | 23 |
| 49 | 12 | Meridian | 23 |
| 50 | Carl Albert State | 2 | |
| 51 | NOC- Tonkawa | 2 | |
| 52 | Mississippi Delta | 23 | |
| 53 | East Mississippi | 23 | |
| 54 | Glen Oaks | 12 | |
| 55 | Northeast Mississippi | 23 | |
| 56 | Southwest Virginia | 10 | |
| 57 | Dakota County Tech | 13 | |
| 58 | 9 | Mercer County | 19 |
| 59 | Kankakee | 4 | |
| 60 | Southwest Mississippi | 23 | |
| 61 | Coahoma | 23 | |
| 62 | 1 | Heartland | 24 |
| 63 | McHenry | 4 | |
| 64 | 22 | Delaware Tech | 19 |
| 65 | Catawba Valley | 10 | |
| 66 | Sauk Valley | 4 | |
| 67 | North Central Missouri | 16 | |
| 68 | Northwest Mississippi | 23 | |
| 69 | Black Hawk-Moline | 4 | |
| 70 | East Central (MO) | 16 | |
| 72 | 32 | Western Oklahoma State | 2 |
| 71 | Itawamba | 23 | |
| 73 | Redlands | 2 | |
| 75 | SAU Tech | 2 | |
| 77 | 20 | UA Rich Mountain | 2 |
| 74 | Lake-Sumter State | 8 | |
| 76 | 24 | Jones | 23 |
| 78 | Bryant & Stratton (VA) | 10 | |
| 79 | 2 | Pearl River | 23 |
| 80 | Prairie State | 4 | |
| 81 | Holmes | 23 | |
| 85 | 30 | Pasco-Hernando State | 8 |
| 83 | Mott | 12 | |
| 84 | Mid Michigan | 12 | |
| 82 | Morris | 19 | |
| 86 | Palm Beach State | 8 | |
| 87 | Southeastern-Whiteville | 10 | |
| 88 | Cleveland | 10 | |
| 89 | Garrett | 20 | |
| 90 | Wake Tech | 10 | |
| 91 | Edison State | 12 | |
| 92 | Allegany Maryland | 20 | |
| 93 | CCBC Catonsville | 20 | |
| 94 | Grand Rapids | 12 | |
| 96 | 5 | Lansing | 12 |
| 95 | Anne Arundel | 20 | |
| 97 | Cauyhoga | 12 | |
| 98 | Cecil | 20 | |
| 99 | Southern Maryland | 20 | |
| 100 | Sussex County | 19 | |
| 101 | Fayetteville Tech | 10 | |
| 102 | Moraine Valley | 4 | |
| 103 | 17 | Florida State Jacksonville | 8 |
| 104 | Brunswick | 10 | |
| 105 | Clark State | 12 | |
| 106 | CCBC Dundalk | 20 | |
| 107 | Chesapeake | 20 | |
| 108 | Lenoir | 10 | |
| 109 | Montgomery | 20 | |
| 110 | Moberly Area | 16 | |
| 111 | Bryant & Stratton (OH) | 12 | |
| 112 | Madison | 4 | |
| 113 | Richard Bland | 10 | |
| 114 | Westchester | 15 | |
| 115 | 7 | Frederick | 20 |
| 116 | UConn Avery Point | 21 | |
| 117 | Dawson | 13 | |
| 118 | Guilford Tech | 10 | |
| 119 | Lake Region State | 13 | |
| 120 | Highland (IL) | 4 | |
| 121 | Raritan Valley | 19 | |
| 122 | Hocking | 12 | |
| 123 | Morton | 4 | |
| 124 | Lakeland | 12 | |
| 125 | Miles | 13 | |
| 126 | Danville Area | 24 | |
| 127 | Schoolcraft | 12 | |
| 128 | Williston State | 13 | |
| 129 | Ivy Tech Fort Wayne | 12 | |
| 130 | Jackson | 12 | |
| 131 | 18 | Pitt | 10 |
| 132 | Hesston | 6 | |
| 133 | Lehigh Carbon | 19 | |
| 134 | Dakota | 13 | |
| 135 | Henry Ford | 12 | |
| 136 | Macomb | 12 | |
| 137 | St. Clair County | 12 | |
| 138 | 25 | Bismarck State | 13 |
| 139 | Illinois Valley | 4 | |
| 140 | Orange County | 15 | |
| 141 | Sulivan County | 15 | |
| 142 | Dutchess | 15 | |
| NR | ASU Mountain Home | 2 | |
| NR | Bay College | 12 | |
| NR | Community Christian (MICH) | 12 | |
| NR | Ulster County | 15 |
If you made it this far and are actually reading what is being written then good for you. What did you think? Are we crazy? Did you go how you think it would? Have anything you would like to debate? Let us know!