SCHEDULE DIFFICULTY INDEX FOR TOP 10 TEAMS IN THE 2009 COACHES' PRE-SEASON POLL The schedule difficulty index (strength of schedule) is calculated by awarding 10 points for scheduling the number one team in the pre-season coaches' poll, 9 points for scheduling number 2, down to 1 point for number 10. No points are awarded for scheduling teams ranked below 10 and no schedule strength is calculated for teams ranked below 10. Because some teams mention, in their news releases, the number of top-10 or top-25 teams of on their schedule, a fifth column, Top Ten Teams, is added. This column…