Coach Butch Jones knows he has his work cut out for him in his first fall at Arkansas State University.
"When you look at the schedule, it's complete top to bottom," Jones said. "We're going to have to play our best football week in and week out. That's a challenge in an of itself."
The 2021 slate -- released Monday -- will see Jones begin his ASU career against the University of Central Arkansas on Sept. 4 at Centennial Bank Stadium, and includes visits to 2020 Pac-12 North Division winners Washington and also at Tulsa, which finished last season ranked No. 24 in the College Football Playoff rankings. It also features back-to-back matchups with last season's Sun Belt Conference finalists -- Coastal Carolina and Louisiana-Lafayette -- among the rest of the Red Wolves' conference schedule.
"We play a lot of quality teams," Jones said. "I do think it's one of the most challenging schedules in our conference.
Jones, who was hired Dec. 12, enters 2021 seeking to lead the Red Wolves back from their lowest win total since 2010 after ASU finished 4-7. That journey begins with the meeting against UCA, followed a week later by the "Paint Bucket Bowl," when Memphis travels to Jonesboro on Sept. 11.
The Red Wolves will then embark on what Jones believes is their toughest stretch, when ASU hits the road for three games before returning home to face 2020 East Division champions Coastal Carolina on a short week.
The Red Wolves travel to Washington on Sept. 18 followed by Tulsa on Sept. 25, before kicking off conference play at Georgia Southern on Oct. 2. ASU will host the Chanticleers the following Thursday, capping off a torrid four-week stretch.
"You have to go on the road for three consecutive weeks against three top, top opponents," Jones said. "And then you come back and you have an opportunity to play on national television here in Centennial Bank Stadium on a Thursday night against one of the premier teams in our league with a very short turnaround after three consecutive roads games. I think that would be a challenge for any program in America."
Jones also views the midweek meeting with Coastal Carolina, as well as the Thursday home game against Louisiana-Lafayette on Oct. 21, as a chance to showcase his program.
The pair of games against high-profile conference opponents are expected to be televised nationally, and will also likely hold bearing on ASU's conference title hopes. And in Year 1, the midweek contests offer Jones a chance to make a statement early in his tenure.
"I think it's a tremendous opportunity," Jones said. "It's an opportunity to put your university, the community -- the entire Jonesboro community -- on a national stage. It's a four-hour commercial for Arkansas State University and Jonesboro, Arkansas."
"I expect Centennial Bank Stadium to be sold out."