NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision

The NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), formerly known as Division I-A, is the highest level of college football in the United States. The FBS consists of the largest schools in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). As of 2022, there are 10 conferences and 131 schools in FBS.

NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision
Current season, competition or edition:
2022 NCAA Division I FBS football season
SportAmerican football
Founded1978
No. of teams131 (133 in 2023)
CountryUnited States
TV partner(s)Various
Official websitewww.ncaa.com/sports/football/fbs

College football is one of the most popular spectator sports throughout much of the United States, and the top schools generate tens of millions of dollars in yearly revenue.[1][2] Top FBS teams draw tens of thousands of fans to games, and the ten largest American stadiums by capacity all host FBS teams or games. Starting July 1, 2021, college athletes are now able to get paid for the use of their image and likeness. Prior to this date colleges were only allowed to provide players with non-monetary compensation such as athletic scholarships that provide for tuition, housing, and books.

Unlike other NCAA divisions and subdivisions, the NCAA does not officially award an FBS football national championship, nor does it sanction a playoff tournament to determine such a champion on the field. Instead, organizations such as the Associated Press and AFCA have historically sought to rank the teams and crown a national champion, by taking a vote of sports writers and coaches, respectively. In place of such a playoff, various cities across the United States hold their own post-season contests, called bowl games, in which they traditionally invite teams to participate in them. Historically, these bowl games were mostly considered to be exhibition games involving a payout to participating teams. However, in the modern era they are considered the de facto post-season. There have been agreements in recent decades (such as the Bowl Coalition from 1992 to 1994, the Bowl Alliance from 1995 to 1997, the Bowl Championship Series from 1998 to 2013, and the College Football Playoff from 2014 to the present) by the premier FBS conferences and bowl games to organize matchups so that the FBS national championship is decided on the field.

Overview
Number of FBS teams per state/territory as of 2022:[3]
  Six or more FBS schools in the state
  Five
  Four
  Three
  Two
  One
  No FBS schools

The FBS is the highest level of college football in the United States, and FBS players make up the vast majority of the players picked in the NFL Draft.[4] For every sport but football, the NCAA divides schools into three major divisions: Divisions I, II, and III. However, in football, Division I is further divided into two sub-divisions: the Bowl Subdivision, abbreviated as the FBS, and the Championship Subdivision, abbreviated as the FCS.[5] Divisions are themselves further divided up into conferences, which are groupings of schools that play each other in contention for a conference championship. The FBS currently has ten conferences, which are often divided into the "Power Five conferences" and the less prominent "Group of Five".

Although FCS programs can draw thousands of fans per game, many FCS schools attempt to join the FBS in hopes of increased revenue, corporate sponsorship, alumni donations, prestige, and national exposure.[6] However, FBS programs also face increased expenses in regards to staff salaries, facility improvements, and scholarships.[6] The athletic departments of many FBS schools lose money every year, and these athletic departments must rely on subsidies from the rest of the university.[7] In many states, the highest-paid public employee is the head coach of an FBS team.[8] FBS schools are limited to a total of 85 football players receiving financial assistance.[9] Nearly all FBS schools that are not on NCAA probation give 85 full scholarships.

In order to retain FBS membership, schools must meet several requirements.[10] FBS schools must have an average home attendance of at least 15,000 (over a rolling two-year period).[10] An FBS school must sponsor a minimum of 16 varsity intercollegiate teams (including football), with at least six men's or coeducational teams and at least eight all-female teams.[10] Across all sports, each FBS school must offer at least 200 athletic scholarships (or spend at least $4 million on athletic scholarships) per year, and FBS football teams must provide at least 90% of the maximum number of football scholarships (which is currently 85).[10]

Scheduling
Further information: Bowl game, List of college bowl games, and Bids to college bowl games

The FBS season begins in late August or early September and ends in January with the College Football Playoff National Championship game. Most FBS teams play 12 regular season games per year, with eight or nine of those games coming against conference opponents.[11] All ten FBS conferences hold a conference championship game to determine the winner of the conference.[12] Between conference games, non-conference games, a conference championship game, and up to two bowl games if ranked among the top four college teams in the country by the College Football Playoff Committee. Only the four Playoff teams are eligible to participate in two bowl games in one post-season, and only the winners of the two playoff semifinal bowl games will play a 15th game when they meet in the College Football Playoff National Championship. The Hawaii Rainbow Warriors[13] and teams that play at Hawaii[14] get a special exemption and are allowed to play a thirteenth regular season game in order to defray travel costs,[11] so an FBS team that plays 13 regular season games, a conference championship game, a semifinal bowl game, and in the national championship game could theoretically play 16 games in a season. No team has played a 16th game in one season, due to the unlikelihood of a team playing Hawaii at some point, finishing the season ranked in the top four, opting in to a 13th regular season game, and then winning a Playoff semifinal game. The theoretical 16th game has only been possible since the beginning of the College Football Playoff era in 2015.

Number of bowl games[15]
Year Bowls Teams in bowls[16]
1968 11 N/A
1984 18 ~30%
1997 20 ~35%
2017 40[lower-alpha 1] 60.5%[lower-alpha 2]

For non-conference regular season games, FBS teams are free to schedule match-ups against any other FBS team, regardless of conference. A small number of FBS teams are independent, and have total control over their own schedule. Non-conference games are scheduled by mutual agreement and often involve "home and homes" (where teams alternate as hosts) and long-established rivalries. A 2014 study found that teams from the stronger conferences frequently play non-conference games against teams from the weaker conferences or, occasionally, against FCS teams.[17] FBS teams are free to schedule up to forty percent of their games against FCS teams,[10] but FBS teams can only use one win per season against an FCS team for the purposes of bowl eligibility. Additionally, the FCS opponent must have averaged at least 90% of the FCS limit of 63 scholarship equivalents over a rolling two-year period.[18][lower-alpha 3] An FBS team must schedule a total of five home games per year; for the purposes of scheduling, a "home game" must take place at a venue in which the team plays 50% of its "home games", although a team is allowed to count one neutral-site game against an FBS team toward the "home game" requirement.[20] FBS-FCS games, known as "money games," are often home games for the FBS team, and victories by FCS teams are usually considered to be upsets.[21] FCS teams receive hundreds of thousands of dollars for their participation in these games.[21]

The Football Bowl Subdivision gets its name from the bowl games that many FBS teams play at the end of the year, although other college divisions also have their own bowl games. FBS bowl games are played at the end of the season in December or January, and collectively generate over $400 million per year as of 2012.[22] For the 2017–18 bowl season, there were 40 bowl games. In order to be bowl eligible, an FBS team must have a winning record. In certain cases, 5–7 and 6–7 teams can also be selected to bowls, usually to fill bowl vacancies.[23]

New Year's Six Bowls
Bowl Location Est.
Rose Bowl Pasadena, CA
Durham, NC (1942)
Arlington, TX (2021)		 1902
Orange Bowl Miami Gardens, FL 1935
Sugar Bowl New Orleans, LA
Atlanta, GA (2006)		 1935
Cotton Bowl Arlington, TX 1937
Peach Bowl Atlanta, GA 1968
Fiesta Bowl Glendale, AZ 1971

Many bowls have an established conference tie-in; for example, the Cheez-It Bowl provides a match-up between teams from ACC and the Big 12. A small number of long-established bowls played a major role in the Bowl Championship Series, which was used to select the national champion until 2015, and these bowls continue to play a major role in the College Football Playoff. Under the playoff, there are six major bowls, known as the New Year's Six, with automatic bids going to the conference champions of the Power Five conferences and the top-ranked member of the "Group of Five." Two of these bowls serve as semi-final games to the College Football Playoff National Championship game. Conferences receive millions of dollars for each school that appears in the playoff, and appearances in other bowls are also quite lucrative.[24] In addition to the regular bowls, some post-season bowls, such as the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl, match up teams of all-stars and NFL Draft entrants.

History

College football has been played for over one hundred years, but the game and the organizational structure of college football have evolved significantly during that time. The first college football game was played in 1869, but the game continued to develop during the late 19th and early 20th century. During this period, Walter Camp pioneered the concept of a line of scrimmage, the system of downs, and the College Football All-America Team.[25] The 1902 Rose Bowl was the first bowl game in college football history, and the event began to be held annually starting with the 1916 Rose Bowl. In the 1930s, other bowl games came into existence, including the Sugar Bowl, the Cotton Bowl Classic, and the Orange Bowl. The 1906 college football season was the first season played under the IAAUS (which would later change its name to the NCAA) and the first season in which the forward pass was legal. The IAAUS had formed after President Theodore Roosevelt, responding to several deaths that had occurred during football games, requested that colleges find ways to make football a safer sport.[26]

NCAA Football Average Attendance
Conf. 1983[27] 1993[27] 2003[28] 2014[29]
SEC 64,842 62,789 74,059 77,694
Big Ten 67,471 63,535 70,198 66,869
Big 12 — — 56,362 58,102
Pac-12 47,248 47,919 51,608 52,702
ACC 42,608 44,056 51,938 50,291
AAC[lower-alpha 4] — 38,039 46,870 29,193
MW — — 32,809 25,254
C-USA — — 32,346 20,455
Sun Belt — — 14,352 18,294
MAC 17,351 14,252 17,820 15,431
FBS 42,162 41,281 44,877 44,603
FCS 10,844 8,599 7,739 8,310

In 1935, the Heisman Trophy was presented for the first time; the award is generally considered to be college football's most prestigious individual award.[30] In 1965, the NCAA voted to allow the platoon system, in which different players played on offense and defense; teams had previously experimented with the concept in the 1940s.[31] In 1968, the NCAA began allowing freshmen to compete in games; freshmen had previously been required to take a redshirt year.[32] In 1975, after a growth of "grants-in-aid" (scholarships given for athletic rather than academic or need-based reasons), the NCAA voted to limit the number of athletic scholarships each school could offer.[33] In 1968, the NCAA required all teams to identify as members of either the University Division (for larger schools) or the College Division (for smaller schools), and in 1973, the NCAA divided into three divisions.[34] At the urging of several larger schools seeking increased autonomy and commonality, Division I-A was formed prior to the 1978 season; the remaining teams in Division I formed the Football Championship Subdivision or FCS (then known as Division I-AA).[35] In 1981, members of the College Football Association attempted to create a fourth division consisting solely of the most competitive schools, but this effort was defeated.[36] In the 1992 season, the SEC split into divisions and played the first FBS conference championship game. The Big 12 and Western Athletic Conference did the same for the 1996 season, and most conferences eventually adopted divisions and championship games.

The NCAA does not officially award an FBS football championship,[37] but several teams have claimed national championships. Other organizations have also sought to rank the teams and crown a national champion. The Dickinson System and other methods were formed in the early 20th century to select the best team in the country, and the AP Poll and the Coaches Poll began rankings teams in the middle of the 20th century. In many seasons, selectors such as the AP and the Coaches Poll designated different teams as national champions. Often, more than one team would finish undefeated, as the top teams were not guaranteed to play each other during the regular season or in bowl games. In 1992, five major conferences established the Bowl Coalition in order to determine the FBS champion. In 1998, the two remaining major conferences joined with the other five conferences to form the Bowl Championship Series. The BCS used a rankings system to match up the top two teams in the BCS National Championship Game.[38] However, even the BCS era saw split national championships, as in 2003 the AP Poll and the Coaches Poll selected different national champions. The College Football Playoff, with a four-team field, replaced the BCS starting with the 2014 season.

Currently as of March 2020, there is no unified system to provide FBS football players with financial compensation aside from collegiate scholarships. Leading the forefront of the movement on compensation is California governor Gavin Newsom. He stated, "Collegiate student athletes put everything on the line — their physical health, future career prospects and years of their lives to compete. Colleges reap billions from these student athletes' sacrifices and success but, in the same breath, block them from earning a single dollar," he said in a statement. "That's a bankrupt model — one that puts institutions ahead of the students they are supposed to serve. It needs to be disrupted." Newsom passed a law in California called the "Fair Play to Pay Act" making it the first state to allow student athletes to profit off their name, image and likeness. The law is scheduled to go in effect on January 1, 2023.[39]

Television

College football was first broadcast on radio in 1921, and first broadcast on television in 1939.[40] Television became profitable for both schools and the NCAA, which tightly controlled the airing of games in the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s.[41] The NCAA limited each football team to six television appearances over a two-year period.[41] The 1981 Supreme Court case NCAA v. Board of Regents of the University of Oklahoma & University of Georgia granted television rights to individual schools as opposed to the NCAA and allowed teams to televise all of their games.[42] After a period during which FBS schools negotiated collectively under the College Football Association, Notre Dame's 1991 television contract ushered in an era in which schools and conferences negotiate their own television contracts.[35][43] This new era of television led to several waves of conference realignment, most notably in 1996, 2005, and the early 2010s.[44] FBS games continue to be a major draw on television, as over 26 million people watched the 2014 BCS National Championship Game.[45]

National networks such as CBS, ABC, NBC, several ESPN networks, and several Fox networks have all covered the FBS, as have several regional and local networks. As conferences negotiate their own television deals, each conference is affiliated with a network that airs its home games. In the mid-2000s, college and conferences began to create their own television networks;[46] such networks include the Big Ten Network, BYUtv, the Longhorn Network, and the Pac-12 Network. In 2012, college football games drew over 400 million viewers.[47]

Teams and conferences

Conferences
FBS teams and conferences
Year Conferences Teams
1980 13[48] 138
1990 9[49] 107
2000 11[50] 116
2010 11[51] 120
2022 10 131

History

The Big Ten (then popularly known as the Western Conference) was founded in 1896, after which several other schools joined together to form conferences, including the Pacific Coast Conference, the MVIAA, the Southwest Conference, the Southern Conference, the Mountain States Conference (also known as the Skyline Conference), and the Border Conference. In 1928, six schools seceded from the MVIAA to form the Big Six Conference, which later expanded to the Big Eight in 1957; the remaining schools formed the Missouri Valley Conference. In 1932, several Southern schools formed the SEC after breaking away from the Southern Conference, and in 1953 several more schools seceded from the Southern Conference to form the ACC. In 1946, several Midwestern schools formed the MAC. Several elite Northeastern schools had formed the Eastern Intercollegiate Basketball League in 1901, and its members (plus Brown University, not an EIBL member at the time) signed the Ivy Group Agreement, which governed football competition between the signatories, in 1945; the Ivy League was formally founded in 1954, when the agreement was extended to cover all sports. In 1959, the Pacific Coast Conference dissolved, and most of its former members formed the new Athletic Association of Western Universities, which became the Pac-8 when more former PCC members joined. In 1962, several schools from the Mountain States Conference and the Border Conference formed the Western Athletic Conference. In 1969, the Pacific Coast Athletic Association (PCAA), later known as the Big West Conference, was formed by several Division II California schools that sought to join Division I.

Division I separated into Division I-A (the predecessor to the FBS) and I-AA (predecessor of the FCS) prior to the 1978 season. At that time, there were several independent I-A schools and twelve Division I-A conferences: the Southeastern Conference (SEC), Big Ten, Pacific-10 (Pac-10), Big 8, Southwest Conference (SWC), Western Athletic Conference (WAC), PCAA (which later changed its name to the Big West), Missouri Valley Conference, Southern Conference, Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), Mid-American Conference (MAC), and the Ivy League. The Ivy League and the Southern Conference left for Division I-AA prior to the 1982 season, while the Missouri Valley Conference stopped sponsoring football prior to the 1985 season. In 1991, the Big East recruited several independents and began sponsoring football, becoming a major conference. In 1996, Conference USA (C-USA), formed the previous year by the merger of the non-football Metro and Great Midwest Conferences, also began sponsoring football. That same year, the Southwest Conference dissolved, and four of its former members joined with the Big 8 to form the Big 12 Conference. In 1999, eight schools broke away from the WAC to form the Mountain West Conference (MW). Prior to the 2000 season, the Big West stopped sponsoring football. The Sun Belt Conference began sponsoring football in 2001. After periods of conference realignment in 2005 and the early 2010s that saw the expansion of the ACC, Big Ten, SEC, and Pac-10 (which changed its name to the Pac-12), the WAC reorganized as a non-football conference and the Big East split into the American Athletic Conference and a new non-football conference that retained the Big East name.[52]

Current conferences

Most of the 131 FBS schools are members of an FBS conference, but there are also a small number of independent schools. Since the Western Athletic Conference discontinued football sponsorship prior to the 2013 season, there have been ten conferences in the FBS. All of the FBS conferences have between ten and fourteen members, although independent Notre Dame has a scheduling agreement with the fourteen-member ACC. The ten conferences are split into two groups for the purposes of the College Football Playoff. The "Power Five conferences" consist of most of the largest and best-known college athletic programs in the country. A school from one of the Power Five conferences won every BCS National Championship Game (which operated from 1999 to 2014), and has won every College Football Playoff National Championship. The remaining five conferences are known as the "Group of Five."[53] Any conference may split its teams into two divisions,[54] and as of the 2022 season, the American Athletic Conference, Big 12 Conference, Pac-12 Conference, and Conference USA do not use divisions. The American, the Big 12, and C-USA all previously utilized division systems before abandoning them after losing some of their member schools to realignment: UConn left the American in July 2020, and Marshall, Old Dominion, and Southern Miss left the C-USA in July 2022, leaving both those conferences with an odd number of members, while the Big 12 has not used divisions since the early-2010s conference realignment left it with 10 members. The Pac-12, however, chose to abandon divisions entirely as a result of the NCAA Division I Council ruling that conferences would no longer be required to maintain divisions in order to hold a conference championship.[55] It was the first conference to entirely abandon divisions due to this, with the Atlantic Coast Conference and Mountain West Conference announcing similar intentions for 2023. As of the 2018 season, all conferences hold a championship game that determines the conference champion. The Sun Belt was the last conference to launch a championship game, as well as the most recent to split into divisions for football, with both the title game and the divisional alignment debuting in 2018. That conference chose to form football divisions despite having only 10 football members.[12]

Conference Nickname Founded Football
Members		 Sports Headquarters
American Athletic Conference The American (official)
AAC (informal)		 1979[lower-alpha 5] 11[lower-alpha 6] 22 Irving, Texas
Atlantic Coast Conference† ACC 1953 14[lower-alpha 7] 27 Greensboro, North Carolina
Big 12 Conference† Big 12 1996 10 21 Irving, Texas
Big Ten Conference† Big Ten, B1G 1896 14 28 Rosemont, Illinois
Conference USA C-USA 1995[lower-alpha 8] 11 19 Dallas, Texas
Division I FBS Independents[lower-alpha 9] 7
Mid-American Conference MAC 1946 12 24 Cleveland, Ohio
Mountain West Conference MW (official)
MWC (informal)		 1999 12[lower-alpha 10] 19 Colorado Springs, Colorado
Pac-12 Conference† Pac-12 1915[lower-alpha 11] 12 24 San Francisco, California
Southeastern Conference† SEC 1932 14 20 Birmingham, Alabama
Sun Belt Conference Sun Belt (official)
SBC (informal)		 1976 14 18 New Orleans, Louisiana

† "Big Five" or "Power Five" conferences with guaranteed berths in the "access bowls" associated with the College Football Playoff

Notes
  1. Includes the College Football Playoff National Championship, which involves the winners of two semifinal bowl games.
  2. Based on 78 teams qualifying for bowl games.
  3. While the Ivy League prohibits athletic scholarships across all sports, the Pioneer Football League prohibits scholarships only in football, and Georgetown chooses not to offer football scholarships, wins against such schools may potentially count toward bowl eligibility. NCAA rules interpretations allow academic aid to count toward the 90% requirement. This issue came up in the 2017 season when Florida State was thought to be bowl-ineligible because one of its six wins that season was over Delaware State, a school that did not meet the 90% requirement with football-related aid. However, once academic aid was counted, Delaware State met the threshold and FSU played in its bowl game.[19]
  4. Includes numbers for the Big East in 1993 and 2003.
  5. The conference was founded in 1979 as the original Big East Conference. It renamed itself the American Athletic Conference following a 2013 split along football lines. The non-FBS schools of the original conference left to form a new conference that purchased the Big East name, while the FBS schools continued to operate under the old Big East's charter and structure. The American also inherited the old Big East's Bowl Championship Series berth for the 2013 season, the last for the BCS.
  6. Navy is a football-only member, and Wichita State is a full member that does not sponsor football.
  7. Notre Dame is a full member except in football, in which it remains independent. It has committed to play at least five games each season against ACC opponents, and to play each other ACC member at least once every three years.
  8. The conference was founded in 1995, with football competition starting in 1996.
  9. Note that "Independents" is not a conference; it is simply a designation used for schools whose football programs do not play in any conference. All of these schools have conference memberships for other sports.
  10. Since 2012, Hawaii has been a football-only associate member, with most of its remaining teams in the non-football Big West Conference.
  11. The charter of the Pac-12 dates only to the formation of the Athletic Association of Western Universities (AAWU) in 1959. However, the Pac-12 claims the history of the Pacific Coast Conference, which was founded in 1915 and began competition in 1916, as its own. Of the nine members of the PCC at the time of its demise in June 1959, five were charter members of the AAWU, and three of the four others joined the AAWU by 1964; only Idaho never joined the Pac-12. The PCC's berth in the Rose Bowl passed to the AAWU.

Transitional teams

Georgia Southern University in Statesboro, Georgia joined the Sun Belt Conference upon transitioning to the FBS level in 2014. Prior to joining the Sun Belt, GASOU won six FCS (I-AA) national championships and have produced two Walter Payton Award winners. The Eagles first continuously fielded a football team in 1924; however, play was suspended for World War II and revived in 1981. The Eagles competed as an FCS independent from 1984 until 1992 as the Eagles' main conference at the time, the Trans America Athletic Conference (now known as the ASUN Conference), did not sponsor football, and as a member of the Southern Conference from 1993 until 2013, winning 10 SoCon championships.

The Georgia Southern Eagles finished their first FBS season 9–3 overall and was undefeated in Sun Belt Conference play at 8–0; winning the Sun Belt Conference championship outright in its first year as an FBS member. They were also the first team ever to go unbeaten in conference play in their first FBS season. Since the Eagles were under transitional status, the university filed for a postseason waiver to allow the Eagles to play in a bowl game; however, the NCAA denied Georgia Southern's waiver request and a subsequent appeal since enough full member FBS teams became bowl-eligible during the season.

Liberty University, the most recent school to complete an FBS transition, began its FBS transition process on July 1, 2017. The NCAA granted the school a waiver from its normal transition rules that require an invitation from an FBS conference before beginning the transition. The Flames played in the Big South Conference in 2017 but were not eligible for the FCS playoffs. For 2018 to 2022, the Flames became an FBS independent. The school initially intended to remain a Big South member in other sports until it received an invitation to an FBS conference,[56] but instead joined the non-football ASUN Conference in 2018.[57] Conference USA (C-USA) eventually announced in November 2021 Liberty's future addition to that conference, with Flames football moving to C-USA starting in the 2023 season.[58]

Three schools began FBS transitions on July 1, 2022. James Madison University joined the Sun Belt after meeting the NCAA minimum of five FBS opponents at its home stadium, as required and scheduled.[59] This happened after James Madison's FCS conference, the all-sports Colonial Athletic Association (CAA), barred the Dukes from competing in or hosting team championships in any sport for that conference during the 2021–22 season according to CAA bylaws. (The CAA football league, branded as CAA Football, is technically a separate entity from the all-sports CAA.) However, the Dukes were eligible for at-large bids to all NCAA team championships in 2021–22.[60] By meeting FBS scheduling requirements in 2022, JMU skipped one year of the normal two-year transition process, making it eligible for bowl games in 2023. On July 1, 2023, two outgoing FCS teams Jacksonville State and Sam Houston are moving to C-USA.[61]

The next school to start an FBS transition will be Kennesaw State University, which will start its transition in 2023[62] ahead of its move to Conference USA in 2024.[63]

Realignment

The FBS has experienced several realignments since its formation in 1978, with many teams changing conferences, dropping out of the FBS, or moving up from the FCS. In 1982, the size of the division was cut considerably, and the Southern Conference and the Ivy League were demoted to the FCS.[64] In 1985, the Missouri Valley Conference stopped sponsoring football.[52] In the 1980s and 1990s, several independents joined conferences, dropped football, or joined the FCS. In the 1996 NCAA conference realignment, the Southwest Conference dissolved, and four Texas teams from that conference joined with the Big 8 schools to form the Big 12 Conference. The Western Athletic Conference expanded to sixteen members, but half of the schools left in 1999 to form the Mountain West Conference. Conference USA (C-USA) formed from a merger of the Metro Conference and the Great Midwest Conference, two conferences which had not sponsored football. The Big West stopped sponsoring football after the 2000 season, and was essentially replaced by the Sun Belt Conference, which added former Big West members and began sponsoring football in 2001. In the mid-2000s, the Big East added former basketball-only member Connecticut, while Temple left the conference (before eventually returning in 2013). During another phase of realignment in 2005, three schools jumped from the Big East to the ACC. The Big East responded by adding schools from Conference USA.[52]

College football underwent another major conference realignment in the first half of the 2010s. Members of the Big East left the conference to join the Big 12 and ACC. The Big 12 lost members to the SEC, the Pac-12, and the Big Ten, while the Big Ten also gained one former ACC member. The remaining members of the Big East split into two conferences: the American Athletic Conference ("The American") and a new conference that assumed the Big East name but does not sponsor football. The American added several schools from C-USA, but lost one school each to the ACC and Big Ten after its first season. In turn, C-USA added FCS schools and schools from the Sun Belt Conference. The Sun Belt Conference replenished its membership by adding FCS schools and schools from the Western Athletic Conference. The Mountain West lost schools to the Big 12, Pac-12, and the FBS independent ranks, and added several schools from the WAC. After several defections, leaving the conference with only two football-sponsoring schools remaining, the WAC dropped its sponsorship of football.[52]

The early-2010s realignment cycle also affected the FBS independent ranks. BYU left the MW in 2011 for football independence and the non-football West Coast Conference. In 2013, Idaho and New Mexico State, the last two football-sponsoring schools in the WAC, became FBS independents, but would return to their former football home of the Sun Belt Conference as football-only members the following year. Also in 2013, Notre Dame became a full but non-football member of the ACC, entering into a scheduling agreement with that conference that calls for the Fighting Irish football team to play five games each season against ACC schools, and to play each other ACC school at least once every three years. Finally, in 2015, Navy became a football-only member of The American, ending more than a century of football independence.[52]

Realignment continued at a lower level through the rest of the 2010s and into the early 2020s. Georgia Southern joined the Sun Belt Conference upon transitioning to the FBS level in 2014. The Eagles won the Sun Belt Conference championship outright in its first year as an FBS member. The 2016 season saw FCS Coastal Carolina join the Sun Belt Conference for non-football sports while beginning a transition to FBS football; the football team joined the Sun Belt in 2017. That season was also the last for Idaho and New Mexico State as Sun Belt football members. After 2017, New Mexico State returned to independent status, while Idaho downgraded to FCS football—becoming the first program ever to voluntarily do so—and added football to its all-sports membership in the Big Sky Conference. Also in 2016, UMass went independent after turning down an offer of full membership in the Mid-American Conference. Most recently, UConn went independent in 2020 when the school left The American to rejoin many of its historic basketball rivals in the current Big East Conference. Notre Dame competed under a full ACC schedule only also in 2020 in response to logistical concerns that arose from the effects of COVID-19.

The most recent realignment is currently ongoing, starting with the announcements by Oklahoma and Texas that they would leave the Big 12 for the SEC no later than 2025.[65] The first actual conference changes came in 2022, with the Sun Belt gaining Marshall, returning Old Dominion, and Southern Miss from C-USA,[59][66] and FCS upgrader James Madison. The following year sees C-USA add Jacksonville State, Sam Houston (both from FCS), New Mexico State and Liberty (FBS independents) but lose Charlotte, Florida Atlantic, North Texas, Rice, UAB, and UTSA to The American. In turn, The American will lose Cincinnati, Houston, and UCF to the Big 12, which will also add former football independent BYU.[67] In 2024, UCLA and USC will leave the Pac-12 for the Big Ten and Kennesaw State will upgrade to FBS and join C-USA.[68]

Awards
See also: College football national championships in NCAA Division I FBS

Several awards are given each year to players and coaches in the FBS. Although all college football players are eligible for many of these awards (such as the Heisman Trophy), FBS players usually win these awards, and other awards (such as the Walter Payton Award) exist to honor players in other divisions and the FCS. In addition to the national awards listed below, FBS conferences also have their own awards, and several organizations release a yearly College Football All-America Team. In 1951, the National Football Foundation established the College Football Hall of Fame. Notable individual awards include:

  • Best/most valuable player: Heisman Trophy, Maxwell Award, Walter Camp Award, Archie Griffin Award, AP Player of the Year, SN Player of the Year, Lombardi Award (originally lineman/linebacker, but expanded to all players in 2016)
  • Defensive player of the year: Chuck Bednarik Award, Bronko Nagurski Trophy, Lott Trophy
  • Position awards: Dave Rimington Trophy (Center), Davey O'Brien Award and Manning Award (Quarterback), Dick Butkus Award (Linebacker), Doak Walker Award (Running back), Fred Biletnikoff Award (Wide receiver), Jim Thorpe Award (Defensive back), John Mackey Award (Tight end), Lou Groza Award (Placekicker), Outland Trophy (Interior lineman), Ray Guy Award (Punter), Ted Hendricks Award (Defensive end), Jet Award (Return Specialist)
  • Non-positional playing awards: Paul Hornung Award (most versatile player), Burlsworth Trophy (top player who began his college career as a walk-on), Jon Cornish Trophy (top Canadian player)
  • Coaching awards:
    • Head coaches: AFCA Coach of the Year, Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year, SN Coach of the Year, Walter Camp Coach of the Year Award, Paul "Bear" Bryant Award, Home Depot Coach of the Year Award, AP Coach of the Year
    • Assistants: Broyles Award, AFCA Assistant Coach of the Year
  • Other awards: William V. Campbell Trophy, Wuerffel Trophy, Rudy Award, Amos Alonzo Stagg Award, Walter Camp Man of the Year, Theodore Roosevelt Award

The NCAA does not officially name a national champion, but several other organizations name national champions and all conferences participate in the College Football Playoff in order to determine a champion. The winner of the College Football Playoff receives the College Football Playoff National Championship Trophy. The AP awards the AP National Championship Trophy, while the American Football Coaches Association awards the AFCA National Championship Trophy. The AFCA trophy was previously awarded to the winner of the BCS National Championship Game (a predecessor of the College Football Playoff National Championship game), which operated from 1999 to 2014. The Football Writers Association of America awarded the Grantland Rice Trophy until after the 2013 season, and the National Football Foundation awards the MacArthur Bowl. Since the disputed end of the 2003 season, the various organizations have been able to agree on a single national champion.

Maps of teams

1927
1927 map of teams
Penn State
Notre Dame
Army
Navy
Syracuse
Pittsburgh
Colgate
Marquette
Michigan State
Brown
Columbia
Cornell
Dartmouth
Harvard
Penn
Princeton
Yale
Detroit
Furman
West Virginia
Davidson
Wake Forest
Duke
Georgetown
W&J
Creighton
NYU
Lafayette
Carnegie Tech
Virginia Tech
VMI
W&L
Citadel
Virginia
NC State
North Carolina
Clemson
Maryland
South Carolina
Florida
Kentucky
Georgia
Tennessee
Vanderbilt
Alabama
Auburn
LSU
Ole Miss
Mississippi State
Georgia Tech
Tulane
Sewanee
BYU
Colorado State
Colorado
Wyoming
Utah
Utah State
Denver
Montana State
Colorado College
Colorado Mines
Western State
Northern Colorado
Iowa State
Kansas
Kansas State
Missouri
Nebraska
Oklahoma
Oklahoma State
Drake
WUSTL
Grinnell
California
UCLA
Oregon
Oregon State
USC
Stanford
Washington
Washington State
Idaho
Montana
SMU
Texas A&M
Texas
Rice
Baylor
TCU
Arkansas
Indiana
Michigan
Ohio State
Illinois
Iowa
Minnesota
Northwestern
Purdue
Wisconsin
Chicago
College football teams in 1927, before six MVIAA teams formed the Big 6.[69]

 

1956
1956 map of teams
Florida State
Penn State
Notre Dame
Louisville
Army
Cincinnati
North Texas
Navy
Syracuse
Pittsburgh
Miami
Pacific
Holy Cross
Boston College
Villanova
Colgate
Dayton
Drake
Rutgers
Texas Tech
Boston University
San Jose State
Marquette
Brown
Columbia
Cornell
Dartmouth
Harvard
Penn
Princeton
Yale
Colorado
Iowa State
Kansas
Kansas State
Missouri
Nebraska
Oklahoma
Wake Forest
Virginia
NC State
North Carolina
Duke
Clemson
Maryland
South Carolina
BYU
Colorado State
Wyoming
New Mexico
Utah
Utah State
Denver
Montana
West Virginia
Virginia Tech
GW
Furman
VMI
Davidson
Richmond
Citadel
W&M
Houston
Tulsa
Oklahoma State
Wichita State
Detroit
Arizona
Arizona State
New Mexico State
UTEP
Hardin–Simmons
West Texas State
California
UCLA
Oregon
Oregon State
USC
Stanford
Washington
Washington State
Idaho
SMU
Texas A&M
Texas
Rice
Baylor
TCU
Arkansas
Florida
Kentucky
Georgia
Tennessee
Vanderbilt
Alabama
Auburn
LSU
Ole Miss
Mississippi State
Georgia Tech
Tulane
Indiana
Michigan
Michigan State
Ohio State
Illinois
Iowa
Minnesota
Northwestern
Purdue
Wisconsin
The "University Division" in 1956.[70]

 

1991
1991 map of teams
South Carolina
Florida State
Penn State
Notre Dame
Louisville
Tulsa
East Carolina
Louisiana Tech
Akron
Memphis
Army
Cincinnati
Southern Miss
Southwestern Louisiana
Northern Illinois
Arkansas State
Navy
Tulane
Houston
Texas Tech
SMU
Texas A&M
Texas
Rice
Baylor
TCU
Arkansas
Arizona
Arizona State
California
UCLA
Oregon
Oregon State
USC
Stanford
Washington
Washington State
Florida
Kentucky
Georgia
Tennessee
Vanderbilt
Alabama
Auburn
LSU
Ole Miss
Mississippi State
Boston College
Syracuse
Pittsburgh
Miami (FL)
Rutgers
West Virginia
Virginia Tech
Temple
Indiana
Michigan
Michigan State
Ohio State
Illinois
Iowa
Minnesota
Northwestern
Purdue
Wisconsin
Colorado
Iowa State
Kansas
Kansas State
Missouri
Nebraska
Oklahoma
Oklahoma State
Georgia Tech
Wake Forest
Virginia
NC State
North Carolina
Duke
Clemson
Maryland
BYU
San Diego State
Air Force
Utah
Wyoming
UTEP
Colorado State
New Mexico
Fresno State
San Jose State
Utah State
Pacific
UNLV
Long Beach State
New Mexico State
Cal State Fullerton
BGSU
Central Michigan
Miami (OH)
Toledo
Western Michigan
Ball State
Eastern Michigan
Ohio
Kent State
This map shows Division I-A in 1991, when the Big East was formed and one year before the start of the Bowl Coalition. Hawaii (a member of the WAC) is not shown. Independents that joined an AQ conference by the BCS's inaugural 1998 season (plus Notre Dame, which also automatically qualified for the BCS under certain conditions) are represented by black circles, while the remaining independents are represented by silver pogs.

 

2022
2022 map of teams
Notre Dame
Army
BYU
Liberty
New Mexico State
UConn
UMass
Louisiana Tech
Rice
UTEP
Charlotte
FIU
FAU
MTSU
North Texas
UAB
UTSA
Western Kentucky
Arkansas
State
App. St.
Coastal Carolina
Georgia Southern
Georgia State
JMU
Louisiana
Louisiana–Monroe
Marshall
Old Dominion
South Alabama
Southern
Miss
Texas
State
Troy
Akron
NIU
BGSU
Central Michigan
Miami (OH)
Toledo
WMU
Ball St.
EMU
Ohio
Kent State
Buffalo
Temple
SMU
Houston
Navy
Tulane
Memphis
Cincinnati
Tulsa
East
Carolina
UCF
South Florida
Arizona
Arizona State
California
UCLA
Oregon
Oregon State
USC
Stanford
Washington
Washington State
Colorado
Utah
Texas A&M
Arkansas
Florida
Kentucky
Georgia
Tennessee
Vanderbilt
Alabama
Auburn
LSU
Ole Miss
Mississippi State
Missouri
South
Carolina
Penn State
Rutgers
Nebraska
Indiana
Michigan
Michigan State
Ohio St.
Illinois
Iowa
Minnesota
Northwestern
Purdue
Wisconsin
Maryland
Iowa State
Kansas
Kansas State
Oklahoma
Oklahoma State
Texas Tech
Texas
Baylor
TCU
West
Virginia
Georgia Tech
WFU
Virginia
NCSU
UNC
Duke
Clemson
Boston College
Syracuse
Pittsburgh
Miami (FL)
Virginia Tech
Florida State
Louisville
San Diego State
Air Force
Wyoming
Colorado State
New Mexico
Fresno State
San Jose State
Utah State
UNLV
Boise State
Nevada
This map shows Division I FBS during the 2022 season. Not shown: Hawaii (Mountain West)

 

Transitioned schools
Schools that have transitioned to the FBS
Louisiana Tech
Akron
UNLV
Arkansas State
Nevada
Louisiana–Monroe
North Texas
Boise State
Buffalo
UCF
Marshall
Middle Tennessee
South Florida
UConn
Troy
Florida Atlantic
FIU
Western Kentucky
UMass
Charlotte
Liberty
Old Dominion
UTSA
Appalachian State
Georgia Southern
Georgia State
South Alabama
Texas State
Coastal Carolina
James Madison
Sam Houston
Jacksonville State
Kennesaw State
Idaho
This map shows schools that have transitioned to the FBS since 1978. Green pogs indicate schools that transitioned before 1990, red pogs indicate schools that transitioned between 1990 and 1999, blue pogs indicate schools that transitioned between 2000 and 2009, orange pogs indicate schools that transitioned after 2010, and black pogs that transition after 2020. White pog denotes Idaho, a school that has transitioned from FCS to FBS (1997) and back to FCS (2018).

 

Programs by state

Alabama
Team Nickname City Stadium Current conference First played
Alabama Crimson Tide Tuscaloosa Bryant–Denny Stadium SEC 1892
Auburn Tigers Auburn Jordan–Hare Stadium SEC 1892
Jacksonville State Gamecocks Jacksonville Burgess–Snow Field at JSU Stadium ASUN (FCS in 2022)[lower-alpha 1] 1903
South Alabama Jaguars Mobile Hancock Whitney Stadium Sun Belt 2009
Troy Trojans Troy Veterans Memorial Stadium Sun Belt 1909
UAB Blazers Birmingham Protective Stadium C-USA[lower-alpha 2] 1991
  1. Jacksonville State will move to C-USA in 2023.
  2. UAB will move to the American Athletic Conference in 2023.

Arizona
Team Nickname City Stadium Current conference First played
Arizona Wildcats Tucson Arizona Stadium Pac-12 1899
Arizona State Sun Devils Tempe Sun Devil Stadium Pac-12 1897

Arkansas
Team Nickname City Stadium Current conference First played
Arkansas Razorbacks Fayetteville Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium[lower-alpha 1] SEC 1894
Arkansas State Red Wolves Jonesboro Centennial Bank Stadium Sun Belt 1911
  1. Arkansas also plays select home games at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock.

California
Team Nickname City Stadium Current conference First played
California Golden Bears Berkeley California Memorial Stadium Pac-12 1886
Fresno State Bulldogs Fresno Valley Children's Stadium MW 1921
San Diego State Aztecs San Diego Snapdragon Stadium MW 1921
San Jose State Spartans San José CEFCU Stadium MW 1893
Stanford Cardinal Stanford Stanford Stadium Pac-12 1891
UCLA Bruins Pasadena[lower-alpha 1] Rose Bowl Pac-12[lower-alpha 2] 1919
USC Trojans Los Angeles Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum Pac-12[lower-alpha 2] 1888
  1. UCLA plays home games in Pasadena, but its campus is in Los Angeles.
  2. UCLA and USC will move to the Big Ten Conference in 2024.

Colorado
Team Nickname City Stadium Current conference First played
Air Force Falcons Colorado Springs[lower-alpha 1] Falcon Stadium MW 1955
Colorado Buffaloes Boulder Folsom Field Pac-12 1890
Colorado State Rams Fort Collins Canvas Stadium MW 1890
  1. Virtually all of the Air Force Academy grounds, including the cadet area and athletic facilities, is located in a part of unincorporated El Paso County that is designated by the United States Postal Service as USAF Academy, Colorado.

Connecticut
Team Nickname City Stadium Current conference First played
UConn Huskies East Hartford[lower-alpha 1] Pratt & Whitney Stadium Independent 1896
  1. UConn plays home games in East Hartford, but its campus is in Storrs.

Florida
Team Nickname City Stadium Current conference First played
FIU Panthers University Park Riccardo Silva Stadium C-USA 2002
Florida Gators Gainesville Ben Hill Griffin Stadium SEC 1906
Florida Atlantic Owls Boca Raton FAU Stadium C-USA[lower-alpha 1] 2001
Florida State Seminoles Tallahassee Doak Campbell Stadium ACC 1902
Miami Hurricanes Miami Gardens[lower-alpha 2] Hard Rock Stadium ACC 1926
South Florida Bulls Tampa Raymond James Stadium The American 1997
UCF Knights Orlando[lower-alpha 3] FBC Mortgage Stadium The American[lower-alpha 4] 1979
  1. Florida Atlantic will move to The American in 2023.
  2. Miami plays home games in Miami Gardens, but its campus is in Coral Gables.
  3. Most of the UCF campus, including the football stadium, is in an unincorporated portion of Orange County with an Orlando mailing address.
  4. UCF will move to the Big 12 Conference in 2023.

Georgia
Team Nickname City Stadium Current conference First played
Georgia Bulldogs Athens Sanford Stadium SEC 1892
Georgia Southern Eagles Statesboro Paulson Stadium Sun Belt 1924
Georgia State Panthers Atlanta Center Parc Stadium Sun Belt 2010
Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets Atlanta Bobby Dodd Stadium ACC 1892

Hawaii
Team Nickname City Stadium Current conference First played
Hawaii Rainbow Warriors Honolulu Ching Athletics Complex[lower-alpha 1] MW 1909
  1. Temporary stadium during the demolition of the current Aloha Stadium, also in Honolulu, and its replacement by a new stadium on part of that venue's site. The new Aloha Stadium is currently scheduled to open in 2026.

Idaho
Team Nickname City Stadium Current conference First played
Boise State Broncos Boise Albertsons Stadium MW 1933

Illinois
Team Nickname City Stadium Current conference First played
Illinois Fighting Illini Champaign Memorial Stadium Big Ten 1890
Northern Illinois Huskies DeKalb Huskie Stadium MAC 1899
Northwestern Wildcats Evanston Ryan Field[lower-alpha 1] Big Ten 1876
  1. Set for replacement by a new stadium of the same name on the same site in the indefinite future.

Indiana
Team Nickname City Stadium Current conference First played
Ball State Cardinals Muncie Scheumann Stadium MAC 1924
Indiana Hoosiers Bloomington Memorial Stadium Big Ten 1887
Notre Dame Fighting Irish Notre Dame Notre Dame Stadium Independent 1887
Purdue Boilermakers West Lafayette Ross–Ade Stadium Big Ten 1887

Iowa
Team Nickname City Stadium Current conference First played
Iowa Hawkeyes Iowa City Kinnick Stadium Big Ten 1889
Iowa State Cyclones Ames Jack Trice Stadium Big 12 1891

Kansas
Team Nickname City Stadium Current conference First played
Kansas Jayhawks Lawrence David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium Big 12 1890
Kansas State Wildcats Manhattan Bill Snyder Family Football Stadium Big 12 1896

Kentucky
Team Nickname City Stadium Current conference First played
Kentucky Wildcats Lexington Kroger Field SEC 1881
Louisville Cardinals Louisville Cardinal Stadium ACC 1910
Western Kentucky Hilltoppers Bowling Green Houchens Industries–L. T. Smith Stadium C-USA 1908

Louisiana
Team Nickname City Stadium Current conference First played
Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns Lafayette Cajun Field Sun Belt 1902
Louisiana Tech Bulldogs Ruston Joe Aillet Stadium C-USA 1901
LSU Tigers Baton Rouge Tiger Stadium SEC 1893
Tulane Green Wave New Orleans Yulman Stadium The American 1893
UL Monroe Warhawks Monroe JPS Field at Malone Stadium Sun Belt 1931

Maryland
Team Nickname City Stadium Current conference First played
Maryland Terrapins College Park SECU Stadium Big Ten 1888
Navy Midshipmen Annapolis Navy–Marine Corps Memorial Stadium The American 1879

Massachusetts
Team Nickname City Stadium Current conference First played
Boston College Eagles Chestnut Hill Alumni Stadium ACC 1893
UMass Minutemen Amherst Warren McGuirk Alumni Stadium Independent 1879

Michigan
Team Nickname City Stadium Current conference First played
Central Michigan Chippewas Mount Pleasant Kelly/Shorts Stadium MAC 1896
Eastern Michigan Eagles Ypsilanti Rynearson Stadium MAC 1891
Michigan Wolverines Ann Arbor Michigan Stadium Big Ten 1879
Michigan State Spartans East Lansing Spartan Stadium Big Ten 1885
Western Michigan Broncos Kalamazoo Waldo Stadium MAC 1905

Minnesota
Team Nickname City Stadium Current conference First played
Minnesota Golden Gophers Minneapolis Huntington Bank Stadium Big Ten 1882

Mississippi
Team Nickname City Stadium Current conference First played
Mississippi State Bulldogs Starkville[lower-alpha 1] Davis Wade Stadium SEC 1895
Ole Miss Rebels Oxford Vaught–Hemingway Stadium SEC 1890
Southern Miss Golden Eagles Hattiesburg M. M. Roberts Stadium Sun Belt 1912
  1. Almost all of the Mississippi State campus, including the university's athletic facilities, is located in a part of unincorporated Oktibbeha County that is designated by the United States Postal Service as Mississippi State, Mississippi.

Missouri
Team Nickname City Stadium Current conference First played
Missouri Tigers Columbia Faurot Field SEC 1890

Nebraska
Team Nickname City Stadium Current conference First played
Nebraska Cornhuskers Lincoln Memorial Stadium Big Ten 1890

Nevada
Team Nickname City Stadium Current conference First played
Nevada Wolf Pack Reno Mackay Stadium MW 1896
UNLV Rebels Paradise Allegiant Stadium MW 1968

New Jersey
Team Nickname City Stadium Current conference First played
Rutgers Scarlet Knights Piscataway[lower-alpha 1] SHI Stadium Big Ten 1869
  1. Rutgers' campus spans New Brunswick and Piscataway.

New Mexico
Team Nickname City Stadium Current conference First played
New Mexico Lobos Albuquerque University Stadium MW 1892
New Mexico State Aggies Las Cruces Aggie Memorial Stadium Independent[lower-alpha 1] 1893
  1. New Mexico State will move to C-USA in 2023.

New York
Team Nickname City Stadium Current conference First played
Army Black Knights West Point Michie Stadium Independent 1890
Buffalo Bulls Amherst University at Buffalo Stadium MAC 1894
Syracuse Orange Syracuse JMA Wireless Dome ACC 1889

North Carolina
Team Nickname City Stadium Current conference First played
Appalachian State Mountaineers Boone Kidd Brewer Stadium Sun Belt 1928
Charlotte 49ers Charlotte Jerry Richardson Stadium C-USA[lower-alpha 1] 2013
Duke Blue Devils Durham Wallace Wade Stadium ACC 1888
East Carolina Pirates Greenville Dowdy–Ficklen Stadium The American 1932
NC State Wolfpack Raleigh Carter–Finley Stadium ACC 1892
North Carolina Tar Heels Chapel Hill Kenan Memorial Stadium ACC 1888
Wake Forest Demon Deacons Winston-Salem Truist Field at Wake Forest ACC 1888
  1. Charlotte will move to The American in 2023.

Ohio
Team Nickname City Stadium Current conference First played
Akron Zips Akron InfoCision Stadium–Summa Field MAC 1891
Bowling Green Falcons Bowling Green Doyt Perry Stadium MAC 1919
Cincinnati Bearcats Cincinnati Nippert Stadium The American[lower-alpha 1] 1885
Kent State Golden Flashes Kent Dix Stadium MAC 1920
Miami RedHawks Oxford Yager Stadium MAC 1888
Ohio Bobcats Athens Peden Stadium MAC 1894
Ohio State Buckeyes Columbus Ohio Stadium Big Ten 1889
Toledo Rockets Toledo Glass Bowl MAC 1917
  1. Cincinnati will move to the Big 12 Conference in 2023.

Oklahoma
Team Nickname City Stadium Current conference First played
Oklahoma Sooners Norman Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium Big 12[lower-alpha 1] 1895
Oklahoma State Cowboys Stillwater Boone Pickens Stadium Big 12 1901
Tulsa Golden Hurricane Tulsa Skelly Field at H. A. Chapman Stadium The American 1895
  1. Oklahoma will move to the Southeastern Conference no later than 2025.

Oregon
Team Nickname City Stadium Current conference First played
Oregon Ducks Eugene Autzen Stadium Pac-12 1894
Oregon State Beavers Corvallis Reser Stadium Pac-12 1893

Pennsylvania
Team Nickname City Stadium Current conference First played
Penn State Nittany Lions State College[lower-alpha 1] Beaver Stadium Big Ten 1881
Pittsburgh Panthers Pittsburgh Acrisure Stadium ACC 1890
Temple Owls Philadelphia Lincoln Financial Field The American 1895
  1. Most of the Penn State campus, including the football stadium, lies outside the municipality of State College, instead lying in a portion of College Township designated by the U.S. Postal Service as University Park, Pennsylvania.

South Carolina
Team Nickname City Stadium Current conference First played
Clemson Tigers Clemson Memorial Stadium ACC 1896
Coastal Carolina Chanticleers Conway Brooks Stadium Sun Belt 2003
South Carolina Gamecocks Columbia Williams–Brice Stadium SEC 1892

Tennessee
Team Nickname City Stadium Current conference First played
Memphis Tigers Memphis Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium The American 1912
Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders Murfreesboro Johnny "Red" Floyd Stadium C-USA 1911
Tennessee Volunteers Knoxville Neyland Stadium SEC 1891
Vanderbilt Commodores Nashville Vanderbilt Stadium SEC 1890

Texas
Team Nickname City Stadium Current conference First played
Baylor Bears Waco McLane Stadium Big 12 1899
Houston Cougars Houston TDECU Stadium The American[lower-alpha 1] 1946
North Texas Mean Green Denton Apogee Stadium C-USA[lower-alpha 2] 1913
Rice Owls Houston Rice Stadium C-USA[lower-alpha 2] 1912
Sam Houston Bearkats Huntsville Bowers Stadium WAC (FCS)[lower-alpha 3] 1912
SMU Mustangs University Park[lower-alpha 4] Gerald J. Ford Stadium The American 1915
TCU Horned Frogs Fort Worth Amon G. Carter Stadium Big 12 1896
Texas Longhorns Austin Darrell K Royal–Texas Memorial Stadium Big 12[lower-alpha 5] 1893
Texas A&M Aggies College Station Kyle Field SEC 1894
Texas State Bobcats San Marcos Bobcat Stadium Sun Belt 1904
Texas Tech Red Raiders Lubbock Jones AT&T Stadium and Cody Campbell Field Big 12 1925
UTEP Miners El Paso Sun Bowl C-USA 1914
UTSA Roadrunners San Antonio Alamodome C-USA[lower-alpha 2] 2011
  1. Houston will move to the Big 12 Conference in 2023.
  2. North Texas, Rice, and UTSA will move to The American in 2023.
  3. Sam Houston will move to C-USA in 2023.
  4. Virtually all of the SMU campus, including the football stadium, lies in University Park, which together with its neighbor Highland Park forms an enclave within the Dallas city limits. The U.S. Postal Service considers all locations within University Park and Highland Park to have a Dallas mailing address.
  5. Texas will move to the Southeastern Conference no later than 2025.

Utah
Team Nickname City Stadium Current conference First played
BYU Cougars Provo LaVell Edwards Stadium Independent[lower-alpha 1] 1922
Utah Utes Salt Lake City Rice–Eccles Stadium Pac-12 1892
Utah State Aggies Logan Maverik Stadium MW 1892
  1. BYU will move to the Big 12 Conference in 2023.

Virginia
Team Nickname City Stadium Current conference First played
James Madison Dukes Harrisonburg Bridgeforth Stadium Sun Belt 1972
Liberty Flames Lynchburg Williams Stadium Independent[lower-alpha 1] 1973
Old Dominion Monarchs Norfolk S.B. Ballard Stadium Sun Belt 2009
Virginia Cavaliers Charlottesville Scott Stadium ACC 1888
Virginia Tech Hokies Blacksburg Lane Stadium ACC 1892
  1. Liberty will move to C-USA in 2023.

Washington
Team Nickname City Stadium Current conference First played
Washington Huskies Seattle Husky Stadium Pac-12 1889
Washington State Cougars Pullman Martin Stadium Pac-12 1893

West Virginia
Team Nickname City Stadium Current conference First played
Marshall Thundering Herd Huntington Joan C. Edwards Stadium Sun Belt 1895
West Virginia Mountaineers Morgantown Milan Puskar Stadium Big 12 1891

    Wisconsin
    Team Nickname City Stadium Current conference First played
    Wisconsin Badgers Madison Camp Randall Stadium Big Ten 1889

    Wyoming
    Team Nickname City Stadium Current conference First played
    Wyoming Cowboys Laramie War Memorial Stadium MW 1893

    See also
    • NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision alignment history
    • List of NCAA Division I FBS football programs
    • List of NCAA Division I non-football programs
    • List of NCAA Division I FBS football stadiums
    • College Football Playoff (FBS)
    • NCAA Division I FCS

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