List of NCAA conferences
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is divided into three divisions, based roughly on school size. Each division is made up of several conferences for regional league play.
Contents |
[edit] Division I
[edit] Division I Football Bowl Subdivision
| Conference | Nickname | Founded | Members | Sports | Headquarters | Map |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atlantic Coast Conference | ACC | 1953 | 121 | 25 | Greensboro, North Carolina |  |
| Big East Conference | Big East | 1979 | 162 | 24 | Providence, Rhode Island |  |
| Big Ten Conference | Big Ten | 1896 | 12 | 25 | Park Ridge, Illinois |  |
| Big 12 Conference | Big 12 | 1996 | 103 | 21 | Irving, Texas |  |
| Conference USA | C-USA | 1995 | 124 | 21 | Irving, Texas |  |
| Division I FBS Independents | 4 | 1 |  |
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| Mid-American Conference | MAC | 1946 | 125 | 23 | Cleveland, Ohio | .png) |
| Mountain West Conference | MW / MWC | 1999 | 86 | 19 | Colorado Springs, Colorado |  |
| Pacific-12 Conference | Pac-12 | 1915 | 12 | 22 | Walnut Creek, California |  |
| Southeastern Conference | SEC | 1932 | 127 | 20 | Birmingham, Alabama |  |
| Sun Belt Conference | Sun Belt | 1976 | 128 | 19 | New Orleans, Louisiana |  |
| Western Athletic Conference | WAC | 1962 | 89 | 19 | Greenwood Village, Colorado |  |
- Notes:
- 1 - 14 schools with the addition of Pittsburgh and Syracuse (date of arrival to be determined).
- 2 - 8 schools with football programs in the Big East. 3 other schools have football programs that play outside the Big East. 13 total schools (5 football schools) with the loss of Pittsburgh, Syracuse, and West Virginia (date of departure to be determined). At least 16 total schools with the addition of Houston, SMU, and Central Florida in 2013. At least 10 football schools with the addition of football-only affiliates Boise State and San Diego State in 2013.
- 3 - 9 schools in 2012 with departure of Texas A&M and Missouri and addition of TCU. 10 schools with addition of West Virginia (date of arrival in question).
- 4 - 9 members in 2013 with loss of Houston, SMU, and Central Florida
- 5 - 13 with Temple being an affiliated football member. 14 football members in 2012 with the addition of Massachusetts' football program.
- 6 - 9 all-sports members with addition of Fresno State and Nevada, and departure of TCU in 2012. 10 football-playing members with the addition of Hawaii as a football affiliate in 2012. 7 members (8 football) in 2013 with the loss of Boise State and San Diego State.
- 7 - 14 schools in 2012 with addition of Texas A&M and Missouri
- 8 - Only 9 schools with football programs. 11 total members with the departure of Denver in 2012. 10 football schools with the addition of South Alabama's football program in 2013
- 9 - 10 in 2012, but only 7 with football programs, after the departure of Fresno State, Nevada, and Hawaii, and the additions of Denver, Texas-Arlington, Texas-San Antonio, Texas State, and Seattle. 11 members in 2013 with the addition of Boise State (non-football).
[edit] Division I Football Championship Subdivision
| Conference | Nickname | Founded | Full Members | Sports | Headquarters | Map |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Big Sky Conference | Big Sky | 1963 | 91 | 14 | Ogden, Utah |  |
| Big South Conference | Big South | 1983 | 112 | 18 | Charlotte, North Carolina |  |
| Colonial Athletic Association | CAA | 1983 | 123 | 25 | Richmond, Virginia |  |
| Division I FCS Independents | 4 | 1 |  |
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| Great West Conference | Great West | 2004 | 74 | 16 | Elmhurst, Illinois |  |
| Ivy League | Ivy League | 1954 | 8 | 33 | Princeton, New Jersey |  |
| Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference | MEAC | 1970 | 13 | 15 | Virginia Beach, Virginia |  |
| Missouri Valley Football Conference | MVFC | 1985 | 95 | 1 | St. Louis, Missouri |  |
| Northeast Conference | NEC | 1981 | 126 | 23 | Somerset, New Jersey | .PNG) |
| Ohio Valley Conference | OVC | 1948 | 117 | 19 | Brentwood, Tennessee |  |
| Patriot League | Patriot | 1986 | 8 | 21 | Center Valley, Pennsylvania | .PNG) |
| Pioneer Football League | PFL | 1991 | 108 | 1 | St. Louis, Missouri |  |
| Southern Conference | SoCon | 1921 | 12 | 19 | Spartanburg, South Carolina |  |
| Southland Conference | Southland | 1963 | 129 | 16 | Frisco, Texas |  |
| Southwestern Athletic Conference | SWAC | 1920 | 10 | 18 | Birmingham, Alabama |  |
- Notes:
- 1 - 11 full members in 2012 with addition of North Dakota and Southern Utah, 13 football members with addition of affiliates Cal Poly and UC Davis in 2012
- 2 - 12 members in 2012 with addition of Longwood
- 3 - 12 full members, 11 football members; 11 football members in 2012 with departure of Massachusetts and addition of Georgia State; 10 football members in 2013 with departure of Rhode Island
- 4 - will cease sponsoring football in 2012 with loss of Cal Poly, North Dakota, South Dakota, Southern Utah, and UC Davis
- 5 - 10 members in 2012 with addition of South Dakota
- 6 - 12 full members, 9 football members. 10 football members in 2013 with addition of Rhode Island
- 7 - 11 full members, 9 football members. 12 full members in 2012 with addition of Belmont, which has no football program and no intent to start one
- 8 - 12 members in 2013 with addition of Mercer and Stetson, both of which are reviving their football programs
- 9 - 10 members in 2012 with departure of Texas-Arlington, Texas-San Antonio, Texas State and addition of Oral Roberts. 11 members in 2013 with addition of Houston Baptist.
[edit] Non-football, multi-sport conferences
| Conference | Nickname | Founded | Members | Sports | Headquarters | Map |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| America East Conference | America East | 1979 | 9 | 19 | Boston, Massachusetts |  |
| Atlantic Sun Conference | A-Sun | 1978 | 101 | 17 | Macon, Georgia |  |
| Atlantic 10 Conference | A-10 | 1975 | 14 | 21 | Newport News, Virginia |  |
| Big West Conference | Big West / BWC | 1969 | 92 | 20 | Irvine, California |  |
| Horizon League | Horizon | 1979 | 10 | 19 | Indianapolis, Indiana |  |
| Independents | 33 |  |
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| Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference | MAAC | 1980 | 10 | 24 | Edison, New Jersey |  |
| Missouri Valley Conference | MVC / Valley | 1907 | 10 | 19 | St. Louis, Missouri |  |
| Mountain Pacific Sports Federation | MPSF | 1992 | 38 | 11 | Woodland, California |  |
| The Summit League | The Summit | 1982 | 104 | 19 | Elmhurst, Illinois |  |
| West Coast Conference | WCC | 1952 | 9 | 13 | San Bruno, California |  |
- Notes:
- 1 - 10 members in 2012 with loss of Belmont and addition of Northern Kentucky
- 2 - 10 members in 2012 with addition of Hawaii, 11 members in 2013 with addition of San Diego State
- 4 - 1 member in 2012 with Seattle (WAC) and Longwood (Big South) joining conferences
- 4 - 9 members in 2012 with losses of Southern Utah and Oral Roberts, and addition of Nebraska-Omaha
[edit] Ice hockey conferences
| Conference | Nickname | Founded | Members (Men/Women) | Headquarters | Map |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atlantic Hockey | Atlantic Hockey | 1997 | 12 (12/none) | Haverhill, Massachusetts |  |
| Central Collegiate Hockey Association1 | CCHA | 1972 | 11 (11/none) | Farmington Hills, Michigan |  |
| College Hockey America | CHA | 2000 | 4 (none/4) | Detroit, Michigan |  |
| ECAC Hockey | ECAC | 1962 | 12 (12/12) | Albany, New York |  |
| Hockey East | Hockey East | 1984 | 11 (10/8) | Wakefield, Massachusetts |  |
| Western Collegiate Hockey Association | WCHA | 1951 | 13 (12/8) | Denver, Colorado |  |
| Independents | 3 (1/2) |  |
1 The CCHA will disband after the 2012–13 season, as all of its members will move to other conferences. Five will move to the WCHA, three will become charter members of the Big Ten hockey conference, two will become charter members of the National Collegiate Hockey Conference, and one will join Hockey East.
[edit] Future ice hockey conference
| Conference | Nickname | Founded | Members (Men/Women) | Headquarters | Map |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| National Collegiate Hockey Conference | NCHC | 2011 | 8 (8/none)1 | Colorado Springs, Colorado |  |
- 1 - Members begin play in 2013: Colorado College, Denver, Miami (Ohio), Minnesota-Duluth, Nebraska-Omaha, North Dakota, St. Cloud State, and Western Michigan
[edit] Other single-sport conferences
[edit] Division II
- Notes:
- 1 - 10 members in 2012 with addition of Southern Nazarene, 11 members in 2013 with addition of Northwestern Oklahoma State
- 2 - 16 members in 2012 with addition of Malone and Walsh
- 3 - 16 members in 2012 with addition of McKendree and loss of Northern Kentucky. 15 members in 2013 with loss of Kentucky Wesleyan
- 4 - 11 members in 2012 with addition of New Orleans, Shorter, and Union
- 5 - 15 members in 2012 with addition of Lindenwood, Nebraska-Kearney, Central Oklahoma, and Northeastern Oklahoma State, and loss of Nebraska-Omaha
- 6 - 16 members in 2012 with addition of Minot State and Sioux Falls
- 7 - 13 members in 2012 with addition of Azusa Pacific, Fresno Pacific, and Point Loma Nazarene
- 8 - 14 members in 2012 with loss of Nebraska-Kearney and addition of Black Hills State
[edit] Future conference
| Conference | Nickname | Founded | Members | Sports | Headquarters | Map |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Great Midwest Athletic Conference | G-MAC | 20111 | 6 | TBD | TBD |  |
- 1 - Members begin play in 2013: Cedarville, Central State, Kentucky Wesleyan, Trevecca Nazarene, Urbana, and Ursuline.
[edit] Division III
- Notes:
- 1 - 14 members in 2012 with the arrival of Shenandoah from the USA South.
- 2 - 6 members in 2012. Birmingham–Southern, Centre, Hendrix, Millsaps, Oglethorpe, Rhodes, and Sewanee will depart to form a new D-III conference, the Southern Athletic Association. Centenary will join the SCAC.
- 3 – 9 members in 2012 with the departure of Shenandoah to the ODAC.
[edit] Future conference
| Conference | Nickname | Founded | Members | Sports | Headquarters | Map |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Southern Athletic Association | SAA | 20111 | 8 | TBD | TBA; interim HQ in Atlanta, Georgia |
- 1 - Members begin play in 2012: Berry, Birmingham–Southern, Centre, Hendrix, Millsaps, Oglethorpe, Rhodes, and Sewanee.
[edit] Defunct NCAA conferences
| Conference | Division | Founded | Folded | Fate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| American South Conference | Division I | 1991 | absorbed by Sun Belt Conference | |
| Atlantic Central Football Conference | Division III | 1997 | 2010 | disbanded |
| Atlantic Women's Colleges Conference | Division III | 1995 | 2007 | disbanded |
| Big Eight Conference | Division I | 1928 | 1996 | previously known as Big Six and Big Seven, joined with four former Southwest Conference schools to create the Big 12 Conference |
| Border Conference | University Division | 1931 | 1962 | members split between the newly-formed WAC and independent status |
| Dixie Conference | * | 1930 | 1942 | disbanded |
| Dixie Conference | * | 1948 | 1954 | disbanded |
| East Coast Conference | Division I | 1958 | 1994 | absorbed by Mid-Continent Conference |
| Great Lakes Football Conference | Division II | 2006 | 2012 | Football-only conference; final season in 2011. Will effectively be absorbed by the Great Lakes Valley Conference, which is adding football for 2012. |
| Great Midwest Conference | Division I | 1991 | 1995 | merged with Metro Conference to form Conference USA |
| Great Western Lacrosse League | Division I | 1993 | 2010 | members joined the ECAC Lacrosse League |
| Gulf Coast Conference | College Division | 1949 | 1957 | disbanded |
| Interstate Intercollegiate Athletic Conference | University Division | 1908 | 1970 | previously known as Illinois Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, disbanded |
| Intercollegiate Athletic Association of the Northwest | * | 1892 | 1893 | disbanded, precursor to the Big Ten Conference |
| Lake Michigan Conference | Division III | 1974 | 2007 | merged with the Northern Illinois-Iowa Conference to form the Northern Athletics Conference |
| Metro Conference | Division I | 1975 | 1995 | merged with Great Midwest Conference to form Conference USA |
| Mountain States Conference aka (Skyline Conference) | University Division | 1938 | 1962 | disbanded, members split between the newly-formed WAC and independent status |
| New England Conference | * | 1938 | 1947 | Disbanded; the final five members joined with the University of Vermont to form the Yankee Conference under a new charter. Effectively the earliest ancestor of today's Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) football conference. |
| North Central Conference | Division II | 1922 | 2008 | disbanded |
| Northern California Athletic Conference | Division II | 1925 | 1996 | Football-only conference, dissolved when most members decided to drop football |
| Northern Illinois-Iowa Conference | Division III | ? | 2007 | merged with the Lake Michigan Conference to form the Northern Athletics Conference |
| Pacific Coast Conference | Division I | 1915 | 1959 | forerunner to Pac-12, disbanded due to scandal and infighting |
| Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association | * | 1894 | 1941 | disbanded with the onset of World War II |
| Southwest Conference | Division I | 1914 | 1996 | disbanded, members split into the Big 12, WAC, and C-USA |
| Yankee Conference | Division I | 1947 | 1997 | Football-only conference from 1975 until its absorption by the Atlantic 10 Conference in 1997. Also an effective ancestor of today's CAA football conference. |
- * - Operated before the NCAA split into divisions in 1955.
[edit] See also
- List of college athletic conferences
- List of schools reclassifying their athletic programs to NCAA Division I
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