NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision

NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision

Current season, competition or edition: 2023 NCAA Division I FBS football season
Sport	American football
Founded	1978
No. of teams	133
Country	United States
TV partner(s)	Various
Official website	www.ncaa.com/sports/football/fbs

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 the 2023 season, there are 10 conferences and 133 schools in FBS.

College football is one of the most popular spectator sports throughout much of the United States. The top schools generate tens of millions of dollars in yearly revenue. Top FBS teams draw tens of thousands of fans to games, and the fifteen largest American stadiums by capacity all host FBS teams or games. Since July 1, 2021, college athletes have been able to get paid for the use of their name, 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. As the College Football Playoff did not exist until 2014, 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. Various cities across the United States have created their own postseason contests, called bowl games, in which they traditionally invite teams to participate. Historically, these bowl games were mostly considered to be exhibition games involving a payout to participating teams. However, in the modern era, some of the bowls serve as semifinal games of the Playoff and the remainder constitute the de facto postseason for teams that fail to qualify for the Playoff. The decades preceding the advent of the Playoff also included attempts by the premier FBS conferences and bowl games attempt to organize matchups so that the FBS national championship was decided on the field, such as the Bowl Coalition from 1992 to 1994, the Bowl Alliance from 1995 to 1997, and the Bowl Championship Series from 1998 to 2013.

Overview

Number of FBS teams per state/territory as of 2022:

  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. 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. 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. However, FBS programs also face increased expenses in regards to staff salaries, facility improvements, and scholarships. 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. In many states, the highest-paid public employee is the head coach of an FBS team. FBS schools are limited to a total of 85 football players receiving financial assistance. Nearly all FBS schools that are not on NCAA probation give 85 full scholarships. The three United States service academies that are FBS members are technically subject to the 85-scholarship limit, but are effectively exempt because all of their students receive federally-funded full scholarships whether or not they play a varsity sport.

In order to retain FBS membership, schools must meet several requirements. Before 2023, FBS schools had to average at least 15,000 home attendance (over a rolling two-year period). 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. 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).

In October 2023, the NCAA announced major changes to FBS membership requirements. The average home attendance requirement, which had largely gone unenforced in the 21st century and was suspended in 2020 due to COVID-19 impacts, was permanently eliminated, effective immediately. Effective in 2027–28, minimums on both the total number of, and spending on, athletic scholarships in all FBS programs will be enforced. The number of required athletic scholarships will increase to 210, and the annual spending requirement rises to $6 million. Also starting in 2027–28, FBS programs must not only provide at least 90% of the required number of football scholarships, but must provide at least 90% of the maximum number of scholarships across a total of 16 sports, including football.

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. All ten FBS conferences hold a conference championship game to determine the winner of the conference. 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 postseason instead of a single one for the rest, 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 and teams that play at Hawaii get a special exemption and are allowed to play an extra regular season game in order to defray travel costs, 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 instead of the 15 games you would have to play with the same scenario. No team has played a 16th game in one season, due to the unlikelihood and very low chances 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 the 2014 season. Furthermore, the College Football Playoff will expand to 12 teams instead of 4 starting in the 2024 season, and, with its new bracket format, means that a team could potentially play in up to 18 games.

Number of bowl games

Year	Bowls	Teams in bowls
1968	11	N/A
1984	18	~30%
1997	20	~35%
2015	41	62.5%

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. FBS teams are free to schedule up to forty percent of their games against FCS teams, 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 80% of the FCS limit of 63 scholarship equivalents over a rolling two-year period. (Before the 2022 season, this limit had been 90%.) 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. FBS-FCS games, known as "money games," are often home games for the FBS team, and victories by FCS teams are considered to be upsets. FCS teams receive hundreds of thousands of dollars for their participation in these FBS-FCS games.

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. 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.

New Year's Six Bowls

Bowl	Location	Est.
Rose Bowl	Pasadena, CA	1902
Orange Bowl	Miami Gardens, FL	1935
Sugar Bowl	New Orleans, LA	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 Pop-Tarts 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 the 2013 season, 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. In addition to the regular bowls, some postseason bowls, such as the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl, match up teams of all-stars and NFL Draft entrants.

History

See also: History of American football

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. 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.

NCAA Football Average Attendance

Conf.	1983	1993	2003	2014
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	—	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. 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. In 1968, the NCAA began allowing freshmen to compete in games; freshmen had previously been required to take a redshirt year. 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. 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. 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). 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. 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, 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. 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 replaced the BCS starting with the 2014 season; it features four teams through the 2023 season, after which it will expand to 12 teams.

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.

Television

Main article: College football on television

College football was first broadcast on radio in 1921, and first broadcast on television in 1939. Television became profitable for both schools and the NCAA, which tightly controlled the airing of games in the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s. The NCAA limited each football team to six television appearances over a two-year period. 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. 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. This new era of television led to several waves of conference realignment, most notably in 1996, 2005, and the early 2010s. FBS games continue to be a major draw on television, as over 26 million people watched the 2014 BCS National Championship Game.

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; such networks include the Big Ten Network, BYUtv, the Longhorn Network (which will be folded into the SEC Network in 2024), and the Pac-12 Network. In 2012, college football games drew over 400 million viewers.

Teams and conferences

Conferences

FBS teams and conferences

Year	Conferences	Teams
1980	13	138
1982	10	96
1990	9	107
2000	11	116
2010	11	120
2024	10	133

History

The Big Ten (then popularly known as the Western Conference) was founded in 1896, after which several other schools joined 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 (MWC). 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.

Current conferences

See also: List of NCAA Division I FBS football programs

Most of the 133 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. Through the 2023 season, 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." Any conference may split its teams into two divisions, and as of the 2023 season, the Atlantic Coast Conference, American Athletic Conference, Big 12 Conference, Conference USA, Mountain West Conference, and Pac-12 Conference 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 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. 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. Since the 2018 season, all conferences have held 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; it has since expanded to 14 members while maintaining its divisional alignment.

Conference	Nickname	Founded	Football Members	Sports	Headquarters
American Athletic Conference	The American (official) AAC (informal)	1979	14	22	Irving, Texas
Atlantic Coast Conference†	ACC	1953	14	27	Greensboro, North Carolina
Big 12 Conference†	Big 12	1996	14	21	Irving, Texas
Big Ten Conference†	Big Ten, B1G	1896	14	28	Rosemont, Illinois
Conference USA	CUSA	1995	9	19	Dallas, Texas
Division I FBS Independents			4
Mid-American Conference	MAC	1946	12	24	Cleveland, Ohio
Mountain West Conference	MW (official) MWC (informal)	1999	12	19	Colorado Springs, Colorado
Pac-12 Conference†	Pac-12	1915	12	24	San Francisco, California
Southeastern Conference†	SEC	1932	14	20	Birmingham, Alabama
Sun Belt Conference	SBC	1976	14	19	New Orleans, Louisiana

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

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 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, but instead joined the non-football ASUN Conference in 2018. 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.

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. 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. By meeting FBS scheduling requirements in 2022, JMU played an FBS schedule in year one of their transition process, which normally only occurs in the 2nd year of two-year transition process. Due to that, JMU tried to become bowl eligible in 2023, but NCAA refused it. However, when only 79 non-transitional FBS teams were available to fill the 82 FBS bowl slots for that season, JMU, which had finished its regular season with an 11–1 record, was allowed to fill one of the vacant slots. On July 1, 2023, two outgoing FCS teams Jacksonville State and Sam Houston joined C-USA.

The most recent school to start an FBS transition is Kennesaw State University, which started its transition in 2023 ahead of its move to Conference USA in 2024. The next school to start such a transition is Delaware, which will start a transition in 2024 and join C–USA in 2025.

Finances

The following table shows revenue for each conference reported by the Knight Commission for the 2021–22 academic year.

Note: Values from some universities are not reported here.

Conference	2021–22 Total Revenue	2021–22 Total Expenses	2021–22 Reporting Members	2021–22 Total Revenue / Reporting Member	2021–22 Total Expense / Reporting Member	2021–22 Members Not Reporting
American Athletic Conference	$423,910,145	$397,404,448	6	$70,651,691	$66,234,075	SMU, Temple, Tulane, Navy, Tulsa
Atlantic Coast Conference	$1,072,193,980	$1,028,501,053	8	$134,024,248	$128,562,632	Boston College, Duke, Syracuse, Miami, Pitt, Wake Forest
Big 12 Conference	$1,066,493,140	$1,016,951,340	8	$133,311,643	$127,118,918	Baylor, TCU
Big Ten Conference	$2,041,265,014	$1,927,764,454	13	$157,020,386	$148,289,573	Northwestern
Conference USA	$496,221,144	$493,252,353	13	$38,170,857	$37,942,489	Rice
Mid-American Conference	$288,033,509	$282,855,157	9	$32,003,723	$31,428,351	Ball State, Eastern Michigan, Buffalo
Mountain West Conference	$570,792,144	$555,080,056	11	$51,890,195	$50,461,823	Air Force
Pac-12 Conference	$1,144,504,032	$1,163,840,847	10	$114,450,403	$116,384,085	Stanford, USC
Southeastern Conference	$2,168,587,358	$2,044,850,233	13	$166,814,412	$157,296,172	Vanderbilt
Sun Belt Conference	$335,515,775	$329,574,687	9	$37,279,531	$36,619,410	Louisiana at Monroe

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. In 1985, the Missouri Valley Conference stopped sponsoring football. 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.

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.

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.

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. The Big 12 and its departing members later announced a 2024 departure date. The first actual conference changes came in 2022, with the Sun Belt gaining Marshall, returning Old Dominion, and Southern Miss from C-USA, and FCS upgrader James Madison. The following year saw 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 lost Cincinnati, Houston, and UCF to the Big 12, which also added former football independent BYU. In 2024, Oklahoma and Texas will join the SEC, while 10 of the 12 members of the Pac-12 have announced their departure for other power conferences—UCLA, USC, Oregon, and Washington for the Big Ten; Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado, and Utah for the Big 12; and California and Stanford for the ACC. In addition, Kennesaw State will upgrade to FBS and join C-USA, SMU will leave The American for the ACC, and Army will leave the independent ranks to become a football-only member of The American. 2025 will also see a new team transition from FCS to FBS as Delaware will join CUSA from the Coastal Athletic Association Football Conference.

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

Many of the school names on the maps below are abbreviated in order to save space.
The following is a list of such abbreviations with along with each school's full name:

• App State : Appalachian State University
• BC : Boston College
• BGSU : Bowling Green State University
• BSU : Ball State University
• BU : Boston University
• BYU : Brigham Young University
• CCU : Coastal Carolina University
• CMU : Central Michigan University
• CSUF : California State University, Fullerton
• CSULB : California State University, Long Beach
• ECU : East Carolina University
• EMU : Eastern Michigan University
• FAU : Florida Atlantic University
• FIU : Florida International University
• GW : George Washington University
• JMU : James Madison University
• JSU : Jacksonville State University
• LSU : Louisiana State University
• MTSU : Middle Tennessee State University
• NIU : Northern Illinois University
• NYU : New York University
• ODU : Old Dominion University
• PSU : Penn State University
• SDSU : San Diego State University
• SJSU : San Jose State University
• SMU : Southern Methodist University
• TCU : Texas Christian University
• TXST : Texas State University
• UAB : University of Alabama at Birmingham
• UCF : University of Central Florida
• UCLA : University of California, Los Angeles
• UConn : University of Connecticut
• ULM : University of Louisiana at Monroe
• UMass : University of Massachusetts
• UNLV : University of Nevada, Las Vegas
• USC : University of Southern California
• USF : University of South Florida
• UTSA : University of Texas at San Antonio
• VMI : Virginia Military Institute
• W&J : Washington & Jefferson College
• W&L : Washington and Lee University
• W&M : College of William & Mary
• WKU : Western Kentucky University
• WMU : Western Michigan University
• WUSTL : Washington University in St. Louis
• WVU : West Virginia University

1927 map of teams

>

Illinois

Minnesota

Michigan

Purdue

Chicago

Northwestern

Ohio State

Indiana

Iowa

Wisconsin

Missouri

Nebraska

Oklahoma State

Iowa State

WUSTL

Kansas

Oklahoma

Kansas State

Drake

Grinnell

USC

Stanford

Idaho

Washington

California

Oregon State

Washington State

Oregon

Montana

Colorado State

Denver

Montana State

Colorado College

Utah

Colorado

Utah State

BYU

Colorado Mines

Wyoming

Western State

Northern Colorado

NC State

Georgia Tech

Tennessee

Georgia

Vanderbilt

Florida

Ole Miss

Clemson

Virginia

Alabama

LSU

Mississippi State

Virginia Tech

W&L

Maryland

VMI

South
Carolina

Tulane

North Carolina

Sewanee

Kentucky

Auburn

Texas A&M

SMU

Arkansas

Texas

TCU

Rice

Baylor

Furman

Army

Georgetown

W&J

Dartmouth

Yale

Princeton

Pittsburgh

Notre Dame

Creighton

NYU

Detroit

Penn State

Columbia

Marquette

Navy

Colgate

Lafayette

Penn

Syracuse

Carnegie Mellon

Cornell

Davidson

Harvard

Duke

Michigan State

WVU

Brown

Wake Forest

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College football teams in 1927:
Big Ten Conference
Missouri Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Association (before six teams left to form the Big 6 which grew into the Big 8)
Pacific Coast Conference (which grew into the Pacific-10)
Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference
Southern Conference
Southwest Conference
Independents

1956 map of teams

Clemson

Duke

South
Carolina

Maryland

North Carolina

NC State

Wake Forest

Virginia

Oklahoma

Colorado

Missouri

Nebraska

Kansas

Kansas State

Iowa State

Iowa

Michigan

Minnesota

Michigan State

Ohio State

Northwestern

Purdue

Illinois

Wisconsin

Indiana

UTEP

Arizona State

West Texas State

Arizona

Hardin-Simmons

New Mexico State

Yale

Princeton

Dartmouth

Penn

Brown

Columbia

Harvard

Cornell

Houston

Tulsa

Oklahoma State

Wichita State

Detroit

Oregon State

USC

UCLA

Oregon

Washington

Stanford

Washington State

California

Idaho

Wyoming

Utah

Denver

Utah State

Colorado State

New Mexico

BYU

Montana

WVU

Virginia Tech

GW

Furman

VMI

Davidson

Richmond

Citadel

W&M

Tennessee

Georgia Tech

Florida

Ole Miss

Auburn

Kentucky

Tulane

Vanderbilt

Mississippi State

Alabama

LSU

Georgia

Texas A&M

TCU

Baylor

Arkansas

SMU

Rice

Texas

Miami (FL)

Navy

Syracuse

North Texas

Penn State

Pittsburgh

Pacific

Army

Holy Cross

BC

Villanova

Florida State

Cincinnati

Colgate

Dayton

Drake

Rutgers

BU

SJSU

Texas Tech

Notre Dame

Marquette

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College football teams in 1956 (The "University Division"):
Atlantic Coast Conference
Big 7 Conference (which grew into the Big 8)
Big Ten Conference
Border Intercollegiate Athletic Association
Ivy League
Missouri Valley Conference
Pacific Coast Conference (which grew into the Pacific-10)
Skyline Conference
Southern Conference
SEC
Southwest Conference
Independents

1976 map of teams

Maryland

North Carolina

Wake Forest

Duke

NC State

Virginia

Clemson

Oklahoma

Oklahoma State

Colorado

Nebraska

Iowa State

Missouri

Kansas

Kansas State

Michigan

Ohio State

Minnesota

Illinois

Indiana

Purdue

Iowa

Wisconsin

Michigan State

Northwestern

Brown

Yale

Dartmouth

Harvard

Columbia

Penn

Cornell

Princeton

BSU

Kent State

Ohio

WMU

CMU

BGSU

Miami (OH)

Toledo

EMU

NIU

Tulsa

New Mexico State

West Texas State

Wichita State

Drake

USC

UCLA

Stanford

California

Washington

Washington State

Oregon

Oregon State

SJSU

Fresno State

CSULB

CSUF

Pacific

ECU

Richmond

W&M

App State

Furman

Citadel

VMI

Georgia

Kentucky

Alabama

Mississippi State

Florida

Ole Miss

LSU

Tennessee

Auburn

Vanderbilt

Houston

Texas Tech

Texas A&M

Baylor

Texas

Arkansas

Rice

SMU

TCU

BYU

Wyoming

Arizona State

Utah

Arizona

New Mexico

Colorado State

UTEP

Pittsburgh

Rutgers

SDSU

Colgate

Notre Dame

BC

Cincinnati

Memphis

Villanova

Penn State

North Texas

South
Carolina

Virginia Tech

Army

Florida State

WVU

Georgia Tech

Temple

Air Force

Dayton

Louisville

Marshall

Navy

Holy Cross

Miami (FL)

Syracuse

Utah State

ULM

Southern Miss

Tulane

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College football teams in 1976:
Atlantic Coast Conference
Big Eight Conference
Big Ten Conference
Ivy League
Mid-American Conference
Missouri Valley Conference
Pac-8 Conference
PCAA (aka Big West Conference)
Southern Conference
SEC
Southwest Conference
Western Athletic Conference
Independents

1982 map of teams

Wake

Virginia

NC State

N. Carolina

Duke

Clemson

Maryland

Colorado

Iowa State

Kansas

Kansas State

Missouri

Nebraska

Oklahoma

Oklahoma State

Indiana

Michigan

Michigan State

Ohio State

Illinois

Iowa

Minnesota

Northwestern

Purdue

Wisconsin

Fresno State

SJSU

Utah State

Pacific

UNLV

CSULB

CSUF

CMU

Toledo

Tulsa

New Mexico State

Wichita State

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

Houston

Texas Tech

SMU

Texas A&M

Texas

Rice

Baylor

TCU

Arkansas

BYU

SDSU

Air Force

Utah

Wyoming

UTEP

Colorado State

New Mexico

BC

Syracuse

Pittsburgh

Miami (FL)

Rutgers

WVU

Virginia Tech

Temple

Louisville

ECU

Memphis

Army

Southern Miss

Navy

Tulane

South
Carolina

Florida State

Penn State

Notre Dame

Georgia Tech

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NCAA Division I-A football in 1982:
Atlantic Coast Conference
Big Eight Conference
Big Ten Conference
Big West Conference
Mid-American Conference
Missouri Valley Conference
Pacific-10 Conference
Southeastern Conference
Southwest Conference
Western Athletic Conference
Independents
Notes:

• Hawaii, a member of the WAC, is not shown.
• The Missouri Valley Conference was a hybrid of NCAA Division I-A and I-AA programs; only I-A members are shown.
• Eight of the ten members of the Mid-American Conference were relegated to Division I-AA for the 1982 but they successfully appealed and were returned Division I-A for the 1983 season.
• Cincinnati, then an independent, was relegated to Division I-AA for the 1982 season they successfully appealed and returned to Division I-A status for the 1984 season.

1991 map of teams

Georgia Tech

Wake Forest

Virginia

NC State

North Carolina

Duke

Clemson

Maryland

BC

Syracuse

Pittsburgh

Miami (FL)

Rutgers

WVU

Virginia Tech

Temple

Colorado

Iowa State

Kansas

Kansas State

Missouri

Nebraska

Oklahoma

Oklahoma State

Indiana

Michigan

Michigan State

Ohio State

Illinois

Iowa

Minnesota

Northwestern

Purdue

Wisconsin

Fresno State

SJSU

Utah State

Pacific

UNLV

CSULB

New Mexico State

CSUF

BGSU

CMU

Miami (OH)

Toledo

WMU

BSU

EMU

Ohio

Kent State

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

Houston

Texas Tech

SMU

Texas A&M

Texas

Rice

Baylor

TCU

Arkansas

BYU

SDSU

Air Force

Utah

Wyoming

UTEP

Colorado State

New Mexico

Louisville

Tulsa

ECU

LA Tech

Akron

Memphis

Army

Cincinnati

Southern Miss

NIU

Arkansas State

Navy

Tulane

South
Carolina

Florida State

Penn State

Notre Dame

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NCAA Division I-A football in 1991:
Atlantic Coast Conference
Big East Conference (1979-2013)
Big Eight Conference
Big Ten Conference
Big West Conference
Mid-American Conference
Pacific-10
SEC
Southwest Conference
Western Athletic Conference
Independents other than those indicated below
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).

Notes:

• This was one year before the start of the Bowl Coalition.
• Hawaii, a member of the WAC, is not shown.

2010 map of teams

Navy

Notre Dame

Army

Nevada

Boise State

Fresno State

LA Tech

Idaho

Utah State

New Mexico State

SJSU

Troy

FIU

MTSU

ULM

Arkansas State

FAU

Louisiana

North Texas

WKU

South
Carolina

Florida

Georgia

Tennessee

Kentucky

Vanderbilt

Auburn

Arkansas

LSU

Alabama

Mississippi State

Ole Miss

Oregon

Stanford

USC

Washington

Arizona

Arizona State

Oregon State

California

UCLA

Washington State

TCU

Utah

Air Force

SDSU

BYU

Colorado State

UNLV

Wyoming

New Mexico

Miami (OH)

Ohio

Temple

Kent State

BGSU

Buffalo

Akron

NIU

Toledo

WMU

BSU

CMU

EMU

UCF

ECU

Southern Miss

Marshall

UAB

Memphis

SMU

Tulsa

Houston

UTEP

Rice

Tulane

Nebraska

Missouri

Kansas State

Iowa State

Colorado

Kansas

Oklahoma

Oklahoma State

Texas A&M

Baylor

Texas Tech

Texas

Michigan State

Wisconsin

Iowa

Illinois

Penn State

Michigan

Northwestern

Purdue

Minnesota

Indiana

Ohio State

UConn

WVU

Pittsburgh

Syracuse

USF

Louisville

Cincinnati

Rutgers

Florida State

Maryland

NC State

BC

Clemson

Wake Forest

Virginia Tech

Miami (FL)

Georgia Tech

North Carolina

Duke

Virginia

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NCAA Division I-A football in 2010:
Atlantic Coast Conference
Big East Conference (1979-2013)
Big 12 Conference
Big Ten Conference
Conference USA
Mid-American Conference
Mountain West Conference
Pacific-10
SEC
Sun Belt Conference
Western Athletic Conference
Independents

Notes:

• Hawaii, a member of the WAC, is not shown.

2023 map of teams

Charlotte

FAU

Memphis

SMU

Temple

Tulane

Tulsa

UAB

ECU

Navy

North Texas

Rice

USF

UTSA

Louisville

Florida State

Miami (FL)

NC State

North Carolina

Pittsburgh

Syracuse

Virginia Tech

Wake Forest

Clemson

Duke

BC

Virginia

Georgia Tech

BYU

Cincinnati

Houston

Iowa State

Kansas

Kansas State

Oklahoma

Oklahoma State

Texas

UCF

Baylor

TCU

Texas Tech

WVU

Ohio State

Rutgers

Michigan

Michigan State

Maryland

Penn State

Indiana

Minnesota

Illinois

Iowa

Wisconsin

Purdue

Nebraska

Northwestern

JSU

LA Tech

Liberty

WKU

New Mexico State

MTSU

Sam Houston

FIU

UTEP

Ohio

Akron

BGSU

Buffalo

Kent State

Miami (OH)

EMU

WMU

BSU

CMU

NIU

Toledo

SDSU

Air Force

Fresno State

UNLV

Wyoming

Boise State

Colorado State

Nevada

New Mexico

Utah State

SJSU

USC

Arizona

Arizona State

California

Colorado

Oregon

Oregon State

Stanford

UCLA

Utah

Washington

Washington State

Vanderbilt

Georgia

Kentucky

Missouri

Tennessee

Florida

South
Carolina

Alabama

Arkansas

Auburn

Mississippi State

Ole Miss

Texas A&M

LSU

App State

Georgia Southern

Georgia State

JMU

Marshall

CCU

ODU

Louisiana

ULM

Southern Miss

TXST

Troy

Arkansas State

South Alabama

Notre Dame

Army

UConn

UMass

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NCAA Division I FBS football in 2023:
American Athletic Conference
Atlantic Coast Conference
Big 12 Conference
Big Ten Conference
Conference USA
Mid-American Conference
Mountain West Conference
Pac-12 Conference
SEC
Sun Belt Conference
Independents

Notes:

• Hawaii, a football-only member of the MW, is not shown.

Schools that have transitioned to the FBS

LA Tech

Akron

UNLV

Arkansas State

Nevada

ULM

North Texas

Boise State

Buffalo

UCF

Marshall

MTSU

USF

UConn

Troy

FAU

FIU

WKU

UMass

Charlotte

Liberty

ODU

UTSA

App State

Georgia Southern

Georgia State

South Alabama

TXST

CCU

JMU

Sam Houston

JSU

Kennesaw State

Idaho

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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).

FBS programs

Main article: List of NCAA Division I FBS football programs

In addition to the list of FBS football programs in the Main article, there is also a List of NCAA Division I FBS football stadiums.

See also

• NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision
• List of NCAA Division I non-football programs