Sports

College Football Conference Realignments Explained: History, What to Know

Oct 1, 2024
Bryan Kress

College football is in formation once again as another round of conference realignments go into effect for the 2024 season. With changes every year that bring new rosters, playoff rules and bowl games, the goalposts to keep track of college football always seem to be moving.

Luckily, routine conference realignments have historically brought order to the booming Power Four – the Big Ten Conference, Big 12 Conference, Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) and Southeastern Conference (SEC) – and beyond. Make it easier to plan your perfect matchup, or bet further with bowl game tickets and College Football Playoffs tickets, by brushing up on the latest college football conference realignments below.

History of Conference Realignments

Conference structures have been fundamental to every major change in college football, from the formation of the NCAA in 1906 to the creation of subdivisions in 1978. The Western Conference, later renamed the Big Ten, became the first of its kind in 1896, followed by original Power Four members the SEC in 1932 and the ACC in 1953. Meanwhile, the current Big 12 formed as a result of conference realignments itself in 1996 after the Big Eight Conference, chartered in 1907, combined with the Southwest Conference, which dated back to 1914.

As of 2024, the top-tier Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) contains 10 conferences: the Power Four, composed of the Big Ten, Big 12, ACC and SEC, plus the the transitional Pac-12 Conference and the Group of Five featuring the American Athletic Conference (AAC), Conference USA (CUSA), Mid-American Conference (MAC), Mountain West Conference (MW) and Sun Belt Conference (SBC). The Power Four conferences, known as the “Power Five” from 2014 to 2023 with the Pac-12 included, are grouped together for their higher prominence and viewership compared to the Group of Five.

Over the years, college football conference realignments have been used to manage the expanding field of talent and eligible sports programs, while keeping gameplay competitive amongst the various divisions across the country. As the fanbases for each football conference has grown, previously regional conferences such as the ACC have broadened to coast-to-coast opponents or changed the core fabric of their conference entirely, like the Big Ten boasting 18 total members or the Big 12 hosting 16. In most modern realignments, schools change conferences when they’ve either outgrown, out-earned or outspent the competition rather than being out of range.

College Football’s Most Conference Recent Realignment

Ahead of the 2024 college football season, several conferences experienced a boost in membership as a result of the condensed Pac-12 Conference. However, more moves across the FCS could have a massive impact on the 2024 bowl games and new 12-team College Football Playoff picture. The current membership of the Power Four and more after the most recent round of college football conference realignments include:

ACC

The ACC grows to 17 teams and adds its first western U.S. schools with the University of California, Berkeley and Stanford University coming from the Pac-12 and Southern Methodist University (SMU) from the AAC. The top two teams in the conference will compete in the ACC Football Championship Game.

Big Ten

The Big Ten pushes well past its name to 18 members with the addition of four former members of the Pac-12: the University of California, Los Angeles, the University of Oregon, University of Southern California and University of Washington. Playing without conference divisions for the first time since 2014, the expanded pool will compete for the Big Ten Football Championship Game.

Big 12

The Big 12 may have lost Texas and Oklahoma in 2024, but it gained four new members in the University of Arizona, Arizona State University, University of Colorado Boulder and University of Utah. 16 teams in total will compete for the Big 12 Football Championship.

SEC

The SEC raises its total membership to 16 with admissions for the University of Oklahoma and the University of Texas while also eliminating divisions within the conference. Instead, the top two highest-performing SEC teams will face off in the SEC Football Championship game.

Pac-12

The Pac-12, which typically plays host to Pacific Northwest schools, shed all but two of its members before 2024: the Oregon State University Beavers and the Washington State University Cougars. The conference will continue to operate in its two-school system until its next planned realignment in 2026.

Group of Five

After losing SMU to the ACC, the AAC maintained its 14-school membership with the addition of the Army Black Knights. Elsewhere, Conference USA added the previously-independent Kennesaw State University Owls ahead of the 2024 season.

What Future Conference Realignments Are Planned for College Football?

More conference realignments are on the way with several moves already confirmed for the 2025 and 2026 seasons. In 2025, the UMass Minutemen will join the MAC, while the University of Delaware Blue Hens and Missouri State Bears each earn an entrance to Conference USA. The following season, in 2026, the Pac-12 will return with an additional five schools from the Mountain West Conference: the Boise State Broncos, the Fresno State Bulldogs, the Colorado State Rams, the San Diego State University Aztecs and the Utah State University Aggies.

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