College Football Conference Realignments Explained: History, What to Know

College football is in formation once again, as another round of conference realignments go into effect for the 2025 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 realignment updates 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 current Power Four members the SEC in 1932 and the ACC in 1953. Meanwhile, the 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 2025, 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 are grouped together for their higher prominence and viewership compared to the Group of Five. This top tier of college conferences was previously known as the “Power Five” from 2014 to 2023 before the Pac-12 was relegated to “Group of Five” status following a mass exodus of member universities. In 2025, the UMass Minutemen will join the MAC, while the University of Delaware Blue Hens and Missouri State Bears each enter Conference USA.

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 have 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 expanding to 16.

In most modern realignments, schools change conferences due to many different factors, including but not limited to a school’s competitive success, school prestige, geographic footprint, market size/TV viewership, fundraising capabilities, or sponsorship/revenue generation opportunities.

College Football’s Most Recent Conference Realignment

Ahead of the 2025 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 2025 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 stays the same at 17 teams. In 2024, the ACC added 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.

• Boston College Eagles
• California Golden Bears
• Clemson University Tigers
• Duke University Blue Devils
• Florida State Seminoles
• Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
• Louisville Cardinals
• Miami Hurricanes
• University of North Carolina Tar Heels
• North Carolina State University Wolfpack
• Pittsburgh Panthers
• SMU Mustangs
• Stanford Cardinal
• Syracuse Orange
• University of Virginia Cavaliers
• Virginia Tech Hokies
• Wake Forest Demon Deacons

Big Ten

The Big Ten stays the same at 18 members following the 2024 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. The top two teams in the conference will compete in the Big Ten Football Championship Game.

• University of Illinois Fighting Illini
• Indiana University Hoosiers
• Iowa Hawkeyes
• University of Maryland Terrapins
• University of Michigan Wolverines
• Michigan State University Spartans
• University of Minnesota Golden Gophers
• Nebraska Cornhuskers
• Northwestern Wildcats
• Ohio State Buckeyes
• Oregon Ducks
• Penn State Nittany Lions
• Purdue Boilermakers
• Rutgers Scarlet Knights
• UCLA Bruins
• USC Trojans
• University of Washington Huskies
• Wisconsin Badgers

Big 12

The Big 12 stays the same at 16 teams after losing Texas and Oklahoma in 2024, and gaining the University of Arizona, Arizona State University, University of Colorado Boulder and University of Utah. This continued the Big 12’s expansion after adding BYU, Cincinnati, Houston, and UCF as members in 2023. The top two games in the conference will compete in the Big 12 Football Championship.

• Arizona Wildcats
• Arizona State Sun Devils
• Baylor University Bears
• BYU Cougars
• UCF Knights
• Cincinnati Bearcats
• University of Colorado Buffaloes
• University of Houston Cougars
• Iowa State Cyclones
• Kansas Jayhawks
• Kansas State Wildcats
• Oklahoma State Cowboys
• TCU Horned Frogs
• Texas Tech Red Raiders
• Utah Utes
• West Virginia Mountaineers

SEC

The SEC remains at 16 members, after adding the University of Oklahoma and the University of Texas in 2024, while also eliminating divisions within the conference. The top two highest-performing SEC teams will face off in the SEC Football Championship game.

• Alabama Crimson Tide
• Arkansas Razorbacks
• Auburn University Tigers
• Florida Gators
• University of Georgia Bulldogs
• Kentucky Wildcats
• Louisiana State University Tigers
• Mississippi State Bulldogs
• Mizzou Tigers
• Oklahoma Sooners
• Ole Miss Rebels
• University of South Carolina Gamecocks
• Tennessee Volunteers
• University of Texas Longhorns
• Texas A&M Aggies
• Vanderbilt Commodores

Pac-12

The Pac-12, which was a historic power on the West Coast, shed all but two of its members before 2024: the Oregon State University Beavers and the Washington State University Cougars.

In contrast to the other power conferences, the Pac-12 now has fewer members (2) than the number in their name.

The conference will continue to operate in its two-school system until its next planned realignment in 2026, when it will add six members:

• Boise State Broncos
• Colorado State Rams
• Fresno State Bulldogs
• San Diego State Aztecs
• Texas State Bobcats
• Utah State Aggies

Group of Five

After losing SMU to the ACC, the AAC maintained its 14-school membership with the 2024 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. 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. Elsewhere, Louisiana Tech has accepted an invitation to join the Sun Belt Conference no later than July 1, 2027.