College Football Conference Realignments Explained: History, What to Know

Update (September 1): The article contains the most updated information on college football realignment.

College football is in formation once again, as another round of conference realignments go into effect for the 2026 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.

Make it easier to plan your perfect matchup, or go 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 2026, 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 Group of Six featuring the Pac-12 Conference, American Conference, 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 Six. This top level 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, FBS conference moves were limited to conferences outside the Power Four, with the UMass Minutemen playing in the MAC and the University of Delaware Blue Hens and Missouri State Bears joining Conference USA (but not conference championship game or postseason eligible until 2027) from the FCS.

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, scholarship eligibility, geographic footprint, market size/TV viewership, fundraising capabilities, or sponsorship/revenue generation opportunities.

College Football’s Most Recent Conference Realignment

Ahead of the 2026 college football season, several conferences experienced a boost in membership as a result of the once-condensed Pac-12 Conference. However, more moves across the FBS could have a massive impact on the 2026 bowl games and the 12-team College Football Playoff picture. The current membership of the Power Four and more following the most recent round of college football conference realignments include:

ACC

The ACC stays the same at 17 football 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 American Conference. 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 after 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 teams 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 shed all but two of its members ahead of the 2024 season, leaving only Oregon State University and Washington State University. The conference then relaunched on Wednesday, July 1, 2026, with seven new full-time members for a total of nine.

Eight of the nine members play football, with Gonzaga (which has not fielded a football team since 1941) competing in all other sports besides football. The eight Pac-12 football-playing members are:

• Boise State Broncos
• Colorado State Rams
• Fresno State Bulldogs
• Oregon State Beavers
• San Diego State Aztecs
• Texas State Bobcats
• Utah State Aggies
• Washington State Cougars

Group of Six

Five of the six conferences (known as the Group of Six) outside of the Power Four were heavily affected by realignment ahead of the 2026 college football season.

• The Mountain West lost five schools: Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, San Diego State, and Utah State. All five joined the Pac-12, and were replaced in the Mountain West by the UTEP Miners from Conference USA and the University of Hawaiʻi Rainbow Warriors, which upgraded from football-only affiliate to full membership after 14 seasons. The conference also added the Northern Illinois University Huskies from the MAC and North Dakota State (not conference championship game or postseason eligible until 2028), moving up from the FCS, but for football only. The Mountain West now has 10 football-playing schools.
• Conference USA dropped to 10 members after UTEP left for the Mountain West and the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs went to the Sun Belt.
• The Sun Belt has 14 members – seven in each division (East and West). Texas State departed for the Pac-12, and Louisiana Tech arrived from Conference USA to take its place in the seven-team West Division.
• The MAC is now at 13 football-playing schools. Northern Illinois left for the Mountain West and Sacramento State joined as a football-only member on a five-year term after moving up from the FCS. The UMass Minutemen joined the conference ahead of the 2025 season.
• The American Conference was the only Group of Six conference mostly unaffected by the 2026 realignment cycle. The Army Black Knights replaced the SMU Mustangs in 2024 and since then the conference has remained at 14 football playing members.

What Future Conference Realignments Are Planned for College Football?

After many conference realignments ahead of the 2026 season, there are no more FBS realignments currently confirmed in the sport for 2027.