College football conferences 2026

FBS: 11 conferences, 138 teams

Big Ten18

Big Ten Conference

ACC17

Atlantic Coast Conference

SEC16

Southeastern Conference

American Athletic14

American Athletic Conference

Sun Belt14

Sun Belt Conference

Mid-American13

Mid-American Conference

Conference USA10

Mountain West10

Mountain West Conference

Pac-128

Pac-12 Conference

FBS Independents2

Big 12 membership since 1996

12 programs played the first Big 12 season in 1996: Nebraska, Colorado, Texas, Kansas State, Texas Tech, Texas A&M, Missouri, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Kansas, Baylor, Iowa State.

  1. 2011 Gone: Nebraska, Colorado.
  2. 2012 Joined: TCU, West Virginia. Gone: Missouri, Texas A&M.
  3. 2023 Joined: UCF, Houston, BYU, Cincinnati.
  4. 2024 Joined: Arizona State, Colorado, Utah, Arizona. Gone: Texas, Oklahoma.

Worked out from the Big 12 standings each season (CollegeFootballData via our data hub): a program appears the first season it plays a conference schedule.

FCS: 14 conferences, 128 teams

Big Sky13

Cal Poly, Eastern Washington, Idaho, Idaho State, Montana, Montana State, Northern Arizona, Northern Colorado, Portland State, Southern Utah, UC Davis, Utah Tech, Weber State

Coastal Athletic13

Bryant, Campbell, Elon, Hampton, Maine, Monmouth, New Hampshire, North Carolina A&T, Rhode Island, Sacred Heart, Stony Brook, Towson, UAlbany

SWAC12

Alabama A&M, Alabama State, Alcorn State, Arkansas-Pine Bluff, Bethune-Cookman, Florida A&M, Grambling, Jackson State, Mississippi Valley State, Prairie View A&M, Southern, Texas Southern

Pioneer11

Butler, Davidson, Dayton, Drake, Marist, Morehead State, Presbyterian, San Diego, St. Thomas (MN), Stetson, Valparaiso

Patriot10

Bucknell, Colgate, Fordham, Georgetown, Holy Cross, Lafayette, Lehigh, Richmond, Villanova, William & Mary

Southern10

Chattanooga, East Tennessee State, Furman, Mercer, Samford, Tennessee Tech, The Citadel, VMI, Western Carolina, Wofford

Southland10

East Texas A&M, Houston Christian, Incarnate Word, Lamar, McNeese, Nicholls, Northwestern State, SE Louisiana, Stephen F. Austin, UT Rio Grande Valley

MVFC9

Illinois State, Indiana State, Murray State, North Dakota, Northern Iowa, South Dakota, South Dakota State, Southern Illinois, Youngstown State

Ivy8

Brown, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, Harvard, Pennsylvania, Princeton, Yale

NEC8

Central Connecticut, Duquesne, Long Island University, Mercyhurst, New Haven, Robert Morris, Stonehill, Wagner

OVC8

Charleston Southern, Eastern Illinois, Gardner-Webb, Lindenwood, Southeast Missouri State, Tennessee State, UT Martin, Western Illinois

UAC8

Abilene Christian, Austin Peay, Central Arkansas, Eastern Kentucky, North Alabama, Tarleton State, West Florida, West Georgia

MEAC6

Delaware State, Howard, Morgan State, Norfolk State, North Carolina Central, South Carolina State

FCS Independents2

Chicago State, Merrimack

Conference membership for 2026 from CollegeFootballData via our data hub.

Every college football conference for 2026: the 11 FBS conferences with all 138 teams, the 14 FCS conferences with 128 teams, and how the Big 12 has changed since 1996. For what separates the two subdivisions, see FBS vs FCS; for the Big 12 today, the teams and the standings.

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Frequently asked questions

How many FBS conferences are there in 2026?

10 conferences plus the independents: Big Ten (18), ACC (17), Big 12 (16), SEC (16), American Athletic (14), Sun Belt (14), Mid-American (13), Conference USA (10), Mountain West (10), Pac-12 (8), FBS Independents (2). 138 FBS teams in all.

How many teams are in the Big 12?

16: Arizona, Arizona State, Baylor, BYU, Cincinnati, Colorado, Houston, Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State, Oklahoma State, TCU, Texas Tech, UCF, Utah, West Virginia.

Which teams have joined the Big 12?

2012: TCU, West Virginia. 2023: UCF, Houston, BYU, Cincinnati. 2024: Arizona State, Colorado, Utah, Arizona.

Which teams have left the Big 12?

after 2010: Nebraska, Colorado. after 2011: Missouri, Texas A&M. after 2023: Texas, Oklahoma.

How many FCS conferences are there?

14 conferences with 128 FCS teams in 2026.