What conference will each FBS program play in for the 2026 season?

What conference will each FBS program play in for the 2026 season?

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What conference will each FBS program play in for the 2026 season?

College football has been no stranger to conference realignment over the past half-decade, and the major moves that shifted the sport's tectonic plates a few years ago are still having ripple effects today. There are now 138 teams that compete at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) level, and a number of them will have new conference homes for the 2026 season. In fact, there's no conference that hasn't been affected by the last five years of realignment.

There are 10 FBS conferences overall, plus two schools that don't belong to a conference and play as independent teams. The Power Four conferences are made up of the ACC, the Big Ten, the Big 12, and the SEC, plus Notre Dame. That number totals 68 teams. The Group of Six conferences are made up of the American, Conference USA, the MAC, the Mountain West, the Pac-12, the Sun Belt, and UConn. That number totals 70 teams.

For the College Football Playoff this season, the third year of the 12-team version, the highest-ranked conference champion from the Group of Six will join the conference champions from each of the Power Four leagues as the five automatic-bid teams. The remainder of the CFP field will be filled out by the remaining highest-ranked teams; the seven at-large schools. Additionally, if Notre Dame is inside the top 12 on selection day, they will be guaranteed a spot in the bracket. The seeding protocol remains the same from last year.

It can be difficult to keep track of all of the changing conference affiliations, so we've packaged them all in one place for the upcoming season. Without further ado, here is which conference each of the 138 FBS teams will play in for the 2026 season.

American Conference

Sep 5, 2015; Cincinnati, OH, USA; A detailed view of the American Athletic Conference logo on a field marker at Nippert Stadium. The Bearcats won 52-10. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports

  • Army Black Knights
  • Charlotte 49ers
  • East Carolina Pirates
  • FAU Owls
  • Memphis Tigers
  • Navy Midshipmen
  • North Texas Mean Green
  • Rice Owls
  • Temple Owls
  • Tulane Green Wave
  • Tulsa Golden Hurricane
  • UAB Blazers
  • USF Bulls
  • UTSA Roadrunners

Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC)

Sep 4, 2021; Charlottesville, Virginia, USA; A detailed view of the ACC logo on the down marker used during the game between William & Mary Tribe and the Virginia Cavaliers at Scott Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott Taetsch-USA TODAY Sports

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

Big 12 Conference

Dec 6, 2025; Arlington, TX, USA; A view of the Big 12 logo on a touchdown pylon during the game between the Red Raiders and the Cougars at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

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

Big Ten Conference

Aug 9, 2025; A detail view of a logo for the Big Ten Conference is seen during the Hawkeyes Kids Day NCAA football open practice at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City, Iowa. Mandatory Credit: Joseph Cress for the Des Moines Register

  • Illinois Fighting Illini
  • Indiana Hoosiers
  • Iowa Hawkeyes
  • Maryland Terrapins
  • Michigan Wolverines
  • Michigan State Spartans
  • 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
  • Washington Huskies
  • Wisconsin Badgers

Conference USA (CUSA)

Jax State's Caden Creel tries to evade the tackle of Kennesaw State's Kody Jones during college school football action at AmFirst Stadium in Jacksonville, Alabama November 15, 2025. (Dave Hyatt / Hyatt Media LLC)

  • Delaware Blue Hens
  • FIU Panthers
  • Jacksonville State Gamecocks
  • Kennesaw State Owls
  • Liberty Flames
  • Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders
  • Missouri State Bears
  • New Mexico State Aggies
  • Sam Houston Bearkats
  • Western Kentucky Hilltoppers

Mid-American Conference (MAC)

Aug 30, 2024; Madison, Wisconsin, USA; General view of the MAC Conference logo on a Western Michigan Broncos helmet during warmups prior to the game against the Wisconsin Badgers at Camp Randall Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

  • Akron Zips
  • Ball State Cardinals
  • Bowling Green Falcons
  • Buffalo Bulls
  • Central Michigan Chippewas
  • Eastern Michigan Eagles
  • Kent State Golden Flashes
  • Miami (Ohio) RedHawks
  • Ohio Bobcats
  • Sacramento State Hornets
  • Toledo Rockets
  • UMass Minutemen
  • Western Michigan Broncos

Mountain West Conference (MWC)

A Mountain West Conference logo is displayed near the 25-yard line at Sun Bowl Stadium on Friday, June 12, 2026, in El Paso, Texas.

  • Air Force Falcons
  • Hawaii Rainbow Warriors
  • Nevada Wolf Pack
  • New Mexico Lobos
  • North Dakota State Bison
  • Northern Illinois Huskies
  • San Jose State Spartans
  • UNLV Rebels
  • UTEP Miners
  • Wyoming Cowboys

Pac-12 Conference

Oregon State Beavers quarterback Tristan Ti'A (10) gets his pass away before being sacked by Washington State Cougars defensive end Isaac Terrell (88) in the second half at Gesa Field at Martin Stadium. Washington State Cougars won 32-8.

  • 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

Southeastern Conference (SEC)

Oct 11, 2025; College Station, Texas, USA; SEC logo seen on a chain marker during the third quarter of the game between the Texas A&M Aggies and the Florida Gators at Kyle Field. Mandatory Credit: Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images

Sun Belt Conference (SBC)

The Sun Belt Conference logo is seen on a pylon during a spring game at M.M. Roberts Stadium in Hattiesburg, Miss., on Saturday, April 18, 2026.

East Division

  • Appalachian State Mountaineers
  • Coastal Carolina Chanticleers
  • Georgia Southern Eagles
  • Georgia State Panthers
  • James Madison Dukes
  • Marshall Thundering Herd
  • Old Dominion Monarchs

West Division

  • Arkansas State Red Wolves
  • Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns
  • Louisiana Tech Bulldogs
  • South Alabama Jaguars
  • Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles
  • Troy Trojans
  • ULM Warhawks

FBS Independents

Notre Dame safety Tae Johnson celebrates after getting a stop in the first half of a NCAA football game against Texas A&M at Notre Dame Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 13, 2025, in South Bend.

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This article originally appeared on Sooners Wire: What conference will each FBS program play in for the 2026 season?

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