College football realignment rolls on again this year with a few changes. On Wednesday, July 1, those conference changes for the 2026 season officially take effect.
Five changes this season affect the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS). The most significant change affects the Pac-12, as the league officially becomes an eight-member circuit. Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, Oregon State, San Diego State, Texas State, Utah State, and Washington State officially compose the league.
Louisiana Tech and UTEP depart Conference USA. Louisiana Tech heads for the Sun Belt Conference, with UTEP bound for the Mountain West. This leaves Conference USA as a 10-team circuit. Northern Illinois leaves the MAC for the Mountain West, with Sacramento State jumping from FCS to replace them. The Mountain West loses five schools (Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, San Diego State, and Utah State) to the Pac-12, replacing them with Northern Illinois, UTEP, and FCS power North Dakota State. The sixth new Pac-12 club, Texas State, departs the Sun Belt, with Louisiana Tech replacing them.
Below is a look at the conference alignment for the Football Bowl Subdivision in 2026:
ACC
Leaving: None
Joining: None
2026 Lineup (17): Boston College, California, Clemson, Duke, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Louisville, Miami, NC State, North Carolina, Pittsburgh, SMU, Stanford, Syracuse, Virginia, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest
AMERICAN
Leaving: None
Joining: None
2026 Lineup (14): Army, Charlotte, East Carolina, Florida Atlantic, Memphis, Navy, North Texas, Rice, Temple, Tulane, Tulsa, UAB, USF, UTSA
BIG 12
Leaving: None
Joining: None
2026 Lineup (16): Arizona, Arizona State, Baylor, BYU, Cincinnati, Colorado, Houston, Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State, Oklahoma State, TCU, Texas Tech, UCF, Utah, West Virginia
BIG TEN
Leaving: None
Joining: None
2026 Lineup (18): Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Maryland, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Nebraska, Northwestern, Ohio State, Oregon, Penn State, Purdue, Rutgers, UCLA, USC, Washington, Wisconsin
CONFERENCE USA
Leaving: Louisiana Tech, UTEP
Joining: None
2026 Lineup (10): Delaware, FIU, Jacksonville State, Kennesaw State, Liberty, Middle Tennessee, Missouri State, New Mexico State, Sam Houston, WKU
FBS INDEPENDENTS
Leaving: None
Joining: None
2026 Lineup (2): Notre Dame, UConn
MAC
Leaving: Northern Illinois
Joining: Sacramento State
2026 Lineup (13): Akron, Ball State, Bowling Green, Buffalo, Central Michigan, Eastern Michigan, Kent State, Miami (Ohio), Ohio, Sacramento State, Toledo, UMass, Western Michigan
The Sacramento State Hornets join the MAC for the 2026 campaign, replacing the Mountain West-bound Northern Illinois Huskies.
MOUNTAIN WEST
Leaving: Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, San Diego State, Utah State
Joining: North Dakota State, Northern Illinois, UTEP
2026 Lineup (10): Air Force, Hawaii, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota State, Northern Illinois, San Jose State, UNLV, UTEP, Wyoming
The Mountain West lost five teams to the rebuilding Pac-12 in 2026 — Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, San Diego State, and Utah State. The league backfilled those spots with FCS power North Dakota State, Northern Illinois of the MAC, and UTEP of Conference USA.
Pac-12
Leaving: None
Joining: Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, San Diego State, Texas State, Utah State
2026 Lineup (8): Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, Oregon State, San Diego State, Texas State, Utah State, Washington State
The Pac-12 have added the six teams outlined above to compose an eight-team group for 2026.
SEC
Leaving: None
Joining: None
2026 Lineup (16): Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, LSU, Mississippi State, Missouri, Oklahoma, Ole Miss, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Texas A&M, Vanderbilt
SUN BELT
Leaving: Texas State
Joining: Louisiana Tech
2026 Lineup (14): Appalachian State, Arkansas State, Coastal Carolina, Georgia Southern, Georgia State, James Madison, Louisiana, Louisiana Tech, Marshall, Old Dominion, South Alabama, Southern Miss, Troy, ULM
The Texas State Bobcats are now part of the new-look Pac-12. The league added former Sun Belt squad Louisiana Tech to replace them for 2026 and beyond.
As mentioned above, North Dakota State and Sacramento State are moving up from the FCS to the FBS and joining new leagues for the 2026 season. But those aren’t the only changes in the Football Championship Subdivision.
The Big Sky adds Southern Utah and Utah Tech from the WAC, while Villanova and William & Mary enter the Patriot League. Tennessee Tech departs the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) for the Southern Conference.
Chicago State will play its first season of football in the NEC, while Villanova and William & Mary’s football programs will depart the CAA and join the Patriot League.
Additionally, the UAC (United Athletic Conference) forms an eight-team circuit, composed mainly of prior UAC and Western Athletic Conference (WAC) schools, along with a Division II school moving up to join the league. Abilene Christian, Austin Peay, Central Arkansas, Eastern Kentucky, North Alabama, Tarleton State, West Florida, and West Georgia will compose the new-look league.
Appreciate you organizing this and making it simple to follow.
Here are some FCS-to-G6 upgrades that need to happen:
CUSA: Add Stephen F. Austin, Tarleton, Western Carolina
MAC: Add Illinois State, Youngstown State
MW: Add North Dakota (football only)
Sun Belt: Add Eastern Kentucky, McNeese
In addition, one existing G6 school, New Mexico State, should change its conference affiliation from CUSA to the MW, and one existing FBS independent, UConn, should join the MAC for football only.
Then the following non-football schools should join G6 conferences as non-football members:
American: Add Charleston (SC)
MAC: Add Cleveland State, Robert Morris (technically RMU plays football, but that sport would remain in FCS)
MW: Add Point Loma (a D-II upgrade), UC San Diego, UC Santa Barbara (the latter two are currently scheduled to join the WCC, but would be better fits in the MW since the WCC currently comprises only private schools)
Pac-12: Add Saint Mary’s (to restore conference significance in their rivalry with Gonzaga)