2026 College Football Realignment

The 2026 college football season is more than a year away. However, as college football realignment continues to shake the bedrock of the sport unlike anything else, that campaign is as relevant today as any of the action we’re about to see this fall.

With so many moves occurring throughout the calendar year, it can be difficult to keep track of who is playing where in any given season. Thankfully, our 2026 college football realignment tracker breaks down every single conference.

2026 College Football Realignment

American Conference

The American Conference has been a significant player in college football realignment, but at present is set to retain the same lineup in 2026.

The Pac-12 targeted four teams from the conference — UTSA, Tulane, Memphis, and USF — as they attempted to rebuild, but those four programs presented a united front and affirmed their commitment to playing in the American for the foreseeable future.

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

Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC)

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

Big Ten Conference

After being a significant player in the 2024 round of college football realignment, the Big Ten is set to remain unchanged for the 2026 season.

• 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
• Washington Huskies
• Wisconsin Badgers
• UCLA Bruins
• USC Trojans

Big 12 Conference

While Brett Yormark has declared the conference “open for business” since arriving in post, the Big 12 is set to remain static with its existing 16 teams in the 2026 college football season.

• Arizona State Sun Devils
• Arizona Wildcats
• 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

Conference USA (CUSA)

A major player in college football realignment since 2023, CUSA is in flux once again following the announcement in July that the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs will flip to the Sun Belt.

However, just six months out from the start of the new season, there hasn’t been an official announcement as to where the Bulldogs will play in the 2026 season. The switch is coming; it just hasn’t been confirmed whether it will be 2026 or 2027.

• 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
• UTEP Miners
• Western Kentucky Hilltoppers

Mid-American Conference (MAC)

The MAC has been a pivotal part of 2026 college realignment. The conference says goodbye to the Northern Illinois Huskies, in a move that returned the stability of numbers that the MAC has considered a bedrock of its existence.

However, $23 million later, the Sacramento State Hornets will tip the conference back to uneven numbers, with the addition of the FCS outfit resulting in a 13-team offering for everyone’s favorite provider of midweek mayhem.

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

Mountain West Conference

The Mountain West became one of the key players in college football realignment when five of its teams (Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, San Diego State, and Utah State) fled to the reformed Pac-12.

To redress the balance, the Mountain West added the UTEP Miners (CUSA) and Northern Illinois (Mountain West). However, the most significant move of the offseason saw the conference secure a commitment from the 10-time FCS national champion North Dakota State Bison.

• 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

The Pac-12 Conference found its eighth football team to make it an eligible conference, luring the Texas State Bobcats from the Sun Belt.

• 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)

The SEC is set to retain the same lineup for the 2026 college football campaign.

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

Sun Belt Conference

The Sun Belt Conference has been a pivotal part of 2026 college football realignment, with the Texas State Bobcats jumping ship for the Pac-12. That left the conference at an imbalance, one that looks to be filled by Louisiana Tech. However, with no official announcement of whether the Bulldogs will exit CUSA in 2026 or 2027, the Sun Belt is in flux for the time being.

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-Monroe Warhawks
• Louisiana Tech Bulldogs
• South Alabama Jaguars
• Southern Miss Golden Eagles
• Troy Trojans

FBS Independents

Notre Dame and UConn remain the only FBS Independents at this time. However, the Huskies are seen as a potential cog in future college football realignment.

• Notre Dame Fighting Irish
• UConn Huskies