List of NCAA Division I FBS football programs

This is a list of the 130 schools in the Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States. By definition, all schools in this grouping have varsity football teams.

Map of the FBS football programs, 2015-16

Schools in Division I FBS are distinguished from those in the Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) by being allowed to provide scholarship aid to a total of 85 players, and may grant a full scholarship to all 85. FCS schools are limited to financial assistance amounting to a maximum of 63 full scholarships, although some conferences voluntarily place further restrictions on athletic aid. The NCAA classifies FBS football as a "head-count" sport, meaning that each player receiving any athletically-related aid from the school counts fully against the 85-player limit. By contrast, FCS football is classified as an "equivalency" sport, which means that scholarship aid is limited to the equivalent of a specified number of full scholarships. In turn, this means that FCS schools can freely grant partial scholarships, but are also limited to a total of 85 players receiving assistance. Another NCAA rule mandates that any multi-sport athlete who plays football and receives any athletic aid is counted against the football limit, with an exception for players in non-scholarship FCS programs who receive aid in another sport. The three service academies that play in Division I FBS—Air Force, Army, and Navy—are theoretically subject to this rule, but are exempt in practice because all students at these schools receive full scholarships from the federal government.

Starting in 2014, the FBS began playing a four-team tournament culminating in a National Championship Game to determine its national champion, a system that will be in place from the 2014–2025 seasons by contract with ESPN, broadcaster of the games. But since the College Football Playoff is not sanctioned by the NCAA, this makes FBS football the only sport without an NCAA-sanctioned champion. The FCS is the highest division in college football to hold a playoff tournament sanctioned by the NCAA to determine its champion.

Formerly, Division I FBS football was the only NCAA sport without a formal tournament to determine an undisputed national champion, with the FBS schools instead playing in a series of postseason bowl games, culminating in the BCS National Championship Game, which attempted to crown a single national champion. Other organizations, most notably the Associated Press, crowned their own champions via polling. The BCS and AP have not always agreed on a single champion. Before the BCS, the AP was considered to be the deciding body for crowning a Champion, but it was started as a regional voting body, much like every other organization before the BCS. Most of the years preceding the BCS era, the Championships were claimed by more than one school.

Conference affiliations are current for the 2020 season with schedules changed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

FBS programs
Team Nickname City State[1] Enrollment Current
Conference		 Former
Conferences		 First
Played		 Joined
FBS
Air Force Falcons Colorado Springs Colorado 4,237 Mountain West WAC 1955
Akron Zips Akron Ohio 19,200 MAC OAC, MCC, OVC 1891 1987
Alabama Crimson Tide Tuscaloosa Alabama 38,500 SEC SIAA, SoCon 1892
Appalachian State Mountaineers Boone North Carolina 19,100 Sun Belt NSC, SoCon 1928 2014[n 1]
Arizona Wildcats Tucson Arizona 45,200 Pac-12 BIAA, WAC 1899
Arizona State Sun Devils Tempe Arizona 51,800 Pac-12 BIAA, WAC 1896
Arkansas Razorbacks Fayetteville Arkansas 27,800 SEC SWC 1894
Arkansas State Red Wolves Jonesboro Arkansas 22,000 Sun Belt Arkansas Intercollegiate Conference, Southland, Big West 1911 1992
Army Black Knights West Point New York 4,300 Independent C-USA 1890
Auburn Tigers Auburn Alabama 30,400 SEC SIAA, SoCon 1892
Ball State Cardinals Muncie Indiana 22,500 MAC IIC, ICC 1924
Baylor Bears Waco Texas 17,200 Big 12 TIAA, SWC 1899
Boise State Broncos Boise Idaho 25,500 Mountain West ICAC, Big Sky, Big West, WAC 1933[n 2] 1996
Boston College Eagles Chestnut Hill Massachusetts 14,700 ACC Big East 1893
Bowling Green Falcons Bowling Green Ohio 23,000 MAC Northwest Ohio Intercollegiate Athletic Association, OAC 1919
Buffalo Bulls Buffalo New York 31,500 MAC New York State Conference 1894 1999
BYU Cougars Provo Utah 33,600 Independent Rocky Mountain, Mountain States, WAC, MW 1922
California Golden Bears Berkeley California 42,500 Pac-12 PCC 1882
Central Michigan Chippewas Mount Pleasant Michigan 21,700 MAC MCC, IIAC 1896
Charlotte 49ers Charlotte North Carolina 29,700 C-USA Sun Belt, C-USA, A-10 2013 2015
Cincinnati Bearcats Cincinnati Ohio 46,000 American OAC, Buckeye Intercollegiate Athletic Association, MAC, MVC, C-USA, Big East 1885
Clemson Tigers Clemson South Carolina 25,000 ACC SIAA, SAIAA, SoCon 1896
Coastal Carolina Chanticleers Conway South Carolina 10,600 Sun Belt Big South 2003 2017
Colorado Buffaloes Boulder Colorado 33,200 Pac-12 Colorado Football Association, Rocky Mountain, Mountain States, Big Eight, Big 12 1890
Colorado State Rams Fort Collins Colorado 33,800 Mountain West Colorado Football Association, Rocky Mountain, Mountain States, WAC 1890
Duke Blue Devils Durham North Carolina 15,900 ACC SoCon 1888
East Carolina Pirates Greenville North Carolina 29,100 American NSC, Carolinas, SoCon, C-USA 1932
Eastern Michigan Eagles Ypsilanti Michigan 20,300 MAC MIAA, MCC, IIAC, PAC 1891
FIU Panthers Miami Florida 56,800 C-USA Sun Belt 2002 2006
Florida Gators Gainesville Florida 56,100 SEC SIAA, SoCon 1906
Florida Atlantic Owls Boca Raton Florida 30,800 C-USA Sun Belt 2001 2006
Florida State Seminoles Tallahassee Florida 41,900 ACC Dixie 1947
Fresno State Bulldogs Fresno California 25,000 Mountain West California Coast Conference, NCAC, CCAA, Big West, WAC 1921
Georgia Bulldogs Athens Georgia 38,200 SEC SIAA, SoCon 1892
Georgia Southern Eagles Statesboro Georgia 26,400 Sun Belt SoCon 1924 2014
Georgia State Panthers Atlanta Georgia 52,800 Sun Belt CAA 2010 2013
Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets Atlanta Georgia 32,700 ACC SIAA, SoCon, SEC 1892
Hawaii Rainbow Warriors Honolulu Hawai'i 17,700 Mountain West WAC 1909
Houston Cougars Houston Texas 42,700 American Lone Star, Gulf Coast, MVC, SWC, C-USA[n 3] 1946
Illinois Fighting Illini Urbana–Champaign Illinois 51,200 Big Ten Illinois Intercollegiate Football League 1890
Indiana Hoosiers Bloomington Indiana 43,700 Big Ten IIAA 1887
Iowa Hawkeyes Iowa City Iowa 33,000 Big Ten WIUFA, MVC 1889
Iowa State Cyclones Ames Iowa 33,400 Big 12 MVC, Big 8 1892
Kansas Jayhawks Lawrence Kansas 27,700 Big 12 KCAC, WIUFA, MVC, Big 8 1890
Kansas State Wildcats Manhattan Kansas 21,700 Big 12 MVC, Big 8 1896
Kent State Golden Flashes Kent Ohio 39,300 MAC OAC 1920
Kentucky Wildcats Lexington Kentucky 29,200 SEC SIAA, SoCon 1881
Liberty Flames Lynchburg Virginia 15,000 Independent Big South 1973 2018
Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns Lafayette Louisiana 19,200 Sun Belt Louisiana Intercollegiate Athletic Association, Louisiana Intercollegiate Conference, Gulf States Conference, SIAA, Southland, Big West 1902
Louisiana–Monroe Warhawks Monroe Louisiana 8,800 Sun Belt Gulf States Conference, Southland, Independent 1951 1994
Louisiana Tech Bulldogs Ruston Louisiana 12,400 C-USA Louisiana Intercollegiate Athletic Association, Louisiana Intercollegiate Conference, Gulf States Conference, SIAA, Southland, Big West, WAC 1901 1989
Louisville Cardinals Louisville Kentucky 22,600 ACC KIAC, SIAA, KIAC, OVC, MVC, C-USA, Big East, American 1910
LSU Tigers Baton Rouge Louisiana 30,800 SEC SIAA, SoCon 1893
Marshall Thundering Herd Huntington West Virginia 13,200 C-USA WVIAC, Buckeye Conference, OVC, MAC, SoCon 1895 1997[n 1]
Maryland Terrapins College Park Maryland 41,200 Big Ten MIFA, SAIAA, SoCon, ACC 1888
Memphis Tigers Memphis Tennessee 21,500 American Mississippi Valley Conference, SIAA, MVC, C-USA[n 3] 1912
Miami (FL) Hurricanes Coral Gables[n 4] Florida 17,300 ACC SIAA, Big East 1926[2]
Miami (OH) RedHawks Oxford Ohio 24,300 MAC OAC, Buckeye Conference 1888
Michigan Wolverines Ann Arbor Michigan 46,000 Big Ten 1879
Michigan State Spartans East Lansing Michigan 50,300 Big Ten MIAA 1885
Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders Murfreesboro Tennessee 21,900 C-USA VSAC, SIAA, OVC, Sun Belt 1911 1999
Minnesota Golden Gophers Minneapolis Minnesota 47,800 Big Ten 1882
Mississippi State Bulldogs Starkville Mississippi 22,200 SEC SIAA, SoCon 1895
Missouri Tigers Columbia Missouri 30,000 SEC WIUFA, Big 8, Big 12 1890
Navy Midshipmen Annapolis Maryland 4,600 American Independent 1879
NC State Wolfpack Raleigh North Carolina 35,500 ACC SAIAA, SIAA, SoCon 1892
Nebraska Cornhuskers Lincoln Nebraska 25,800 Big Ten WIUFA, MVC, Big 8, Big 12 1890
Nevada Wolf Pack Reno Nevada 21,600 Mountain West NCAC, Big Sky, Big West, WAC 1896 1992
New Mexico Lobos Albuquerque New Mexico 26,300 Mountain West BIAA, WAC 1892
New Mexico State Aggies Las Cruces New Mexico 21,900 Independent BIAA, MVC, Big West, Sun Belt, WAC 1893
North Carolina Tar Heels Chapel Hill North Carolina 29,800 ACC SAIAA, SIAA, SoCon 1888
North Texas Mean Green Denton Texas 39,400 C-USA TIAA, Lone Star, Gulf Coast Conference, MVC, Southland, Big West, Sun Belt 1913 1995
Northern Illinois Huskies DeKalb Illinois 20,000 MAC IIAC, Big West 1899
Northwestern Wildcats Evanston Illinois 21,200 Big Ten 1876
Notre Dame Fighting Irish South Bend Indiana 12,300 Independent 1887
Ohio Bobcats Athens Ohio 34,900 MAC OAC, Buckeye Conference 1894
Ohio State Buckeyes Columbus Ohio 68,100 Big Ten OAC 1889
Oklahoma Sooners Norman Oklahoma 28,500 Big 12 Oklahoma Intercollegiate Conference, SWC, MVC, Big 8 1895
Oklahoma State Cowboys Stillwater Oklahoma 25,300 Big 12 Oklahoma Intercollegiate Conference, SWC, MVC, Big 8 1901
Old Dominion Monarchs Norfolk Virginia 25,000 C-USA CAA 2009 2014
Ole Miss Rebels Oxford Mississippi 23,200 SEC SIAA, SoCon 1890
Oregon Ducks Eugene Oregon 22,700 Pac-12 PCC, Independent 1894
Oregon State Beavers Corvallis Oregon 30,900 Pac-12 PCC, Independent 1893
Penn State Nittany Lions University Park Pennsylvania 46,600 Big Ten 1881
Pittsburgh Panthers Pittsburgh Pennsylvania 28,600 ACC Big East 1890
Purdue Boilermakers West Lafayette Indiana 43,400 Big Ten IIAA 1887
Rice Owls Houston Texas 7,100 C-USA TIAA, SWC, WAC 1912
Rutgers Scarlet Knights Piscataway New Jersey 70,900 Big Ten Middle Atlantic, Big East, American 1869
San Diego State Aztecs San Diego California 34,900 Mountain West Southern California Junior College Conference, SCIAC, CCAA, Big West, WAC 1921 1969
San Jose State Spartans San Jose California 32,800 Mountain West California Coast Conference, NCAC, California Collegiate, Big West, WAC 1892
SMU Mustangs University Park Texas 11,800 American TIAA, SWC, WAC, C-USA[n 3] 1915
South Alabama Jaguars Mobile Alabama 15,100 Sun Belt 2009 2012
South Carolina Gamecocks Columbia South Carolina 50,100 SEC SIAA, SoCon, ACC 1892
South Florida Bulls Tampa Florida 50,700 American C-USA, Big East 1997 2001
Southern Miss Golden Eagles Hattiesburg Mississippi 14,500 C-USA Gulf States Conference, SIAA 1912
Stanford Cardinal Stanford California 16,500 Pac-12 PCC 1891
Syracuse Orange Syracuse New York 22,900 ACC Big East 1889
TCU Horned Frogs Fort Worth Texas 10,400 Big 12 TIAA, SWC, WAC, C-USA, MW 1896
Temple Owls Philadelphia Pennsylvania 40,000 American Middle Atlantic, Big East, MAC, Big East 1894
Tennessee Volunteers Knoxville Tennessee 28,900 SEC SIAA, SoCon 1891
Texas Longhorns Austin Texas 51,800 Big 12 SIAA, TIAA, SWC 1893
Texas A&M Aggies College Station Texas 69,400 SEC SIAA, SWC, Big 12 1894
Texas State Bobcats San Marcos Texas 38,800 Sun Belt TIAA, Lone Star, Gulf Star, Southland, WAC 1904 2012
Texas Tech Red Raiders Lubbock Texas 38,200 Big 12 BIAA, SWC 1925
Toledo Rockets Toledo Ohio 23,100 MAC Northwestern Ohio Intercollegiate Athletic Association, OAC 1917
Troy Trojans Troy Alabama 18,100 Sun Belt Alabama Intercollegiate Conference, SIAA, Alabama Collegiate Conference, Mid-South Athletic Conference, Gulf South, Southland 1909 2002
Tulane Green Wave New Orleans Louisiana 14,100 American SIAA, SoCon, SEC, C-USA 1893
Tulsa Golden Hurricane Tulsa Oklahoma 3,297[3] American Oklahoma Intercollegiate Conference, Big 4 Conference, MVC, WAC, C-USA 1895
UAB Blazers Birmingham Alabama 21,900 C-USA 1991 1999
UCF Knights Orlando Florida 68,600 American MAC, C-USA 1979 1996
UCLA Bruins Los Angeles California 45,400 Pac-12 SCIAC, PCC 1919
UConn Huskies Storrs[n 5] Connecticut 32,200 Independent Yankee, A-10, Big East, American 1896 2000
UMass Minutemen Amherst Massachusetts 30,600 Independent Yankee, A-10, CAA, MAC 1879 2012
UNLV Rebels Las Vegas[n 6] Nevada 30,500 Mountain West Big West, WAC 1968 1978
USC Trojans Los Angeles California 45,700 Pac-12 PCC 1888
UTEP Miners El Paso Texas 25,100 C-USA BIAA, WAC 1914
UTSA Roadrunners San Antonio Texas 30,700 C-USA WAC 2011 2012
Utah Utes Salt Lake City Utah 33,000 Pac-12 Colorado Football Association, RMAC, Mountain States, WAC, MW 1892
Utah State Aggies Logan Utah 29,400 Mountain West Colorado Football Association, RMAC, Mountain States, Big West, Independent, Sun Belt, WAC 1892
Vanderbilt Commodores Nashville Tennessee 13,100 SEC SIAA, SoCon 1890
Virginia Cavaliers Charlottesville Virginia 24,400 ACC SAIAA, SoCon 1888
Virginia Tech Hokies Blacksburg Virginia 33,400 ACC SAIAA, SIAA, SoCon, Big East 1892
Wake Forest Demon Deacons Winston-Salem North Carolina 8,100 ACC Big Five Conference, SoCon 1888
Washington Huskies Seattle Washington 47,900 Pac-12 PCC 1889
Washington State Cougars Pullman Washington 30,600 Pac-12 PCC, Independent 1893
West Virginia Mountaineers Morgantown West Virginia 30,000 Big 12 SoCon, WVIAC, Big East 1891
Western Kentucky Hilltoppers Bowling Green Kentucky 20,300 C-USA SIAA, KIAC, OVC, MVFC, Sun Belt 1913 2009
Western Michigan Broncos Kalamazoo Michigan 22,900 MAC MCC 1905
Wisconsin Badgers Madison Wisconsin 44,400 Big Ten 1889
Wyoming Cowboys Laramie Wyoming 12,400 Mountain West Colorado Football Association, RMAC, WAC 1893

[4]

Notes
  1. When FBS was created in 1978 as Division I-A, the Southern Conference was designated as a I-A conference. The SoCon was downgraded to FCS (then Division I-AA) level beginning in the 1982 season. This school competed in SoCon football during the league's 1978–81 tenure as a I-A conference.
  2. At that time, the school was a two-year college known as Boise Junior College. The school did not become a four-year institution until 1965, and only began playing football against four-year schools in 1968.
  3. Houston, Memphis, and SMU had originally planned to join the Big East Conference in 2013. However, the conference split along football lines in July 2013, with the seven non-FBS schools of the original conference buying the "Big East" name and reorganizing as a new, non-football Big East Conference. The FBS schools that did not leave at that time for the ACC joined with the three newcomers, remaining in the original conference structure under the new name of American Athletic Conference.
  4. Miami currently plays its home games in Miami Gardens, Florida.
  5. UConn currently plays its home games in East Hartford, Connecticut.
  6. The UNLV campus is not within the City of Las Vegas, but is instead in the unincorporated community of Paradise. Through the 2019 season, the football team played its home games in another unincorporated Las Vegas suburb, Whitney; it will move to the new Allegiant Stadium in Paradise in 2020.

Former programs
TeamSchoolCityStateFormer FBS ConferenceFinal SeasonCurrent Status
Brown BearsBrown UniversityProvidenceRhode IslandIvy1981FCS
Cal State Fullerton TitansCalifornia State University, FullertonFullertonCaliforniaIndependent1992Discontinued
Chattanooga MocsUniversity of Tennessee at ChattanoogaChattanoogaTennesseeSouthern1981FCS
Colgate RaidersColgate UniversityHamiltonNew YorkIndependent1981FCS
Columbia LionsColumbia UniversityManhattanNew YorkIvy1981FCS
Cornell Big RedCornell UniversityIthacaNew YorkIvy1981FCS
Dartmouth Big GreenDartmouth CollegeHanoverNew HampshireIvy1981FCS
Florida A&M RattlersFlorida A&M UniversityTallahasseeFloridaIndependent2004FCS
Harvard CrimsonHarvard UniversityCambridgeMassachusettsIvy1981FCS
Holy Cross CrusadersCollege of the Holy CrossWorcesterMassachusettsIndependent1981FCS
Idaho VandalsUniversity of IdahoMoscowIdahoSun Belt2017[5]FCS
Illinois State RedbirdsIllinois State UniversityNormalIllinoisMissouri Valley1981FCS
Indiana State SycamoresIndiana State UniversityTerre HauteIndianaMissouri Valley1981FCS
Lamar CardinalsLamar UniversityBeaumontTexasSouthland1981[6]FCS
Long Beach State 49ers[lower-alpha 1]California State University, Long BeachLong BeachCaliforniaBig West1991Discontinued
Marquette Warriors[lower-alpha 2]Marquette UniversityMilwaukeeWisconsinIndependent1960[7]Discontinued
McNeese State CowboysMcNeese State UniversityLake CharlesLouisianaSouthland1981[6]FCS
Montana GrizzliesUniversity of MontanaMissoulaMontanaPacific Coast1962FCS
Pacific TigersUniversity of the PacificStocktonCaliforniaBig West1995Discontinued
Penn QuakersUniversity of PennsylvaniaPhiladelphiaPennsylvaniaIvy1981FCS
Princeton TigersPrinceton UniversityPrincetonNew JerseyIvy1981FCS
Richmond SpidersUniversity of RichmondRichmondVirginiaIndependent1981FCS
Santa Clara BroncosSanta Clara UniversitySanta ClaraCaliforniaIndependent1981 then 1992[8]FCS, then Discontinued
Southern Illinois SalukisSouthern Illinois University CarbondaleCarbondaleIllinoisMissouri Valley1981FCS
Tennessee State TigersTennessee State UniversityNashvilleTennesseeIndependent1980FCS
Texas Arlington Mavericks[lower-alpha 3]University of Texas at ArlingtonArlingtonTexasSouthland1981[6]Discontinued
William & Mary TribeCollege of William & MaryWilliamsburgVirginiaIndependent1981FCS
Villanova WildcatsVillanova UniversityVillanovaPennsylvaniaIndependent1980FCS
Western Carolina CatamountsWestern Carolina UniversityCullowheeNorth CarolinaSouthern1981FCS
Wichita State ShockersWichita State UniversityWichitaKansasIndependent1986Discontinued
Yale BulldogsYale UniversityNew HavenConnecticutIvy1981FCS
Notes
  1. Long Beach State rebranded its athletic program as "The Beach" effective in 2020–21, long after football was discontinued.
  2. Marquette also used the nickname of Golden Avalanche in the period when it sponsored football.
  3. The school now brands itself in both athletics and academics as UT Arlington or UTA, although the university's formal name has not changed.

Notes
  • Several schools have different athletic nicknames for men's and women's teams. Usually, this is a matter of preceding the main nickname with "Lady", such as LSU Lady Tigers and Tennessee Lady Vols. The two FBS schools nicknamed Cowboys, Oklahoma State and Wyoming, use Cowgirls for women's teams. However, in some cases, the women's team nickname has a completely different form, as in Hawaii Rainbow Wahine and Louisiana Tech Lady Techsters. Because this is a list of American football programs, which are traditionally all-male, only the men's form is given.
  • The Pac-12 considers the Pacific Coast Conference or PCC as part of its own history, even though the PCC was established with different charter members and was disbanded due to major crisis and scandal. There is considerable continuity between the two leagues. The Athletic Association of Western Universities (AAWU), which would eventually become the Pac-12, was founded by five former PCC members, and by 1964 all of the final PCC members except for Idaho had been reunited in the AAWU.
  • Texas leads the nation with 12 FBS programs based in the state.

References
  1. 9 states (Alaska, Delaware, Maine, Montana, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Vermont) and Washington, D.C. do not currently have FBS programs.
  2. http://www.hurricanesports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?ATCLID=205820405
  3. "Tulsa Football to Host Oklahoma in 2023 as Part of New 3-Game Series". University of Tulsa Athletics.
  4. "Welcome cfbdatawarehouse.com - BlueHost.com". www.cfbdatawarehouse.com.
  5. Idaho Vandals [@Idaho_Vandals] (28 April 2016). "President Staben - "The University of Idaho Vandal football team will accept an invitation to join the Big Sky Conference" beginning in '18" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  6. Jr, Gordon S. White; Times, Special To the New York (December 5, 1981). "IVY LEAGUE IS FORCED TO LOSE MAJOR-TEAM FOOTBALL STATUS (Published 1981)" – via NYTimes.com.
  7. http://www.marquette.edu/magazine/recent.php?subaction=showfull&id=1329850800
  8. Santa Clara Broncos football

See also
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