College football isn't just a sport anymore; it's a geographic puzzle that's basically missing half the pieces. If you haven't looked at a map of the conferences lately, you're probably going to be confused. Honestly, the days of "regional rivalries" are mostly dead, replaced by a 136-team jigsaw puzzle where a team in New Jersey regularly flies to Seattle for a "conference" game.
People keep asking how many teams are actually in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) these days. As of the 2026 season, we are looking at 136 total programs. That number includes some new faces like Delaware and Missouri State, who just finished their transition up from the FCS. It also accounts for the absolute chaos that happened with the Pac-12, which is now essentially a "best of the rest" league rather than the West Coast powerhouse we grew up with.
The Power Four and the Death of Logic
The "Power Five" is a ghost. We live in a Power Four world now. The Big Ten and the SEC are the two suns that everything else orbits.
The SEC is sitting at 16 teams, and for the first time in 2026, they are playing a mandatory nine-game conference schedule. You've got the heavyweights like Alabama, Georgia, and Texas, but the middle of the pack is where the real drama lives. Teams like Vanderbilt and South Carolina are fighting for oxygen in a room where every single Saturday is a potential blowout.
Over in the Big Ten, the map makes even less sense. There are 18 teams. Oregon, Washington, USC, and UCLA are full-blown members of a Midwestern conference. It’s wild. One week Rutgers is playing in Piscataway, and the next they’re at the Rose Bowl.
The Big 12 and ACC are holding on, but they've transformed too. The Big 12 is a 16-team monster that stretches from UCF in Florida to Arizona and Utah. They lost their anchors (Texas and Oklahoma) but gained a lot of parity. Meanwhile, the ACC has Stanford, Cal, and SMU now. If you think that sounds like a travel nightmare for a volleyball team, you’re right.
The ACC Roster
- Boston College
- California
- Clemson
- Duke
- Florida State
- Georgia Tech
- Louisville
- Miami (FL)
- NC State
- North Carolina
- Pitt
- SMU
- Stanford
- Syracuse
- Virginia
- Virginia Tech
- Wake Forest
What Happened to the Pac-12?
This is the part that trips everyone up. For a while, the Pac-12 was just Oregon State and Washington State hanging out by themselves. That’s over. In 2026, the league has officially rebuilt itself into an eight-team conference.
They basically raided the Mountain West. Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, San Diego State, and Utah State all moved over. They also grabbed Texas State from the Sun Belt to get a foothold in Texas recruiting. It’s a solid league, but it's classified more as a "Group of Six" (G6) than a Power conference in the eyes of the money people.
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The Group of Six (The G6)
The Group of Five is now the Group of Six because the Pac-12 is back, but the hierarchy hasn't changed much. These are the teams fighting for that one guaranteed spot in the 12-team College Football Playoff.
The American Athletic Conference (AAC) is still a major player here. Teams like Memphis, Tulane, and USF are usually the ones to watch. Army joined as a football-only member recently, which makes the Commander-in-Chief's Trophy games even weirder now that they happen within a conference structure.
Conference USA is the land of the newcomers. They've been the primary landing spot for FCS teams moving up. Kennesaw State, Jacksonville State, Sam Houston, and now Delaware and Missouri State call this home. It’s a scrappy league. It’s also where Liberty has been dominating lately, though they’re always a polarizing topic among fans.
The Mountain West Rebrand
The Mountain West took a massive hit from the Pac-12. To survive, they had to move fast. They brought in UTEP from Conference USA and lured Northern Illinois out of the MAC (for football). They also convinced Hawaii to become a full member instead of just a football affiliate. It’s a survivor’s league now.
The Independents: A Dying Breed
There aren't many left. Notre Dame is the big one, obviously. They have a deal with the ACC for their other sports, but they refuse to give up their football independence.
UConn is still out there doing their own thing, mostly because they prioritize basketball and haven't found a perfect football home. UMass was an independent, but they finally crawled back to the MAC in 2025.
Why This Matters for the Playoff
The 12-team playoff format changed everything. Before, if you weren't in the SEC or Big Ten, you were basically playing for a nice bowl game and a trophy that didn't mean much. Now, the five highest-ranked conference champions get in automatically.
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This means a team like Appalachian State (Sun Belt) or Boise State (Pac-12) has a direct path to the national title. It’s created a "haves vs. have-nots" tension that is higher than ever. The big schools want to expand the playoff to 14 or 16 teams by 2027 to ensure their three-loss teams get in over a one-loss G6 champion.
Every FBS Team by Conference (2026 Season)
SEC (16 Teams)
Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, LSU, Mississippi State, Missouri, Oklahoma, Ole Miss, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Texas A&M, Vanderbilt.
Big Ten (18 Teams)
Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maryland, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Nebraska, Northwestern, Ohio State, Oregon, Penn State, Purdue, Rutgers, UCLA, USC, Washington, Wisconsin.
Big 12 (16 Teams)
Arizona, Arizona State, Baylor, BYU, Cincinnati, Colorado, Houston, Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State, Oklahoma State, TCU, Texas Tech, UCF, Utah, West Virginia.
ACC (17 Teams)
Boston College, Cal, Clemson, Duke, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Louisville, Miami, NC State, North Carolina, Pitt, SMU, Stanford, Syracuse, Virginia, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest.
Pac-12 (8 Teams)
Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, Oregon State, San Diego State, Texas State, Utah State, Washington State.
American (13 Teams)
Army, Charlotte, East Carolina, FAU, Memphis, Navy, North Texas, Rice, South Florida, Temple, Tulane, Tulsa, UTSA.
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Sun Belt (13 Teams)
Appalachian State, Arkansas State, Coastal Carolina, Georgia Southern, Georgia State, James Madison, Louisiana, Louisiana Tech, Marshall, Old Dominion, South Alabama, Southern Miss, Troy.
Mountain West (8 Teams)
Air Force, Hawaii, Nevada, New Mexico, Northern Illinois, San Jose State, UNLV, UTEP, Wyoming.
MAC (12 Teams)
Akron, Ball State, Bowling Green, Buffalo, Central Michigan, Eastern Michigan, Kent State, Miami (OH), Ohio, Toledo, UMass, Western Michigan.
Conference USA (12 Teams)
Delaware, FIU, Jacksonville State, Kennesaw State, Liberty, Middle Tennessee, Missouri State, New Mexico State, Sam Houston, Western Kentucky. (Note: UTEP and LA Tech departures shifted these numbers recently).
Independents
Notre Dame, UConn.
Actionable Insights for Fans
If you're trying to keep up with this mess, stop looking at old jerseys. The best way to track the 136 FBS teams is to follow the College Football Playoff (CFP) Rankings specifically.
- Download a dynamic schedule app: Don't rely on printed calendars. With the new Pac-12 and Mountain West shifts, game times and locations are moving targets.
- Watch the "Group of Six" race: The highest-ranked champion from the non-Power Four gets a playoff spot. Keep an eye on the American and the rebuilt Pac-12; they usually produce the top contender.
- Monitor the 2027 Scholarship Rule: The NCAA is raising the scholarship limit to 105 for football. This is going to cause a massive talent drain from smaller FBS schools to the giants.
The landscape is still shifting. While we have 136 teams today, rumors of "Super Leagues" mean this list could look completely different by the time the next TV contract is signed. Enjoy the chaos while it lasts.