Man, if you tried to keep a printed list of Division 1 football schools on your wall lately, you’d probably be out of ink and patience. It’s a total moving target. One day a school is in the Mountain West, the next they’re packing for the Pac-12, and honestly, the "conferences" we grew up with don't look anything like they did even three years ago.
Basically, when people talk about "Division 1," they’re usually thinking of the big-time programs on Saturday TV. But D1 is actually split into two distinct worlds: the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) and the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS). In 2026, the total number of schools playing at this level is pushing past 260, but the landscape is shifting under our feet.
The FBS Heavyweights: Where the Money Lives
The FBS is the top tier. These are the schools that can offer up to 85 full scholarships and compete for the College Football Playoff (CFP). As of the 2026 season, we’ve got about 136 schools in this bucket.
But here’s the kicker: the "Power 5" is effectively dead. We’re living in a world of the Power 4 plus a very weird, reconstructed Pac-12.
The New "Big Two"
If you want to know who’s running the show, look at the Big Ten and the SEC. These conferences are massive now. The Big Ten swallowed up West Coast giants like Oregon, Washington, USC, and UCLA. Meanwhile, the SEC added Texas and Oklahoma, making every Saturday a legitimate gauntlet.
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- SEC (16 teams): Includes the usual suspects like Alabama, Georgia, and LSU, but now the Longhorns and Sooners are permanent fixtures.
- Big Ten (18 teams): Stretching from Rutgers in New Jersey all the way to the Rose Bowl in Pasadena. It’s a logistical nightmare for a volleyball team, but for football, it’s a gold mine.
The Survivalists: Big 12 and ACC
The Big 12 and ACC have been scrambling to stay relevant. The Big 12 essentially became a "best of the rest" super-conference, grabbing Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado, and Utah. The ACC, in a move that still feels weird, added Cal and Stanford from the Bay Area and SMU from Dallas.
The Pac-12 Rebirth (2026)
This is the big news for the 2026 season. After being reduced to just two schools (Oregon State and Washington State) for a couple of years, the Pac-12 is officially back from the dead. They’ve raided the Mountain West and the Sun Belt to get back up to the NCAA-mandated eight members.
The "New" Pac-12 includes:
- Oregon State & Washington State (The Originals)
- Boise State
- San Diego State
- Fresno State
- Colorado State
- Utah State
- Texas State (Joining from the Sun Belt)
The "Group of Six" and Independents
Below the big power conferences, you’ve got the Group of Six. This includes the American (AAC), Mountain West (MWC), Sun Belt, MAC, and Conference USA.
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Conference USA has been a revolving door. For 2026, they officially welcomed Delaware and Missouri State into the FBS ranks. These schools are making the jump from FCS, looking for that bigger TV revenue and a shot at the expanded 12-team (or potentially 16-team) playoff.
Notable FBS Independents:
- Notre Dame: The forever loner.
- UConn: Still doing their own thing.
- UMass: Actually moving to the MAC for the 2026 season, ending their independent run.
The FCS: The Heart of Division 1
Don't sleep on the FCS. It’s where you find the 24-team playoff that actually makes sense, unlike the bowl system. There are roughly 128-130 schools here, depending on who’s currently in the two-year transition period to move up.
The FCS is home to legendary programs like North Dakota State (NDSU) and South Dakota State (SDSU), who honestly could probably beat half the FBS in any given week.
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Major FCS Conferences in 2026:
- Big Sky: Montana, Montana State, and now Southern Utah and Utah Tech (returning from the UAC).
- Missouri Valley (MVFC): The toughest conference in the FCS. Period.
- Ivy League: Harvard, Yale, Princeton—they don't do the playoffs, but they’re still D1.
- HBCU Power: The SWAC (Jackson State, Florida A&M) and MEAC (Howard, SC State) represent some of the best atmospheres in the sport.
What People Get Wrong About the List
Most people think "Division 1" is just the teams they see on ESPN.
Wrong.
There are schools like Davidson, Georgetown, and Butler that play D1 football but do it without the massive "full-ride" athletic scholarships you see at Ohio State. This is the Pioneer Football League, a non-scholarship D1 conference. It’s still Division 1, but the "vibe" is closer to a high-academic D3 school.
Then you have the "Transitioning" schools. When a school like Delaware decides to move up, they have to spend a couple of years in a weird limbo. They play an FBS schedule, but they aren't eligible for bowl games yet. It’s a grind.
Actionable Steps for Navigating the 2026 Season
If you’re trying to follow your team or just stay informed, here’s what you actually need to do:
- Check the "Official" Count: The NCAA updates its membership directory every August. Use the NCAA Directory to verify if a school is currently "Active" or "Reclassifying."
- Ignore the "Power 5" Label: Stop using it. It’s outdated. When looking at the list of division 1 football schools, think in terms of the "Big Two" (SEC/Big Ten) and everyone else.
- Track the Playoff Berths: Under the new rules, the five highest-ranked conference champions get an automatic bid. This means a school from the Sun Belt or the new Pac-12 is guaranteed a spot.
- Watch the FCS-over-FBS Upsets: Every year, about 5-10 FCS schools knock off FBS teams. Keep an eye on teams like Sacramento State—they’re currently playing as an FCS independent in 2026 after their own FBS bid was temporarily stalled, and they play with a massive chip on their shoulder.
The list is never final. By the time you finish reading this, another school has probably commissioned a feasibility study to move up or change conferences. Stay flexible.