The Ever-Shifting Landscape: College Football Conference Realignment
In the dynamic world of college football, change is the only constant. For over 130 years, institutions have navigated conference affiliations, driven by factors ranging from competitive balance and financial incentives to media exposure and evolving regulations. The landscape has been in a state of flux since 2021, resulting in a markedly different college football map for the 2024 season and beyond. This article examines the driving forces of this realignment, the key players involved, and the potential ramifications for the future of the sport.
The Great Disruption: A Timeline of Moves
The modern wave of conference realignment was triggered in July 2021 by reports that Oklahoma and Texas were seeking membership in the Southeastern Conference (SEC). Their official acceptance of invitations that same month set off a chain reaction that impacted every FBS school and all ten conferences.
- July 1, 2022: Marshall, Old Dominion, and Southern Miss joined the Sun Belt from Conference USA, while James Madison transitioned from the CAA.
- July 1, 2023: The Big 12 welcomed Cincinnati, Houston, and UCF from the American Athletic Conference (AAC), along with BYU, previously an independent in football and a member of the West Coast Conference for Olympic sports. The AAC expanded by adding Charlotte, Florida Atlantic, North Texas, Rice, UAB, and UTSA from Conference USA. Conference USA, in turn, welcomed Jacksonville State, Liberty, New Mexico State, and Sam Houston.
- July 1, 2024: The SEC added Oklahoma and Texas from the Big 12. SMU departed the AAC for the ACC, and Army became a football-only member of the American.
- August 1, 2024: The Big Ten expanded by adding Oregon, UCLA, USC, and Washington.
- August 2, 2024: The Big 12 officially added Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado, and Utah. The ACC welcomed Cal and Stanford, and Kennesaw State joined Conference USA.
- July 1, 2025: Conference USA added Delaware and Missouri State. UMass joined the MAC.
- July 1, 2026: The Pac-12 is slated to add Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, San Diego State, and Texas State. The Mountain West will add UTEP as a full member and Northern Illinois as a football-only member. The Sun Belt anticipates adding Louisiana Tech.
Key Factors Driving Realignment
Several intertwined factors have fueled the conference realignment frenzy:
- Financial Incentives: The pursuit of increased revenue, particularly through lucrative media rights deals, has been a primary driver. The Big Ten's primary media partner, Fox, provided extra money to facilitate the addition of Oregon and Washington. According to Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith, Fox agreed to pay $30 to $35 million per year for each of those two schools from their 2024 arrival in the conference through the end of the media deal in the 2029-30 school year. UTEP's move to the Mountain West could see the money made from the Mountain West's TV deal could be more than four times as much as UTEP is making with Conference USA’s.
- Media Exposure: Increased visibility on national television networks and streaming platforms is a major draw for universities seeking to enhance their brand and attract top recruits. The departures of Texas and Oklahoma from the Big 12 to the Southeastern Conference were driven by the opportunity of increased media exposure and revenue.
- Competitive Balance: Schools often seek conferences that offer a more competitive environment or a better fit for their athletic programs, or in some cases, an easier path to success.
- Conference Survival: The desire to maintain conference stability and competitiveness has led to defensive moves, such as the Big 12's expansion after the departures of Texas and Oklahoma.
- NCAA Governance and Autonomy: The Power Four conferences (Big Ten, SEC, ACC, and Big 12) wield significant influence in NCAA decision-making and receive a larger share of College Football Playoff revenue. Schools aspire to be part of these power structures.
The Rise of Superconferences
The realignment has accelerated the trend toward superconferences, with the Big Ten and SEC emerging as the dominant forces in college football. These conferences boast large memberships, vast media markets, and substantial financial resources.
- The Big Ten now has 18 members following the addition of UCLA, USC, Oregon, and Washington.
- The SEC remains at 16 members after adding Oklahoma and Texas.
These superconferences are positioned to exert considerable control over the future of college football, including the structure of the College Football Playoff and the distribution of revenue.
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The Pac-12's Demise and Rebirth
The Pac-12 Conference experienced a dramatic collapse, losing ten of its twelve members ahead of the 2024-25 academic year. This was due in large part to an unsatisfactory media rights deal. In the days after Colorado's announcement, the Pac-12 chancellors and presidents met on August 1, at which time they were presented with the first details of a new media rights deal. This deal was reportedly an exclusively streaming deal with Apple, with returns based mainly on subscription rates.
However, the Pac-12 is set to return in 2026 with an additional five schools from the Mountain West Conference: the Boise State Broncos, the Fresno State Bulldogs, the Colorado State Rams, the San Diego State University Aztecs and the Utah State University Aggies.
Group of Five Conferences in Flux
The conference realignment has also had a significant impact on the Group of Five conferences, leading to both challenges and opportunities.
- The American Athletic Conference (AAC) has seen significant membership changes, adding new schools while losing others to Power Four conferences. After losing SMU to the ACC, the AAC maintained its 14-school membership with the 2024 addition of the Army Black Knights.
- Conference USA (CUSA) has experienced considerable turnover, with several schools departing for other conferences and new members joining.
- The Mountain West Conference (MW) and Sun Belt Conference (SBC) have emerged as key players, attracting new members and solidifying their positions in the college football landscape. The Sun Belt has been a key cog in the latest round of college football realignment. However, they redressed the balance by poaching the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs from CUSA in a move announced midway through 2025. The expectation is that they will compete in the conference in 2026, but there hasn’t been an announcement of which division they will play.
The FCS Landscape: A Cascade of Changes
The effects of realignment extend beyond the FBS level, with significant changes occurring in the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS).
- Conferences like the ASUN, WAC, Big South, and Ohio Valley Conference have undergone mergers and realignments to maintain competitiveness and automatic qualifying bids to the FCS playoffs.
- Some FCS programs have transitioned to FBS conferences, further reshaping the landscape. In 2023, both Sam Houston and Jacksonville State became FBS programs. In 2024, Kennesaw State left for the FBS, and in 2025, Missouri State University and Delaware made the move.
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