It’s been a wild offseason in FCS football, with teams and conferences changing more than ever. There are hundreds of FCS teams and a handful will be playing in a new conference in 2026 and beyond, but what does it all mean?<\/p>\n
Here’s a breakdown of the many changes to the FCS football landscape in the upcoming seasons amid major conference realignment.<\/p>\n
This article was originally published before the 2022 season. All realignment news is updated as of April 3, 2026.<\/p>\n
Moving from the FCS<\/p>\n
The following teams are moving from the FCS to the FBS level:<\/p>\n
\t\t\tSchool
\n\t\t\tFCS Conference
\n\t\t\tFBS Conference<\/p>\n
\t\t\tJames Madison
\n\t\t\tCAA
\n\t\t\tSun Belt<\/p>\n
\t\t\tJacksonville State
\n\t\t\tASUN
\n\t\t\tConference USA<\/p>\n
\t\t\tSam Houston
\n\t\t\tWAC
\n\t\t\tConference USA<\/p>\n
\t\t\tKennesaw State
\n\t\t\tASUN
\n\t\t\tConference USA<\/p>\n
\t\t\tDelaware
\n\t\t\tCAA
\n\t\t\tConference USA<\/p>\n
\t\t\tMissouri State
\n\t\t\tMVFC
\n\t\t\tConference USA<\/p>\n
\t\t\tNorth Dakota State
\n\t\t\tMVFC
\n\t\t\tMountain West<\/p>\n
\t\t\tSacramento State
\n\t\t\tBig Sky
\n\t\t\tMAC<\/p>\n
In 2022, James Madison will officially leave for the FBS, joining the Sun Belt.<\/p>\n
In 2023, both Sam Houston and Jacksonville State will be FBS programs. In 2022, Sam Houston and Jacksonville State will begin their FBS transition and are ineligible for postseason play, but will remain in the WAC and ASUN conferences, respectively.\u00a0<\/p>\n
In 2024, Kennesaw State will be leaving for the FBS. The Owls will begin their FBS transition in 2023 and will be ineligible for postseason play.<\/p>\n
In 2025, Missouri State University<\/a> and\u00a0Delaware <\/a>will be leaving for the FBS. The Bears will be eligible to compete in the Missouri Valley Conference regular and post-season championships for the 2024 season, according to Missouri State officials. The Blue Hens will be ineligible for a conference title or the FCS playoffs once the transition process begins in 2024.<\/p>\n In 2026, UC Davis will join the Mountain West<\/a> in all sports EXCEPT for football, staying in the FCS on the gridiron.<\/p>\n In 2026, North Dakota State will be leaving for the FBS, joining the Mountain West conference as a football-only member<\/a>. The Bison will be eligible for postseason and CFP competition in 2028.<\/p>\n In 2026, Sacramento State will join the MAC as a football-only member<\/a>. The Hornets previously announced in June of 2025 that\u00a0it would go independent for FCS football in 2026 if it doesn’t receive approval from the D1 Council<\/a> to move up to the FBS as an independent. Sacramento State’s non-football sports will join the Big West<\/a>, a conference that does not sponsor football. After all of the drama, Sacramento State is a member of the MAC for football.<\/p>\n The following school is moving from the FCS to the DIII level:<\/p>\n \t\t\tSchool \t\t\tSaint Francis (PA) In 2026, Saint Francis (PA) will drop to the Division III level in all sports.<\/a><\/p>\n New to FCS<\/p>\n So we know who’s out, but here’s who’s joining the FCS. Here are the programs that made the jump to the Championship Subdivision since 2022:<\/p>\n \t\t\tSchool \t\t\tEast Texas A&M \t\t\tLindenwood \t\t\tStonehill \t\t\tWest Georgia \t\t\tMercyhurst \t\t\tNew Haven \t\t\tTexas-Rio Grande Valley \t\t\tChicago State \t\t\tWest Florida East Texas A&M moves up from Division II to the Southland. The former DII power won the DII title in 2017. Lindenwood joined the NCAA in 2012 at the Division II level and makes the move to the FCS a decade later. Stonehill was a charter member of the NE10 before it moved to the FCS.<\/p>\n On June 25, 2025, East Texas A&M<\/a>, Lindenwood<\/a>, and Stonehill<\/a> saw its reclassification status moved up a year from 2026 to 2025, making the programs eligible for the postseason.<\/p>\n In 2024, West Georgia will enter the FCS, joining the ASUN conference<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Mercyhurst\u00a0will enter the FCS, joining the NEC conference.<\/a><\/p>\n Come 2025, Texas-Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) will introduce its football program in its inaugural season, joining the Southland at the FCS level.\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n Chicago State\u00a0launched it’s football program in 2026, and joining the NEC.<\/a><\/p>\n New Haven\u00a0announced it would be moving from the DII level to the FCS level <\/a>in the 2025 season, a little over three months before the season starts.\u00a0<\/p>\n West Florida\u00a0announced it would be moving from the DII level to the FCS level<\/a> in the 2026 season, joining the UAC for football and ASUN for other DI sports.<\/p>\n Conference outlook<\/p>\n Before we get into the shifts within the conferences, let’s first look at what the FCS conferences are. Here are all of the FCS conferences<\/p>\n \tBig Sky The importance of conferences<\/p>\n Conferences are important at the FCS level because conference winners* receive automatic bids to the 24-team FCS playoffs. However, for a conference to be eligible for an automatic bid, it needs to have a minimum of six eligible teams.<\/p>\n *The SWAC and MEAC do not send their conference champions to the FCS playoffs.<\/p>\n Changes in the FCS in 2026 and beyond<\/p>\n William & Mary leaves CAA Football for Patriot League<\/p>\n William & Mary will leave the CAA for football and join the Patriot League for football in 2026<\/a>. The Tribe will remain in the CAA for all other other sports.<\/p>\n Villanova leaves CAA Football for Patriot League<\/p>\n Villanova became the third school to announce that it will leave the CAA for football and join the Patriot League for football in 2026<\/a>. The Wildcats will remain in the Big East for all other other sports.<\/p>\n Western Athletic Conference rebrands as the United Athletic Conference<\/p>\n The WAC is no more (again). The conference will officially become the UAC after a rebrand. The UAC was previously just a name used to\u00a0recognize the ASUN-WAC Football Alliance, but it now will become an official conference beginning in 2026.<\/a><\/p>\n The WAC schools joining the UAC will be\u00a0Tarleton State, Abilene Christian and UT Arlington. The ASUN will still exist, just without its football playing schools. The former ASUN football schools will join the UAC, making the ASUN a basketball focused conference. The ASUN schools joining the UAC are\u00a0Austin Peay, Central Arkansas, Eastern Kentucky, North Alabama and West Georgia.<\/p>\n Utah Tech joins, Southern Utah returns to the Big Sky<\/p>\n In 2022,\u00a0Southern Utah left the Big Sky to join the WAC. In 2026, Southern Utah will return to the conference it once left and become a Big Sky member. It’ll be joined by an in-state companion in Utah Tech, which will also leave the WAC to join the Big Sky in 2026. The move gives the Big Sky 13 football-playing members,<\/a> the most in the FCS.<\/p>\n Sacred Heart joins the CAA for football<\/p>\n The CAA responded to a trio of teams leaving from 2025-26 by adding a new team, Sacred Heart in 2026. The Pioneers previously left the NEC in 2024 and played as an independent for two years from 2024-25. Sacred Heart will join the CAA in 2026 as a football-only member <\/a>and will be a member of the MAAC in other sports. The move brings the CAA to 13 teams.<\/p>\n Tennessee Tech leaves OVC, joins SoCon<\/p>\n For the first time since 2014 the Southern Conference (SoCon) got involved in conference realignment. The SoCon will add Tennessee Tech in all sports starting in 2026,<\/a> giving the conference 10 football playing members and 11 members overall. Tennessee Tech leaves the Ohio Valley Conference, which is was a member since 1949.<\/p>\n Changes in the FCS in 2025 and beyond<\/p>\n Richmond leaves CAA Football for Patriot League<\/p>\n Richmond, a full-time member of the A-10 conference, will leave the CAA for football, instead playing football in the Patriot League starting in 2025<\/a>. Richmond’s football team is the only team with the new conference affiliation.<\/p>\n Changes within the FCS in 2024<\/p>\n Stephen F. Austin leaves WAC (United Athletic Conference), returns to Southland<\/p>\n On May 29, 2024, Stephen F. Austin announced it would be leaving the WAC for the Southland Conference.<\/a>\u00a0The Lumberjacks will join the Southland on July 1, 2024, bringing the conference to 10 FCS teams and the WAC with four FCS team. Stephen F. Austin previously played in the Southland from 1984-2020, before leaving for the WAC in 2021.<\/p>\n Sacred Heart leaves NEC, goes independent<\/p>\n Sacred Heart left the NEC for the MAAC conference. Since the MAAC doesn’t sponsor football, the Pioneers are going independent.<\/p>\n Merrimack leaves NEC, goes independent<\/p>\n Merrimack left the NEC for the MAAC conference. Since the MAAC doesn’t sponsor football, the Warriors are going independent.<\/p>\n Robert Morris leaves Big South, returns to NEC<\/p>\n Robert Morris announced on November 28, 2023<\/a> that it will return to the NEC \u2014 a conference it left in 2019 \u2014 in 2024 as a football associate member. Robert Morris’ departure from the NEC leaves two teams left in the Big South.<\/p>\n Western Illinois leaves MVFC, joins OVC<\/p>\n Western Illinois announced on May 12, 2023 that it will be leaving the Missouri Valley Football Conference to join the Ohio Valley Conference in 2024. The Leathernecks will join the OVC in all sports outside of football beginning July 2023, with the football program joining the new conference a year later.<\/p>\n Bryant leaves Big South, joins CAA<\/p>\n Bryant announced on August 10, 2023 that it will be joining the CAA in the 2024 season as a football member. The move comes two years after Bryant left the NEC to join the Big South as an associate football member (see below). Bryant gives the CAA 16 football teams in 2024.<\/p>\n Changes within the FCS in 2023<\/p>\n Murray State leaves OVC, joins MVFC<\/p>\n Murray State has announced it’s leaving the OVC for the Missouri Valley in all sports. However, the Missouri Valley doesn’t sponsor football. Instead many Missouri Valley programs compete in the Missouri Valley Football Conference, a separate entity.\u00a0<\/p>\n In 2023, Murray State will join the MVFC after playing one final season in the OVC in 2022.<\/p>\n North Carolina A&T leaves Big South, joins CAA<\/p>\n For the second time in two seasons, North Carolina A&T has changed conferences. After joining the Big South in 2021, the Aggies are leaving for the CAA. North Carolina A&T was a power in the all-HBCU conference MEAC before struggling in a 5-6 2021 season. The Aggies will try and regain their success in the CAA, officially joining the conference in football in 2023.<\/p>\n Campbell leaves Big South, joins CAA<\/p>\n Campbell announced on August 3, 2022 that it would be leaving the Big South to join the CAA in 2023. The move becomes official July 1, 2023 and will bring the CAA to 14 member schools and 15 football schools. Campbell becomes the latest charter member to leave the Big South.<\/p>\n Changes within the FCS in 2022<\/p>\n Kennesaw State and North Alabama leave Big South, join ASUN<\/p>\n Entering the 2021 season, we knew that Kennesaw State and North Alabama would be playing their final seasons in the conference. They’ll head to the ASUN in 2022, with Kennesaw State taking the 2021 Big South title with it. Kennesaw State will leave the ASUN in 2024 (see above).<\/p>\n Austin Peay leaves OVC, joins ASUN<\/p>\n Austin Peay leaves the OVC for a revamped ASUN in 2022.<\/p>\n UIW spurns WAC, stays in Southland<\/p>\n In November of 2021, UIW accepted a July 1, 2022 invitation to join the WAC. However, UIW reversed that decision June 24, 2022 \u2014 exactly one week before the conference switch \u2014 instead deciding to remain in the Southland.<\/p>\n Lamar leaves WAC, joins Southland… earlier than expected<\/p>\n Lamar will be rejoining the Southland in 2022, a move coming a year earlier than previously announced. The decision to join in 2022 came on July 11, 2022, about a month and a half before the 2022 FCS season is set to begin.<\/p>\n Lamar, a founding member of the Southland, originally announced its decision to rejoin the conference in 2023 on April 8, 2022. Regardless, the move comes after Lamar left the Southland for the WAC in 2021.<\/p>\n Southern Utah leaves Big Sky, joins WAC<\/p>\n The WAC is revitalized and Southern Utah will join the conference in 2022. Southern Utah joins Utah Tech as the northernmost programs in the conference.<\/p>\n Monmouth leaves Big South, joins CAA<\/p>\n After missing out on another Big South football title, Monmouth departs the conference for the CAA in 2022.\u00a0<\/p>\n Hampton leaves Big South, joins CAA<\/p>\n Four years after Hampton made its oft-debated move to leave the MEAC and join the Big South, the Pirates are making another switch. Hampton departs its former conference for the CAA in 2022. The Virginia-based HBCU now has a regional conference rival, with William & Mary only minutes away in the 757.<\/p>\n Stony Brook joins the CAA full time<\/p>\n Yes, Stony Brook was already a member of the CAA for football. But its decision to join the conference in every sport cannot be ignored.<\/p>\n Bryant leaves NEC, joins Big South<\/p>\n Bryant leaves the NEC to join the Big South as an associate football member.\u00a0The moves comes after Big South lost multiple members. Bryant gives the Big South six football teams in 2022.<\/p>\n Conferences on the edge<\/p>\n Given the NCAA rule requiring six eligible teams to qualify for an automatic bid to the FCS playoffs, a few conferences are teetering the line. While the NCAA does grant a two-year grace period for conferences to raise membership numbers back to minimum requirements, here are the conferences with six or fewer FCS teams in the future.<\/p>\n Big South<\/p>\n The Big South has gone through a gauntlet of departures recently, with eight schools departing in a three year period. In 2022, the Big South will have six teams thanks to Bryant’s addition, just enough for an auto-bid. However, that number drops to four teams in 2023 when North Carolina A&T and Campbell depart and\u00a0two teams in 2024\u00a0when Bryant and Robert Morris depart. Only Charleston Southern and Gardner-Webb remain.\u00a0<\/p>\n MEAC<\/p>\n As mentioned before, the MEAC doesn’t send its conference champion to the FCS playoffs \u2014 instead playing in the Celebration Bowl \u2014 so it doesn’t have to worry about falling below the auto-bid mark. However, the conference did see Bethune-Cookman and Florida A&M leave in 2021, leaving the conference with six teams.<\/p>\n NEC<\/p>\n The NEC will drop to six playoff eligible teams in 2026 after the departure of Saint Francis (PA) and Stonehill becoming playoff eligible. The eligible teams in 2026 will be Central Connecticut State, Duquesne, LIU, Robert Morris, Stonehill and Wagner. The NEC will see its playoff-eligible number rise to\u00a0eight teams\u00a0in 2028 when Mercyhurst and New Haven become eligible and\u00a0nine teams once Chicago State’s football program is eligible in 2027.<\/p>\n OVC<\/p>\n The loss of Austin Peay and Murray State will drop the OVC to six teams in 2023 \u2014 \u200b\u200bUT Martin, Southeast Missouri State, Tennessee State, Tennessee Tech and Eastern Illinois are the holdovers, while FCS newcomer Lindenwood joins. However, the conference will have five playoff-eligible teams during the 2023 season\u00a0since Lindenwood won’t be postseason eligible until 2026. That number will rise to six playoff-eligible teams during the 2024 season once Western Illinois joins, with Lindenwood soon to come. However the loss of Tennessee Tech in 2026 will keep the OVC at six-playoff eligible teams in 2026.<\/p>\n Conference associations<\/p>\n To maintain automatic-qualifying bids, conferences have initiated associations between each other to remain eligible. We saw the ASUN and WAC merge to form the AQ7 in 2021, but that was only a one-year partnership at the time. Here’s some of the recent moves announced:<\/p>\n Southland-OVC<\/p>\n The Southland and OVC announced a scheduling alliance for non-conference games in 2022 and 2023, but that alliance does not have playoff implications.<\/p>\n OVC-Big South<\/p>\n The Big South and OVC have an association set for 2023. The two conferences will share one bid among the two conferences. The association between the two conference has an initial term of at least four years, going through the 2026 season. In June 2024 \u2014 after one season of the partnership \u2014 the Big South and OVC extended the partnership through the 2030 season.<\/a><\/p>\n ASUN and WAC merge to form football-only conference: The United Athletic Conference<\/p>\n The ASUN and WAC announced on April 17, 2023 that the two conferences will make their partnership official as a new football-only conference called the United Athletic Conference (UAC). The UAC will begin play in 2023 as the ASUN and WAC will play a combined schedule with inter-conference play between ASUN and WAC schools. In 2023 the UAC will have nine football-playing members but only seven playoff-eligible members. In 2024, the joint conference will have\u00a0nine playoff-eligible teams.<\/p>\n Update: The UAC will become an official conference in 2026<\/a><\/p>\n The UAC was denied a wavier-request to be formally recognized by the NCAA as a single-sport conference in 2023, so the UAC is technically unofficial, even with the ASUN and WAC sharing an auto-bid.<\/p>\n The ASUN and WAC first merged in 2021 to form the AQ7 to share one automatic bid.<\/p>\n The conferences then renewed their football alliance for the 2022 season. The two conferences played schedules and championships among their own members. The ASUN and WAC shared one automatic qualifying bid, going to one of the two conference champions. The automatic bid determining formula can be found below.<\/p>\n \tEach conference shall nominate its regular season champion (by the conference\u2019s own formula) for AQ comparison. Click or tap here for the complete formula from 2022<\/a><\/p>\n More<\/p>\n
\n\t\t\tFCS Conference
\n\t\t\tYear of Depature
\n\t\t\tDIII Conference<\/p>\n
\n\t\t\tNEC
\n\t\t\t2026
\n\t\t\tPAC<\/p>\n
\n\t\t\tDII Conference
\n\t\t\tFCS Conference
\n\t\t\tYear Eligible<\/p>\n
\n\t\t\tLSC
\n\t\t\tSouthland
\n\t\t\t2025<\/p>\n
\n\t\t\tGLVC
\n\t\t\tOVC
\n\t\t\t2025<\/p>\n
\n\t\t\tNE10
\n\t\t\tNEC
\n\t\t\t2025<\/p>\n
\n\t\t\tGulf South
\n\t\t\tUAC
\n\t\t\t2028<\/p>\n
\n\t\t\tPSAC
\n\t\t\tNEC
\n\t\t\t2028<\/p>\n
\n\t\t\tNE10
\n\t\t\tNEC
\n\t\t\t2028<\/p>\n
\n\t\t\tN\/A
\n\t\t\tSouthland
\n\t\t\t2025<\/p>\n
\n\t\t\tN\/A
\n\t\t\tNEC
\n\t\t\t2027<\/p>\n
\n\t\t\tGulf South
\n\t\t\tUAC
\n\t\t\t2029<\/p>\n
\n\tBig South
\n\tCAA
\n\tIvy
\n\tMEAC
\n\tMVFC
\n\tNEC
\n\tOVC
\n\tPatriot
\n\tPioneer
\n\tSoCon
\n\tSouthland
\n\tSWAC
\n\tUAC<\/p>\n
\n\tIf the regular season champion is a reclassifying team, the conference shall nominate the team finishing highest in the regular season standings that is eligible for an FCS AQ. Tiebreaker formulas are to be set by each conference and may include use of the ASUN-WAC Power Ranking after the conclusion of regular season play.
\n\tIf the two nominated teams have the same W-L record in Countable Games, and they met during the regular season, the head to head winner shall be the AQ recipient.
\n\tIf item No. 3 above is not applicable, the team with the higher ASUN-WAC Power Ranking will be declared the AQ recipient.<\/p>\n