This is a list of NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision alignment history. Teams in italics are no longer in the Football Bowl Subdivision. Teams in bold italics have announced transitions to FBS. The most recent programs to complete an FBS transition are Delaware and Missouri State, which all began their transition in 2024 and become full FBS members in 2026. North Dakota State and Sacramento State are the next schools to complete an FBS transition, starting it in 2026 and slated to complete it in 2028. The most recent school to leave the FBS ranks is Idaho, which downgraded its program to FCS (the Football Championship Subdivision) after the 2017 season.

Notably, Idaho is the only program to voluntarily downgrade from FBS to FCS without extenuating circumstances since the NCAA created those subdivisions in 1978. After the 1981 season, a large number of programs were downgraded from Division I-A (now FBS) to Division I-AA (now FCS) by the NCAA. Two teams that met NCAA requirements to remain in I-A at that time, McNeese and Yale, chose to voluntarily downgrade to align with the rest of their conferences. Most never returned to I-A/FBS, with the most significant exceptions being Cincinnati and most members of the Mid-American Conference, which were reinstated into I-A after only a single season at the I-AA level.

Listings are accurate for the upcoming 2026 college football season. Schools that still compete in NCAA sports are listed with their current athletic brand names, which do not necessarily match those used by past members of FBS and its predecessors during their tenures at that level.

A Air Force 1957–present Akron 1987–present Alabama 1937–1940, 1946–present Alcorn State 1977 Appalachian State 1974–1981, 2014–present Arizona 1939–1940, 1946–present Arizona State 1946–1948, 1950–1954, 1956–present Arkansas 1937–1940, 1946–present Arkansas State 1975–1981, 1992–present Army 1937–1940, 1946–present Auburn 1937–1940, 1946–present

B Ball State 1975–81, 1983–present Baylor 1937–1940, 1946–present Boise State 1996–present Boston College 1939–1940, 1946–present Boston University 1939–1940, 1947–1965 Bowling Green 1961–81, 1983–present Brown 1937–1940, 1946–1981 Bucknell 1938–1940, 1946–1947 Buffalo 1962–1970, 1999–present BYU 1938–1940, 1946–present

C California 1937–1940, 1946–present Cal State Fullerton 1976–1992 Carnegie Tech 1937–1940 Case Tech 1948 Centenary 1938–1947 Central Michigan 1975–present Charlotte 2015–present Chattanooga 1946–1948, 1950, 1977–1981 Chicago 1937–1939 Cincinnati 1946, 1948–1981, 1983–present Citadel 1939, 1946–1952, 1959–1981 Clemson 1937–1940, 1946–present Coastal Carolina 2017–present Colgate 1937–1940, 1946–1981 Colorado 1937–1940, 1946–present Colorado College 1946–1947 Colorado State 1940, 1946–present Columbia 1938–1940, 1946–1981 Cornell 1937–1940, 1946–1981 Creighton 1939–1942

D Dartmouth 1937–1940, 1946–1981 Davidson 1937–1940, 1946–1953, 1967–1976 Dayton 1956–1976 Delaware 2025–present Denver 1940–1960 Detroit 1939–1964 Drake 1939–1940, 1946–1958, 1973–1980 Duke 1937–1940, 1946–present Duquesne 1937–1940, 1947–1950

E East Carolina 1966–present East Tennessee State 1978–1981 Eastern Michigan 1976–81, 1983–present

F FIU 2006–present Florida 1937–1940, 1946–present Florida Atlantic 2006–present Florida State 1955–present Fordham 1937–1940, 1946–1954 Fresno State 1973–present Furman 1946–1953, 1955–1957, 1965, 1973–1981

G Georgetown 1937–1940, 1946–1950 George Washington 1939–1966 Georgia 1937–1940, 1946–present Georgia Southern 2014–present Georgia State 2013–present Georgia Tech 1937–1940, 1946–present Gonzaga 1938–1941 Grambling 1977

H Hardin–Simmons 1946–1948, 1950–1962 Harvard 1937–1940, 1946–1981 Haskell 1937–1938 Hawaii 1974–present Holy Cross 1938–1940, 1946–1981 Houston 1949–present

I Idaho 1938–1940, 1946–1967, 1969–1977, 1997–2017 Illinois 1937–1940, 1946–present Illinois State 1976–1981 Indiana 1937–1940, 1946–present Indiana State 1976–1981 Iowa 1937–1940, 1946–present Iowa State 1937–1940, 1946–present

J Jackson State 1977 Jacksonville State 2023–present James Madison 2022–present

K Kansas 1937–1940, 1946–present Kansas State 1937–1940, 1946–present Kennesaw State 2024–present Kent State 1962–1981, 1983–present Kentucky 1937, 1940–present

L Lafayette 1938–1940, 1946–1950 Lamar 1974–1981 Lehigh 1938–1940, 1946–1947 Liberty 2018–present Long Beach State 1973–1991 Louisiana 1974–present Louisiana–Monroe 1975–1981, 1994–present Louisiana Tech 1975–1981, 1989–present Louisville 1951, 1962–present Loyola Marymount 1950–1951 Loyola (Chicago) 1940 LSU 1937–1940, 1946–present

M Manhattan 1937–1942 Marquette 1937–1960 Marshall 1962–1981, 1998–present Maryland 1937, 1940, 1946–present Massachusetts 2012–present McNeese 1975–1981 (as McNeese State) Memphis 1960–present Merchant Marine 1946–1947 Miami (FL) 1946–present Miami (OH) 1948–1949, 1961–1981, 1983–present Michigan 1937–1940, 1946–present Michigan State 1937–1940, 1946–present Middle Tennessee 1999–present Minnesota 1937–1940, 1946–present Mississippi State 1937–1940, 1946–present Missouri 1937–1940, 1946–present Missouri State 2025–present Montana 1939–1940, 1946–1962 Montana State 1946–1948

N Navy 1937–1940, 1946–present NC State 1940, 1946–present Nebraska 1937–1940, 1946–present Nevada 1946–1950, 1992–present New Hampshire 1940 New Mexico 1940, 1946–present New Mexico State 1946–1947, 1952–1953, 1959–present North Carolina 1937–1940, 1946–present North Dakota State 2026–future North Texas 1957–1981, 1995–present Northern Arizona 1946–1947 Northern Colorado 1946–1947 (as Colorado State) Northern Illinois 1969–1981, 1983–present Northwestern 1937–1940, 1946–present Northwestern State 1976–1977 Notre Dame 1937–1940, 1946–present NYU 1937–1948, 1951–1952

O Ohio 1948, 1961–1981, 1983–present Ohio State 1937–1940, 1946–present Oklahoma 1937–1940, 1946–present Oklahoma State 1939–1940, 1946–present Old Dominion 2014–present Ole Miss 1937–1940, 1946–present Oregon 1937–1940, 1946–present Oregon State 1937–1940, 1946–present

P Pacific 1950–1960, 1962–1963, 1966, 1969–1995 Penn 1937–1940, 1946–1981 Penn State 1938–1940, 1946–present Pittsburgh 1937–1940, 1946–present Portland 1946–1948 Princeton 1937–1940, 1946–1981 Purdue 1937–1940, 1946–present

R Rice 1937–1940, 1946–present Richmond 1940, 1946–1981 Rutgers 1946–present

S Sacramento State 2026–future Saint Louis 1940–1949 Saint Mary's 1937–1940, 1946–1950 Sam Houston 2023–present San Diego State 1969–present San Francisco 1940–1951 San Jose State 1939–1940, 1950–present Santa Clara 1937–1942, 1946–1952 Sewanee 1937 South Alabama 2012–present South Carolina 1939–1940, 1946–present South Florida 2001–present Southern California 1937–1940, 1946–present Southern Illinois 1973–1981 SMU 1937–1940, 1946–1986, 1989–present Southern Miss 1960, 1963–present Southern U. 1977 Stanford 1937–1940, 1946–present Syracuse 1937–1940, 1946–present

T Tampa 1973–1974 TCU 1937–1940, 1946–present Temple 1938–1940, 1946–1953, 1971–present Tennessee 1937–1940, 1946–present Tennessee State 1977–1980 Texas 1937–1940, 1946–present Texas A&M 1937–1940, 1946–present Texas Southern 1977 Texas State 2012–present Texas Tech 1937–1940, 1946–present Toledo 1962–present Trinity (TX) 1960 Troy 2002–present Tulane 1937–1940, 1946–present Tulsa 1937–1940, 1946–present

U UAB 1996–2014, 2017–present UCF 1996–present UCLA 1937–1940, 1946–present UConn 2002–present UNLV 1978–present UT Arlington 1972–1981 (as Texas–Arlington) Utah 1938–1940, 1946–present Utah State 1939–1940, 1946–present UTEP 1940, 1946–present UTSA 2012–present

V Vanderbilt 1937–1940, 1946–present Villanova 1939–1940, 1946–1980 Virginia 1940, 1946–present Virginia Tech 1940, 1946–present VMI 1939–40, 1946–81

W Wake Forest 1939–1940, 1946–present Washington 1937–1940, 1946–present Washington (MO) 1937–1940 Washington & Lee 1940, 1946–1953 Washington State 1937–1940, 1946–present West Texas A&M 1946–1947, 1951–1953, 1958–1980 (as West Texas State) West Virginia 1939–1940, 1946–present Western Carolina 1977–1981 Western Kentucky 2008–present Western Michigan 1962–present Wichita State 1946–1986 William & Mary 1940, 1946–1981 Wisconsin 1937–1940, 1946–present Wyoming 1940, 1946–present

X Xavier 1960–1973

Y Yale 1937–1940, 1946–1981

See also NCAA Division I men's basketball alignment history NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision alignment history

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References