College Football Conference Realignment: Tracking all changes
Conference realignment has been one of the major storylines in college football and basketball the last few years. Some moves have been major, such as ACC and Big Ten expansion and another realignment within the Big East, but other conference lineups across the country have changed since the end of last season.
Need to catch up? Want to look ahead? Here’s our guide to college basketball realignment for the next two seasons.
The charts below reflect only changes in college football. We also have a primer on college basketball realignment.
Teams in italics are leaving the conference listed. Teams in bold are joining the conference listed.
POWER CONFERENCES
ACC
2012 | 2013 | 2014 |
Boston College | ATLANTIC | ATLANTIC |
Clemson | Boston College | Boston College |
Duke | Clemson | Clemson |
Florida State | Florida State | Florida State |
Georgia Tech | Maryland | Louisville |
Maryland | NC State | NC State |
Miami | Syracuse | Syracuse |
NC State | Wake Forest | Wake Forest |
North Carolina | COASTAL | COASTAL |
Virginia | Duke | Duke |
Virginia Tech | Georgia Tech | Georgia Tech |
Wake Forest | Miami | Miami |
| North Carolina | North Carolina |
| Pittsburgh | Pittsburgh |
| Virginia | Virginia |
| Virginia Tech | Virginia Tech |
BIG 12
2011 | 2012 |
Baylor | Baylor |
Iowa State | Iowa State |
Kansas | Kansas |
Kansas State | Kansas State |
Missouri | Oklahoma |
Oklahoma | Oklahoma State |
Oklahoma State | TCU |
Texas | Texas |
Texas A&M | Texas Tech |
Texas Tech | West Virginia |
BIG EAST/AMERICAN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE
2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 |
Cincinnati | Cincinnati | Cincinnati | Cincinnati | Cincinnati |
Connecticut | Connecticut | Connecticut | Connecticut | Connecticut |
Louisville | Louisville | Houston | East Carolina | East Carolina |
Pittsburgh | Pittsburgh | Louisville | Houston | Houston |
Rutgers | Rutgers | Memphis | Memphis | Memphis |
Syracuse | Syracuse | Rutgers | SMU | Navy |
USF | Temple | SMU | Temple | SMU |
W. Virginia | USF | Temple | Tulane | Temple |
|
| UCF | Tulsa | Tulane |
|
| USF | USF | Tulsa |
|
|
| USF | UCF |
|
|
|
| USF |
BIG TEN
2012/2013 | 2014 |
LEADERS | EAST |
Illinois | Indiana |
Indiana | Maryland |
Ohio State | Michigan |
Penn State | Michigan State |
Purdue | Ohio State |
Wisconsin | Penn State |
LEGENDS | Rutgers |
Iowa | WEST |
Michigan | Illinois |
Michigan State | Iowa |
Minnesota | Minnesota |
Nebraska | Nebraska |
Northwestern | Northwestern |
| Purdue |
| Wisconsin |
SEC
2011 | 2012 |
EAST | EAST |
Florida | Florida |
Georgia | Georgia |
Kentucky | Kentucky |
South Carolina | Missouri |
Tennessee | South Carolina |
Vanderbilt | Tennessee |
WEST | Vanderbilt |
Alabama | WEST |
Arkansas | Alabama |
Auburn | Arkansas |
LSU | Auburn |
Ole Miss | LSU |
Misssissippi State | Ole Miss |
| Mississippi State |
| Texas A&M |
NON-POWER CONFERENCES
Conference USA
2012 | 2013 | 2014 |
East Carolina | Charlotte* | Charlotte |
Houston | East Carolina | FAU |
Marshall | FAU | FIU |
Memphis | FIU | Louisiana Tech |
Rice | Louisiana Tech | Marshall |
SMU | Marshall | Middle Tenn. |
Southern Miss | Middle Tenn. | North Texas |
Tulane | North Texas | Old Dominion |
Tulsa | Old Dominion* | Rice |
UAB | Rice | Southern Miss |
UCF | Southern Miss | Tulsa |
UTEP | Tulane | UAB |
| Tulsa | UTEP |
| UAB | UTSA |
| UTEP | Western Ky. |
| UTSA |
|
*Charlotte and Old Dominion do not play FBS football at this time but expect to move up in the coming years.
Mountain West
2011 | 2012 | 2013 |
Air Force | Air Force | Air Force |
Boise State | Boise State* | Boise State |
Colorado State | Colorado State | Colorado State |
New Mexico | Fresno State | Fresno State |
San Diego State | Hawaii | Hawaii |
TCU | Nevada | Nevada |
UNLV | New Mexico | New Mexico |
Wyoming | San Diego State | San Diego State |
| UNLV | San Jose State |
| Wyoming | UNLV |
|
| Utah State |
|
| Wyoming |
*Boise State originally agreed to join the Big East as a football-only member in 2013 but will remain in the Mountain West.
Sun Belt
2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 |
Arkansas St. | Arkansas St. | Arkansas St. | Arkansas St. | Appalachian St. |
FAU | FAU | Georgia St. | Georgia St. | Arkansas St. |
FIU | FIU | UL-Lafayette | Idaho | Ga. Southern |
UL-Lafayette | UL-Lafayette | South Ala. | UL-Lafayette | Georgia St. |
Middle Tenn. | Middle Tenn. | Texas St. | New Mexico St. | Idaho |
North Texas | North Texas | Troy | South Ala. | UL-Lafayette |
Troy | South Ala. | ULM | Texas State | New Mexico St. |
ULM | Troy | Western Ky. | Troy | South Ala. |
Western Ky. | ULM |
| ULM | Texas State |
| Western Ky. |
|
| Troy |
|
|
|
| ULM |
|
|
|
|
|
WAC
2011 | 2012 |
Fresno State | Idaho |
Hawaii | Louisiana Tech |
Idaho | New Mexico State |
Louisiana Tech | San Jose State |
Nevada | Texas State |
New Mexico State | Utah State |
San Jose State | UTSA |
Utah State | Utah State |
*With only Idaho and New Mexico State remaining, the WAC will cease to be be a football conference. Idaho and New Mexico State will be independents in FBS.
