Let's go another round
Recapping the conference realignment changes for 2025
Another year, another set of teams finding new conference homes across college football. With today, July 1, being the turn of the calendar year for all higher education across the nation, that also brings changes in conference membership as moves and changes have become official.
No, there isn’t some massive moves like we saw ahead of last season, but there’s still plenty of changes to the landscape of college football’s conferences.
So, what’s new in 2025? Let’s break it down:
ACC
Incoming: None
Outgoing: None
The ACC gets a reprieve from realignment after adding Cal, SMU and Stanford ahead of the 2024 season. There’s no chatter or anything about the ACC continuing to expand.
Perhaps the biggest news on the Atlantic (All Coasts?) shoreline is the settlement of a lawsuit between the league and top-tier programs Clemson and Florida State over revenue sharing. With both programs threatening to break the Grant of Rights and leave the conference, coming to a solution - even if it means funnelling more money to the Tigers and Seminoles - keeps the league together.
Big Ten
Incoming: None
Outgoing: None
All is quiet in the Midwest as well, as the Big Ten is shaping up for what should be an epic season filled with some incredibly talented teams.
Big 12
Incoming: None
Outgoing: None
Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark can finally rest, as his conference didn’t have to make any significant membership moves this season. Though there is substantial movement at UNLV to get the Rebels into the Big 12, it doesn’t seem like the conference is reciprocating that goal.
SEC
Incoming: None
Outgoing: None
Let’s be honest - who was the nation’s top conference even going to add? Florida State and Clemson were the only two contenders, and their settlement with the ACC put the kibosh on that.
Now, the only drama is in scheduling. When is the SEC going to move to nine conference games?
American
Incoming: None
Outgoing: None
The American bills itself as the nation’s premier Group of Six (boy, it’s going to take a while to get used to that) conference. They weathered the last round of realignment, and affirmations from Memphis, Tulane, USF and UTSA to stay in the conference strengthened the league’s bonds. The American looks to be in a strong place going forward.
Conference USA
Incoming: Delaware, Missouri State
Outgoing: None*
Let’s all welcome the two newest members of the FBS in Delaware and Missouri State! The programs bring us up to 136 total and give Conference USA 12 teams for the 2025 season.
Delaware comes with a solid track record at the FCS ranks, with a 26-11 record across head coach Ryan Carty’s tenure. They’ve flexed their recruiting muscles both on the trail in high schools and in the portal, where they’ve signed a host of Power Four bounce-backs.
Missouri State has a more up-and-down history, but recent success under Bobby Petrino (yes, that Bobby Petrino) reinvigorated the fan base. Upgrades to their stadium and facilities signal the Bears want to compete right away in the CUSA. Last season saw the Bears go 8-4 and 6-2 in a strong Missouri Valley Conference.
Conference USA will be losing UTEP in 2026 to the Mountain West. There is also talk about a few other programs leaving, with 10 teams being the likely end result for the league.
Further Reading:
Mid-American
Incoming: UMass
Outgoing: None*
UMass actually has some history with MACtion, serving as an honorary member and scheduling buddy as of late in addition to a disastrous tenure as a football-only member when they transitioned to the FBS from 2012-15. Now, with much better facilities and a budget that ranks towards the top of the league, the Minutemen are full members and expect to compete early under new head coach Joe Harasymiak.
NIU will be leaving the conference in 2026 as a football-only member of the Mountain West. The Huskies’ other sports will be housed in the Horizon League.
Mountain West
Incoming: None*
Outgoing: None*
This will be the last season of the Mountain West as we know it.
League stalwarts Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, San Diego State, and Utah State will be PAC-12 bound come 2026. Replacing those departures will be NIU (football only) and UTEP the same year.
Still, the conference did well in replacing its’ leaving members, bringing in a football-only school in NIU that expands the conference to 10 members on the gridiron and another in UTEP that fits the geographic footprint.
Non-football member UC Davis could make a jump from the FCS ranks to the FBS at some point, but the school doesn’t seem interested in that.
PAC-12
Incoming: None*
Outgoing: None
Oregon State and Washington State have done it - they’ve carved out a conference home. Granted, it’ll start in 2026 with Mountain West programs Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, San Diego State, and Utah State alongside Texas State coming to the PAC-St8.
Still, the PAC-2 will have one final, glorious send-off. One that includes a rare in-season home-and-home between the two holdovers.
Sun Belt
Incoming: None
Outgoing: None*
The Sun Belt is probably the most structurally sound league this side of the MAC, but the PAC-12 was able to draw in Texas State for the 2026 season.
The Bobcats’ departure leaves the conference at 13 teams - a tough nut to deal with when you factor in the Sun Belt is the only league that still uses divisions. It’s been reported that the conference is looking to quickly add a 14th member in the Western Division - with CUSA programs Louisiana Tech, Middle Tennessee and Western Kentucky being the front-runners.
Independents
Incoming: None
Outgoing: UMass
UMass to the MAC leaves us with only two independent programs: Notre Dame and UConn. We all know Notre Dame is going to be conference-free as long as it’s viable. UConn has flirted with the Big 12, but nothing of substance has come from those discussions.
One team to watch is Sacramento State, who just had their FBS waiver denied. They will be competing as an FCS independent going forward, but with no conferences willing to accept the Hornets, a jump to FBS inpendence might be the quickest route for them to get up into the big leagues.
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