Everything we've come to know about NCAA college football conferences has been blown to smithereens over the last few academic years. From 2021-2024, significant changes have and will be ushered into play regarding what schools are playing sports where. Seven of the ten Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) conferences have or will undergo membership changes as well.
Below is a breakdown and timeline of what FBS schools are on the move, to where, and when.
Southeastern Conference
Joining in 2024: Texas, Oklahoma
Leaving/left: No teams
Timeline: Two Big 12 founding teams, Texas and Oklahoma, kicked off the conference realignment craziness in 2021. On July 21st, 2021, it was reported that Texas and Oklahoma had approached the Southeastern Conference about leaving the Big 12 and joining them instead. Soon thereafter, on July 26th, 2021, the schools informed the Big 12 that they would be leaving the conference. On July 29th, 2021, the SEC officially invited Texas and Oklahoma to join their conference. While the schools were originally set to change conferences in 2025, the Big 12 came to a buyout agreement with Texas and Oklahoma on February 9th, 2023, allowing the schools to join the SEC a year earlier in 2024.
Big 12 Conference
Joined in 2023: Houston, UCF, BYU, Cincinnati
Joining in 2024: Colorado, Arizona, Arizona State, Utah
Leaving in 2024: Texas, Oklahoma
Timeline: As the first conference to learn about losing schools, the Big 12 quickly looked to fill the impending voids of Texas and Oklahoma. On Sept. 10th, 2021, it was announced that BYU, an FBS independent, would join the conference. On the same day, American Athletic Conference teams Houston, UCF, and Cincinnati made commitments to join the Power Five conference. In early June 2023, it was speculated that Colorado and Arizona were set on joining the Big 12 as well. Colorado, a Big 12 member until it left for the Pac-12 in 2011, was given a deadline of July 25th to decide on its plans. On July 27th, it was officially announced that Colorado would be re-joining the Big 12. On August 3rd, Arizona, Arizona State, and Utah all announced that they would be coming to the conference in 2024 too.
Big Ten Conference
Joining in 2024: UCLA, Oregon, USC, Washington
Leaving/left: No teams
Timeline: The Pac-12's media deal is set to end in 2024. This inspired Pac-12 schools in UCLA and USC to jump ship and join the Big Ten Conference. This move was made official after a June 30th, 2022, conference meeting. Oregon and Washington followed suit on Aug. 4th, 2023.
Pac-12 Conference
Joined/joining: No teams
Leaving in 2024: Colorado, Arizona, Arizona State, Washington, Oregon, UCLA, USC, Utah
Timeline: Colorado's departure announcement from the Pac-12 on July 27th, 2023, set the conference into a frenzy. With UCLA and USC already out the door, and Arizona, Arizona State, and Utah announcing their departures as well, the conference was down to six members. With uncertainty surrounding the Pac-12's future, other teams quickly decided to go elsewhere as well. Oregon and Washington announced their departure from the conference on August 4th, with both schools headed to the Big Ten in 2024. These moves leave the Pac-12 with only four teams come 2024 and a lot of uncertainty going forward.
American Athletic Conference
Joined in 2023: UTSA, UAB, Rice, North Texas, Charlotte, FAU
Left in 2023: UCF, Cincinnati, Houston
Timeline: With the departures of UCF, Cincinnati, and Houston, The American Athletic Conference looked to poach some Mountain West Conference schools. Their invitations to Boise State, Colorado State, San Diego State, and Air Force were declined. On Oct. 21st, 2021, the AAC was able to secure UTSA, UAB, Rice, North Texas, Charlotte, and FAU, all from Conference USA.
Sun Belt Conference
Joined in 2022: Marshall, Old Dominion, James Madison, Southern Miss
Left 2022: UT-Arlington, Little Rock
The Sun Belt Conference was able to capitalize on Conference USA's instability after the AAC secured four of their biggest schools. The Sun Belt offered entry to Southern Miss, Old Dominion, and Marshall. The former two announced their commitment to the conference on October 26th, 2021. Marshall and James Madison announced their moves to the Sun Belt on October 30th and November 6th, 2021, respectively. Non-football programs UT-Arlington and Little Rock announced that they would be leaving the conference on December 8th and January 19th, 2021.
Conference USA:
Joined in 2023: Liberty, Jacksonville State, Sam Houston, New Mexico State
Joining in 2024: Kennesaw State
Left in 2022: Marshall, Old Dominion, Southern Miss
Left in 2023: UAB, UTEP, North Texas, Charlotte, Rice, FAU
Timeline: To fill the void of nine departing schools, Conference USA invited four schools on November 21st, 2021. Liberty, Sam Houston, Jacksonville State, and New Mexico State all accepted and have joined the conference for 2023. On October 14th, 2022, Kennesaw State was announced to be joining C-USA come 2024.
Other Conference Realignment News
The remaining FBS schools, the Atlantic Coast Conference, Mountain West Conference, and Mid-American Conference, have all gone unscathed in the conference realignment process, neither losing nor gaining any teams thus far.
Several Division 1 Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) conferences have been affected by the conference realignments as well. Notably, Sam Houston, Jacksonville State, Kennesaw State, and James Madison are all making the jump from FCS to FBS. Texas A&M-Commerce, Lindenwood, and Stonehill will all be joining the FCS.