College football has been likened to the Wild West in recent years. The transfer portal, NIL, realignment, and other chaotic caveats have been heightened so much that an almost lawless nature permeates throughout the game we love.
With the current ever-changing landscape, it can be a hectic endeavor trying to get your hands around it. The dust is far from settled but we’re here to offer a little clarity in these hazy times with our 2025 college football realignment tracker.
2025 College Football Realignment
American Athletic Conference (AAC)
After years of change, the AAC might actually find some stability after the 2024 season. The conference just added the Army Black Knights to make up for SMU joining the ACC after the 2023 season. That keeps the AAC a 14-member conference, with all 14 programs set to be back in 2025.
- Army Black Knights
- Charlotte 49ers
- East Carolina Pirates
- Florida Atlantic Owls
- Memphis Tigers
- Navy Midshipmen
- North Texas Mean Green
- Rice Owls
- South Florida Bulls
- Temple Owls
- Tulane Green Wave
- Tulsa Golden Hurricane
- UAB Blazers
- UTSA Roadrunners
Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC)
The ACC has a robust 17 members, but that is a fluid figure with Florida State currently negotiating its deal with the conference.
FSU seems willing to fork over 100s of millions of dollars to leave the ACC for the SEC or Big 10. That would create a ripple effect, leading to other high-profile programs departing the conference. Those messy details are still being sorted, so there’s no “Power Two” yet, and the ACC remains strong…for now.
- Boston College Eagles
- California Golden Bears
- Clemson Tigers
- Duke Blue Devils
- Florida State Seminoles
- Georgia Tech Yellowjackets
- Louisville Cardinals
- Miami (FL) Hurricanes
- NC State Wolfpack
- North Carolina Tar Heels
- Pittsburgh Panthers
- SMU Mustangs
- Stanford Cardinal
- Syracuse Orange
- Virginia Cavaliers
- Virginia Tech Hokies
- Wake Forest Demon Deacons
Big Ten Conference
True to its title, the Big Ten continues to get bigger and bigger after adding Washington, UCLA, USC, and Oregon in 2024. That number could grow even more if FSU can buy its way out of the ACC and into the Big Ten.
It would likely have to compete with the SEC for the Seminoles, but it would be a flag in southern territory for the conference. Pending further realignment to bolster its numbers, the Big Ten is set at 18 members.
- Illinois Fighting Illini
- Indiana Hoosiers
- Iowa Hawkeyes
- Maryland Terrapins
- Michigan Wolverines
- Michigan State Spartans
- Minnesota Golden Gophers
- Nebraska Cornhuskers
- Northwestern Wildcats
- Ohio State Buckeyes
- Oregon Ducks
- Penn State Nittany Lions
- Purdue Boilermakers
- Rutgers Scarlet Knights
- Washington Huskies
- Wisconsin Badgers
- UCLA Bruins
- USC Trojans
Big 12 Conference
The Big 12 lost two of its largest programs, with Texas and Oklahoma departing for the SEC in 2024 but made up for it with four Pac-12 teams joining — Colorado, Utah, Arizona, and Arizona State.
A nice recovery after a devastating blow, Big 12 President Brett Yormark said last August the conference doesn’t plan to expand further. Even so, when it comes to college football realignment, plans tend to change, but the Big 12 remains at 16 for now.
- Arizona State Sun Devils
- Arizona Wildcats
- Baylor Bears
- BYU Cougars
- Cincinnati Bearcats
- Colorado Buffaloes
- Houston Cougars
- Iowa State Cyclones
- Kansas Jayhawks
- Kansas State Wildcats
- Oklahoma State Cowboys
- TCU Horned Frogs
- Texas Tech Red Raiders
- UCF Knights
- Utah Utes
- West Virginia Mountaineers
Conference USA (CUSA)
CUSA was nearly gutted when the AAC took six members ahead of the 2023 season. Last year, the conference elevated two FCS programs, the Sam Houston State Bearkats and Jacksonville State Gamecocks, and is doing the same for the Kennesaw State Owls in 2024 and the Delaware Blue Hens in 2025.
CUSA is set to field 11 programs in 2025 with plans to expand to 12, targeting another FCS elevation, Missouri State.
- Delaware Blue Hens
- FIU Panthers
- Jacksonville State Gamecocks
- Kennesaw State Owls
- Liberty Flames
- Louisiana Tech Bulldogs
- Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders
- New Mexico State Aggies
- Sam Houston Bearkats
- UTEP Miners
- Western Kentucky Hilltoppers
Mid-American Conference (MAC)
While every other conference has felt the wrath of college football realignment, the MAC has remained relatively unscathed, with no full-time additions since 1998.
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The conference almost absorbed Western Kentucky and Middle Tennessee from CUSA in 2021 but opted to remain at 12 members. That changed when the University of Massachusetts Minutemen were introduced as the 13th member starting in 2025.
- Akron Zips
- Ball State Cardinals
- Bowling Green Falcons
- Buffalo Bulls
- Central Michigan Chippewas
- Eastern Michigan Eagles
- Kent State Golden Flashes
- Miami (OH) RedHawks
- Northern Illinois Huskies
- Ohio Bobcats
- Toledo Rockets
- UMass Minutemen
- Western Michigan Broncos
Mountain West Conference
The Mountain West almost lost a key member when San Diego State prematurely announced its departure to the Pac-12 last summer. The two sides smoothed things over, and now the Mountain West has a scheduling agreement with the Pac-12’s two remaining members, Washington State and Oregon State.
There’s even potential for a conference merger if the Pac-12 fully dissolves, but the Mountain West remains at 12 for 2025.
- Air Force Falcons
- Boise State Broncos
- Colorado State Rams
- Fresno State Bulldogs
- Hawaii Rainbow Warriors
- Nevada Wolf Pack
- New Mexico Lobos
- San Diego State Aztecs
- San Jose State Spartans
- UNLV Rebels
- Utah State Aggies
- Wyoming Cowboys
Pac-12 Conference
Utter devastation has hit the Pac-12 amidst the college football realignment frenzy. 10 teams left before the 2024 season — USC, UCLA, Oregon, and Washington to the Big Ten, Colorado, Utah, Arizona, and Arizona State to the Big 12, while Cal and Stanford joined the ACC.
With just two members, the future of the Pac-12 is in flux for 2025. The AAC has already said it won’t add teams on the West Coast, so its only option seems to be a Mountain West merger.
- Oregon State Beavers
- Washington State Cougars
Southeastern Conference (SEC)
If you want to point the finger at a conference to blame college football realignment on, look no further than the vaunted SEC.
The conference toppled the first domino in 2021 by adding Texas and Oklahoma for the 2024 season. That created a tsunami of conference re-shuffling that we find ourselves in today.
- Alabama Crimson Tide
- Arkansas Razorbacks
- Auburn Tigers
- Florida Gators
- Georgia Bulldogs
- Kentucky Wildcats
- LSU Tigers
- Mississippi State Bulldogs
- Missouri Tigers
- Oklahoma Sooners
- Ole Miss Rebels
- South Carolina Gamecocks
- Tennessee Volunteers
- Texas A&M Aggies
- Texas Longhorns
- Vanderbilt Commodores
Sun Belt Conference
Things have stabilized for the Sun Belt since adding four teams ahead of the 2022 season — Marshall, Old Dominion, and Southern Miss from CUSA, and elevating James Madison from the FCS.
The conference continues to split into West and East Divisions, with the two divisional winners playing in a Sun Belt Championship, making it the only remaining conference in college football not to be a single-division affair.
East Division
- Appalachian State Mountaineers
- Coastal Carolina Chanticleers
- Georgia Southern Eagles
- Georgia State Panthers
- James Madison Dukes
- Marshall Thundering Herd
- Old Dominion Monarchs
West Division
- Arkansas State Red Wolves
- Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns
- Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks
- South Alabama Jaguars
- Southern Miss Golden Eagles
- Texas State Bobcats
- Troy Trojans
FBS Independents
With UMass joining the MAC, just two independent teams are left in the country, which could shrink even further. While Notre Dame has an annual five-game tie-in with the ACC so it can remain competitive, the 12-team playoff format with five automatic bids for conference winners could impact the Irish.
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To avoid missing out on a College Football Playoff bye, there’s a potential that Notre Dame will finally drop its independent status.
- Notre Dame Fighting Irish
- UConn Huskies
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