The 2026 college football season is not even a dot on the horizon at this point. However, as college football realignment continues to shake the bedrock of the sport unlike anything else, that campaign is as relevant today as the action going on around us.
With so many moves occurring throughout the calendar year, it can be difficult to keep track of who is playing where in any given season. Thankfully, our 2026 college football realignment tracker breaks down every single conference.
2026 College Football Realignment
American Athletic Conference (AAC)
The AAC has been a significant player in college football realignment, but at present is set to retain the same lineup in 2026.
- 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 is one conference to keep an eye on for college football realignment purposes as the Florida State Seminoles and Clemson Tigers continue to pursue their escape. At present, however, the conference is set to remain unchanged.
- 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
After being a significant player in the 2024 round of college football realignment, the Big Ten is set to remain unchanged for the 2026 season.
- 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
While Brett Yormark has declared the conference “open for business” since arriving in post, the Big 12 is set to remain static with its existing 16 teams in the 2026 college football season.
- 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)
A major player in college football realignment since 2023, CUSA is set to remain unchanged from its 2025 lineup.
- Delaware Blue Hens
- FIU Panthers
- Jacksonville State Gamecocks
- Kennesaw State Owls
- Liberty Flames
- Louisiana Tech Bulldogs
- Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders
- Missouri State Bears
- New Mexico State Aggies
- Sam Houston Bearkats
- UTEP Miners
- Western Kentucky Hilltoppers
Mid-American Conference (MAC)
The MAC added UMass for the 2025 season, breaking the stability that the conference has been famed for. Having an uneven number of teams could see them involved in further college football realignment, but there is nothing specifically set for 2026 as of yet.
- 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 is one of the key players in college football realignment for the 2026 campaign. The conference lost four teams to the Pac-12 (Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, and San Diego State), leaving it with the minimum eight teams required under NCAA regulations.
- Air Force Falcons
- Hawaii Rainbow Warriors
- Nevada Wolf Pack
- New Mexico Lobos
- San Jose State Spartans
- UNLV Rebels
- Utah State Aggies
- Wyoming Cowboys
Pac-12 Conference
The Pac-12 Conference currently sits at six teams following the addition of four teams from the Mountain West, as announced during the 2024 college campaign. That is still short of the minimum requirement to exist as a conference, so more change is coming.
- Boise State Broncos
- Colorado State Rams
- Fresno State Bulldogs
- Oregon State Beavers
- San Diego State Aztecs
- Washington State Cougars
Southeastern Conference (SEC)
The SEC is set to retain the same lineup for the 2026 college football campaign.
- 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
The Sun Belt is set to retain the same lineup for the 2026 campaign. That said, they boast several teams that could prove attractive for conferences looking to bolster their numbers.
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
Notre Dame and UConn remain as the only FBS Independents at this time. However, the Huskies were involved in talks with the Big 12 until recently and are seen as a potential cog in future college football realignment.
- Notre Dame Fighting Irish
- UConn Huskies
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