Updated for the 2026 season.
The Football Championship Subdivision has 128 teams in 13 conferences plus two independents in 2026. The membership map moved more this offseason than in any year in a decade: North Dakota State, Sacramento State, Missouri State and Delaware all left for the FBS, the OVC absorbed the Big South football alliance, the WAC rebranded as the United Athletic Conference, and Southern Utah and Utah Tech joined the Big Sky. Every team is listed below by its 2026 football league.
| Conference | Teams | Playoff bid | Footprint |
|---|---|---|---|
| Big Sky | 13 | Automatic | Mountain West and Pacific |
| CAA Football | 13 | Automatic | East Coast, Maine to the Carolinas |
| Ivy League | 8 | Automatic (since 2025) | Northeast |
| MEAC | 6 | Celebration Bowl instead | Mid Atlantic HBCUs |
| Missouri Valley | 9 | Automatic | Upper Midwest and Ohio Valley |
| NEC | 8 | Automatic | Northeast |
| Ohio Valley | 8 | Automatic | Tennessee, Illinois, Missouri, Carolinas |
| Patriot League | 10 | Automatic | Northeast and Virginia |
| Pioneer League | 11 | Automatic (non scholarship) | Coast to coast |
| Southern | 10 | Automatic | Southeast |
| Southland | 10 | Automatic | Texas and Louisiana |
| SWAC | 12 | Celebration Bowl instead | Deep South HBCUs |
| United Athletic | 8 | Automatic | Texas, Arkansas, the Southeast |
| Independents | 2 | At large only | Massachusetts and Chicago |
Big Sky Conference (13)
Cal Poly, Eastern Washington, Idaho, Idaho State, Montana, Montana State, Northern Arizona, Northern Colorado, Portland State, Southern Utah, UC Davis, Utah Tech, Weber State.
Southern Utah returns after a stint in the UAC and Utah Tech joins for the first time; Sacramento State left for the FBS. Montana State is the defending national champion and the league plays a nine game conference schedule.
CAA Football (13)
Albany, Bryant, Campbell, Elon, Hampton, Maine, Monmouth, New Hampshire, North Carolina A&T, Rhode Island, Sacred Heart, Stony Brook, Towson.
Sacred Heart joins from the independent ranks. Rhode Island is the two time defending league champion. Richmond, Villanova and William & Mary moved to the Patriot League in 2025 and Delaware moved up to the FBS.
Ivy League (8)
Brown, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, Harvard, Penn, Princeton, Yale.
No athletic scholarships and a strict 10 game schedule, but as of 2025 the champion enters the FCS playoffs for the first time in league history.
Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (6)
Delaware State, Howard, Morgan State, Norfolk State, North Carolina Central, South Carolina State.
The MEAC champion plays the SWAC champion in the Celebration Bowl in Atlanta rather than taking a playoff bid. Non champions remain eligible for at large selection.
Missouri Valley Football Conference (9)
Illinois State, Indiana State, Murray State, North Dakota, Northern Iowa, South Dakota, South Dakota State, Southern Illinois, Youngstown State.
Still the league that has won more titles than any other, but it is down to nine after North Dakota State (10 national championships) and Missouri State left for the FBS. Illinois State was the 2025 national runner up.
Northeast Conference (8)
Central Connecticut, Duquesne, LIU, Mercyhurst, New Haven, Robert Morris, Stonehill, Wagner.
Mercyhurst and New Haven are still completing their Division II to Division I transitions and are not yet playoff eligible. Saint Francis dropped to Division III this year. Chicago State plays as an independent in 2026 and joins the NEC in 2027.
Ohio Valley Conference (8)
Charleston Southern, Eastern Illinois, Gardner-Webb, Lindenwood, Southeast Missouri State, Tennessee State, UT Martin, Western Illinois.
The OVC and Big South shared one playoff bid as a football association from 2023 through 2025. Starting this season the OVC runs football alone, with the two former Big South programs (Charleston Southern and Gardner-Webb) now full OVC football members. Tennessee Tech left for the Southern Conference.
Patriot League (10)
Bucknell, Colgate, Fordham, Georgetown, Holy Cross, Lafayette, Lehigh, Richmond, Villanova, William & Mary.
The three former CAA programs turned the Patriot League into a 10 team league in 2025 and gave it its first national champion pedigree: Villanova (2009) and Richmond (2008) both own titles.
Pioneer Football League (11)
Butler, Davidson, Dayton, Drake, Marist, Morehead State, Presbyterian, St. Thomas, San Diego, Stetson, Valparaiso.
The only non scholarship league besides the Ivy. Its champion has had an automatic bid since 2013.
Southern Conference (10)
Chattanooga, The Citadel, East Tennessee State, Furman, Mercer, Samford, Tennessee Tech, VMI, Western Carolina, Wofford.
Tennessee Tech arrives from the OVC. The SoCon has eight national titles in its history, though all of them belong to former members Georgia Southern, Marshall, Appalachian State and Furman (1988), the last still in the league.
Southland Conference (10)
East Texas A&M, Houston Christian, Incarnate Word, Lamar, McNeese, Nicholls, Northwestern State, Southeastern Louisiana, Stephen F. Austin, UTRGV.
UTRGV played its first season in 2025. Sam Houston, the 2020 champion, is now in the FBS.
Southwestern Athletic Conference (12)
Alabama A&M, Alabama State, Alcorn State, Arkansas-Pine Bluff, Bethune-Cookman, Florida A&M, Grambling State, Jackson State, Mississippi Valley State, Prairie View A&M, Southern, Texas Southern.
The largest FCS league. The SWAC plays a December championship game and sends its winner to the Celebration Bowl, so it does not take a playoff bid. Florida A&M won the very first I-AA title in 1978.
United Athletic Conference (8)
Abilene Christian, Austin Peay, Central Arkansas, Eastern Kentucky, North Alabama, Tarleton State, West Florida, West Georgia.
In July 2026 the WAC rebranded as the UAC and absorbed the football only alliance it had run with the ASUN since 2023. West Georgia and newcomer West Florida are still in transition and are not playoff eligible. Southern Utah and Utah Tech left for the Big Sky.
Independents (2)
Merrimack and Chicago State. Chicago State is playing its first season of football and moves to the NEC next year.
What Changed for 2026
Out: North Dakota State (to the Mountain West), Sacramento State, Missouri State and Delaware (all to the FBS), Saint Francis (to Division III). In: Chicago State (new program), West Florida (from Division II). Moved: Southern Utah and Utah Tech (UAC to Big Sky), Tennessee Tech (OVC to SoCon), Sacred Heart (independent to CAA). The OVC took over the OVC and Big South football alliance and the WAC became the UAC.
The Bottom Line
The FCS map for 2026 is 128 teams across 13 leagues and two independents. Eleven of those leagues send their champion straight into the 24 team playoff; the MEAC and SWAC play for the Celebration Bowl instead. For who has actually won it all, see our FCS champions by year and championship history, and for where these teams play, our list of the largest FCS stadiums. Today’s games are on our FCS schedule.