conference realignment turns: FBS edition
While baseball fans may celebrate July 1 as “Bobby Bonilla Day,” it also marks the start of the new academic year for colleges across the country. And, as has been the case every year since Division I football split to two distinct classifications for the 1978 season, there have been some conference membership changes.
Some years, such as the dissolution of the Southwest Conference in 1995, saw 34 schools change conferences, move divisions or, in the case of Pacific, drop football altogether.
Other years, such as 2019, saw no conference movement at the FBS level, while just five schools changed conferences. Two joining the FCS ranks, while Savannah State ended its 18-year stint in Division I by returning to the SIAC in Division II.
Syndicate Sports is presenting a five-part series introducing readers to the teams changing conferences. This article focuses on the football side of the realignment carousel at the FBS level. While some moves have been in the works for at least a year, others were announced only recently.
Mid-American Conference
When Northern Illinois announced it was leaving the MAC for the second time on Jan. 7, 2025, the conference began searching for its replacement. The Huskies previously left in 1986 and spent 12 seasons as an independent and in the now-defunct Big West football conference.
Sacramento State, which compiled a 39-23 record over the past five seasons, wanted to move its football program to the FBS level and attempted to leverage $35 million in NIL commitments to join the rebuilt Pac-12 (more on them later).
After that effort was rejected, the Hornets entered negotiations with the MAC to replace Northern Illinois. On Feb. 16, the MAC announced Sacramento State would join as a football-only member.
While the announcement did not include financial details, the Sacramento Bee reported the school will pay $24 million over the next five years to join the conference. The entry fee is $18 million, while the school also will cover travel costs for four visiting conference opponents.
The Hornets bring a resume that includes seven conference championships and a 4-7 all-time postseason record. Their most recent conference title came in 2023. They have yet to face a current MAC member.
Mountain West Conference
When the Pac-12 rebuilt by inviting five schools in fall 2024, the Mountain West was left with seven football members.
To return to the eight-team threshold required to compete at the FBS level, the conference invited Texas-El Paso (UTEP) on Oct. 1, 2024, as a full member.
“We look forward to rekindling former rivalries and welcoming teams and their fans to El Paso,” UTEP President Heather Wilson said in a press release.
Those rivalries include New Mexico, against which the Miners trail 33-44-3 in the all-time series.
The conference also added two football-only members, beginning with Northern Illinois. The Huskies have experienced an up-and-down five-year stretch, posting a 30-34. While the program is 7-14 all-time in postseason play, it has won its past two bowl games.
In February, North Dakota State announced it had accepted an invite to join the Mountain West.
Adding North Dakota State was a significant addition. The Bison have won 18 national championships, including 10 at the FCS level, and 39 conference titles. The program is also 9-5 against FBS opponents since moving to the FCS in 2004.
Pac-12 Conference
Welcome back to the Conference of Champions, although it has a much different look. Five of the Mountain West’s premier programs are joining, including schools that have won every conference football championship since 2012 with the exception of San Jose State in 2020.
Boise State leads the newcomers, posting a 45-22 record over the past five seasons. The Broncos are 23-17 all-time in postseason play and have won 23 conference championships. They are coming off a College Football Playoff appearance in 2024 and became the second BCS buster in 2007.
Fresno State also has enjoyed success over the past five seasons, compiling a 44-22 while winning four of its past five bowl games. The Bulldogs have posted seven 10-win seasons since going undefeated in 1985, including four during the past decade.
San Diego State has compiled a 35-29 record over the past five seasons. The Aztecs have won just three conference championships since 2000, with their most recent title coming in 2016.
Utah State has posted four 10-win seasons since 2012 but has hovered around .500 over the past five seasons. The Aggies have won two conference title twice since 2010. Colorado State, meanwhile, has not reached the 10-win mark in the past 11 seasons. The Rams have lost five straight bowl games since their last postseason victory in 2013 and have not won a conference championship since 2002.
The Pac-12 turned to Texas to add its eighth football member, Texas State. Under G.J. Kinne, the Bobcats have enjoyed some of the best seasons in program history over the past three years. The school enters the season on a three-game bowl winning streak after making its first postseason appearances since the 2008 FCS playoffs.
Sun Belt Conference
For the first time since Western Kentucky left for Conference USA in 2015, the Sun Belt will lose a football playing member. Texas State is leaving to join the rebuilt Pac-12.
Unlike the last wave of realignment, when the conference largely added FCS teams, the Sun Belt looked to one of its former all-sports members to replace the Bobcats.
Looking to the western edge of its footprint, the Sun Belt invited Louisiana Tech to leave Conference USA. The Bulldogs were members from 1991-2001 in every sports the conference sponsored at the time.
Rather than remain when the Sun Belt began sponsoring football in 2001, Louisiana Tech accepted an invitation to join the WAC, which was attempting to rebuild after eight schools departed to form the Mountain West.
Unlike most of the rest of the FBS realignment, this move was driven primarily by geography. The Bulldogs are not known as a football powerhouse, posting a 22-40 record over the past five seasons.
Louisiana Tech has won 25 conference championships, although only two came at the FBS level: the 2001 and 2011 WAC titles. When the Bulldogs reach the postseason, they have enjoyed success, winning seven of their past 10 bowl games dating to the 2011 season. This includes their 23-14 victory over Coastal Carolina in last season’s Independence Bowl.
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