Conference realignment: All the moves coming in 2022–26
Last updated: Feb. 24, 2025
The wheels of conference realignment keep on turning.
If you lost track of all the changes that will be coming in the next few years, I’ve got you covered. Here’s a breakdown by conference.
At the bottom of this page is a complete list of what each conference will look like in 2026.
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Southeastern Conference
Joining in 2024: Oklahoma, Texas
Leaving/left: None
The SEC grew to 16 full members in 2024.
Big Ten Conference
Joining in 2024: Oregon, Southern Cal, UCLA, Washington
Leaving/left: None
The Big Ten grew to 18 full members in 2024.
Atlantic Coast Conference
Joining in 2024: California, SMU, Stanford
Leaving/left: None
The ACC grew to 18 full members (17 for football) in 2024.
Pac-12 Conference
Joining in 2026: Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, San Diego State, Utah State
Leaving in 2024: Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado, Oregon, Southern Cal, UCLA, Utah, Washington
Oregon State and Washington State, the last two schools left behind, are rebuilding the conference with the additions of five schools from the Mountain West, as well as Gonzaga.
Big 12 Conference
Joined in 2023: BYU, Cincinnati, Houston, UCF
Joining in 2024: Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado, Utah
Leaving in 2024: Oklahoma, Texas
The Big 12 grew to 16 full members in 2024.
Mountain West Conference
Joining in 2026: Grand Canyon, Hawaii, UC Davis, UTEP
Leaving in 2026: Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, San Diego State, Utah State
The Mountain West held steady in the early 2020s but is seeing five schools leave for the Pac-12 in 2026. Hawaii, previously a football-only member, will become a full member in 2026. Grand Canyon, which does not play football and UC Davis, which plays FCS football, are also joining in 2026. Northern Illinois will join as a football-only member in 2026.
American Athletic Conference
Leaving in 2024: SMU
Joined in 2023: Charlotte, FAU, North Texas, Rice, UAB, UTSA
Left in 2023: UCF, Cincinnati, Houston
The AAC was left with 13 full members after SMU’s departure. Army joined as a football-only member in 2024.
Sun Belt Conference
Joined in 2022: James Madison, Marshall, Old Dominion, Southern Miss
Left in 2022: Little Rock, UT-Arlington
The Sun Belt now stands at 14 full members.
Conference USA
Joined in 2023: Jacksonville State, Liberty, New Mexico State, Sam Houston
Joining in 2024: Kennesaw State
Joining in 2025: Delaware, Missouri State
Left in 2022: Marshall, Old Dominion, Southern Miss
Left in 2023: Charlotte, FAU, North Texas, Rice, UAB, UTEP
Leaving in 2026: UTEP
Conference USA grew to 10 full members when Kennesaw State joined in 2024, and will grow to 12 when Delaware and Missouri State join in 2025. UTEP is departing in 2026.
Atlantic Sun Conference
Joined in 2022: Austin Peay, Queens
Joining in 2024: West Georgia
Left in 2023: Jacksonville State, Liberty
Leaving in 2024: Kennesaw State
The ASUN stands at 12 full members sinced West Georgia joined in 2024.
Western Athletic Conference
Joined in 2022: Southern Utah, UT-Arlington
Left in 2022: Chicago State, Lamar
Left in 2023: New Mexico State, Sam Houston
Leaving in 2024: Stephen F. Austin, UTRGV
Leaving in 2025: Grand Canyon, Seattle
The WAC dropped to 9 full members when Stephen F. Austin and UTRGV left in 2024, and will drop to 7 full members when Grand Canyon and Seattle leave in 2025.
Colonial Athletic Association
Joined in 2022: Hampton, Monmouth, North Carolina A&T, Stony Brook
Joined in 2023: Campbell
Left in 2022: James Madison
Leaving in 2025: Delaware
The CAA grew to 14 full members with the addition of Campbell, but will drop to 13 in 2025 when Delaware leaves for Conference USA.
Missouri Valley Conference
Joined in 2022: Belmont, Illinois Chicago, Murray State
Left in 2022: Loyola Chicago
Leaving in 2025: Missouri State
The MVC will drop to 11 full members when Missouri State leaves in 2025.
Atlantic 10 Conference
Joined in 2022: Loyola Chicago
Leaving in 2025: Massachusetts
The A-10 will stand at 14 full members when Massachusetts leaves for the MAC.
Mid-American Conference
Joining in 2025: Massachusetts
Leaving in 2026: Northern Illinois
The MAC will grow to 13 full members when UMass joins in 2025 but will drop back to 12 when Northern Illinois departs in 2026. Northern Illinois is joining the Mountain West for football only and the Horizon League for other sports.
Ohio Valley Conference
Joined in 2022: Lindenwood, Little Rock, Southern Indiana
Joined in 2023: Western Illinois
Left in 2022: Austin Peay, Belmont, Murray State
The OVC now stands at 11 full members.
Southland Conference
Joined in 2022: Lamar, East Texas A&M
Joining in 2024: Stephen F. Austin, UTRGV
Leaving/left: None
The Southland grew to 12 full members when Stephen F. Austin and UTRGV joined in 2024. (Texas A&M Commerce, which joined in 2022, changed its name to East Texas A&M in November 2024)
Big South Conference
Joined/joining: None
Left in 2022: Hampton, North Carolina A&T
Left in 2023: Campbell
The Big South now stands at 9 full members.
Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference
Joined in 2022: Mount St. Mary’s
Left in 2022: Monmouth
Joining in 2024: Merrimack, Sacred Heart
The MAAC grew to 11 full members with the additions of Merrimack and Sacred Heart in 2024.
Big Sky Conference
Joining/joined: None
Left in 2022: Southern Utah
The Big Sky now stands at 10 full members.
Horizon League
Joining in 2026: Northern Illinois
Left in 2022: Illinois-Chicago
The Horizon League will get back to 12 full members when Northern Illinois joins in 2026.
West Coast Conference
Joining in 2025: Seattle
Left in 2023: BYU
Leaving in 2026: Gonzaga
The WCC will grow to 10 full members with the addition of Seattle in 2025. but will drop to 9 when Gonzaga leaves the conference in 2026. Grand Canyon had announced it would join with Seattle, but has since announced that it will join the Mountain West instead.
America East Conference
Joined in 2022: Bryant
Left in 2022: Hartford, Stony Brook
The America East now stands at 9 full members.
Northeast Conference
Joined in 2022: Stonehill
Joined in 2023: Le Moyne
Joining in 2024: Chicago State, Mercyhurst
Left in 2022: Bryant, Mount St. Mary’s
Left in 2023: St. Francis (N.Y.)
Leaving in 2024: Merrimack, Sacred Heart
The NEC now stands at 9 full members.
Summit League
Joined/joining: None
Left in 2023: Western Illinois
The Summit League now stands at 9 full members.
Big West Conference
Joined/joining: None
Leaving in 2026: Hawaii, UC Davis
The Big West will stand at 9 full members when Hawaii and UC Davis depart for the Mountain West in 2026.
Full conference lineup
Here’s what every Division I conference will look like by 2026 (as of now):
America East Conference (9 full members)
Albany*
Binghamton
Bryant*
Maine*
New Hampshire*
NJIT
UMBC
UMass-Lowell
Vermont
*Albany, Bryant, Maine and New Hampshire play football in CAA Football.
American Athletic Conference (13 full members)
Charlotte
East Carolina
Florida Atlantic
Memphis
North Texas
Rice
South Florida
Temple
Tulane
Tulsa
UAB
UTSA
Wichita State*
*Wichita State does not play football. Navy and Army are football-only affiliate members.
Atlantic 10 Conference (14 full members)
Davidson
Dayton
Duquesne
Fordham
George Mason
George Washington
La Salle
Loyola Chicago
Rhode Island
Richmond
St. Bonaventure
Saint Joseph’s
Saint Louis
VCU
Atlantic Coast Conference (18 full members)
Boston College
California
Clemson
Duke
Florida State
Georgia Tech
Louisville
Miami (Fla.)
North Carolina
North Carolina State
Notre Dame*
Pittsburgh
SMU
Stanford
Syracuse
Virginia
Virginia Tech
Wake Forest
*Notre Dame is a non-football member, competing as an independent.
Atlantic Sun Conference (11 full members)
Austin Peay*
Bellarmine
Central Arkansas*
Eastern Kentucky*
Florida Gulf Coast
Jacksonville
Lipscomb
North Alabama*
North Florida
Queens
Stetson
West Georgia*
*denotes football members, playing in the United Athletic Conference.
Big 12 Conference (16 full members)
Arizona
Arizona State
Baylor
BYU
Cincinnati
Colorado
Houston
Iowa State
Kansas
Kansas State
Oklahoma State
TCU
Texas Tech
UCF
Utah
West Virginia
Big East Conference (11 full members)
Butler
Connecticut
Creighton
DePaul
Georgetown
Marquette
Providence
St. John’s
Seton Hall
Villanova
Xavier
Big Sky Conference (10 full members)
Eastern Washington
Idaho
Idaho State
Montana
Montana State
Northern Arizona
Northern Colorado
Portland State
Sacramento State
Weber State
*Cal Poly and UC Davis are football-only affiliate members.
Big South Conference (9 full members)
Charleston Southern*
Gardner-Webb*
High Point
Longwood
Presbyterian
Radford
UNC Asheville
USC Upstate
Winthrop
*denotes members of the Big South-OVC football association.
Big Ten Conference (18 full members)
Illinois
Indiana
Iowa
Maryland
Michigan
Michigan State
Minnesota
Nebraska
Northwestern
Ohio State
Oregon
Penn State
Purdue
Rutgers
Southern Cal
UCLA
Washington
Wisconsin
Big West Conference (9 full members)
Cal Poly
Cal State Bakersfield
Cal State Fullerton
Cal State Northridge
Long Beach State
UC Irvine
UC Riverside
UC San Diego
UC Santa Barbara
Colonial Athletic Association (13 full members)
Campbell*
College of Charleston
Drexel
Elon*
Hampton*
Hofstra
Monmouth*
North Carolina A&T*
Northeastern
Stony Brook*
Towson*
UNC Wilmington
William & Mary*
*denotes members that are also part of the 15-team CAA Football Conference, which is run by the same administration as the CAA but is legally a different entity.
Conference USA (11 full members)
Delaware
Florida International
Jacksonville State
Kennesaw State
Liberty
Louisiana Tech
Middle Tennessee State
Missouri State
New Mexico State
Sam Houston
Western Kentucky
Horizon League (12 full members)
Cleveland State
Detroit Mercy
IU Indy
Northern Illinois
Northern Kentucky
Oakland
Purdue Fort Wayne
Robert Morris
Wisconsin-Green Bay
Wisconsin-Milwaukee
Wright State
Youngstown State
Ivy League (8 full members)
Brown
Columbia
Cornell
Dartmouth
Harvard
Penn
Princeton
Yale
Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (11 full members)
Canisius
Fairfield
Iona
Manhattan
Marist
Mount St. Mary’s
Merrimack*
Niagara
Quinnipiac
Rider
Sacred Heart*
Saint Peter’s
Siena
*Merrimack and Sacred Heart compete as FCS independents in football.
Mid-American Conference (12 full members)
Akron
Ball State
Bowling Green
Buffalo
Central Michigan
Eastern Michigan
Kent State
Massachusetts
Miami (Ohio)
Ohio
Toledo
Western Michigan
Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (8 full members)
Coppin State*
Delaware State
Howard
Maryland Eastern Shore*
Morgan State
Norfolk State
North Carolina Central
South Carolina State
*Coppin State and Maryland Eastern Shore do not play football.
Missouri Valley Conference (11 full members)
Belmont
Bradley
Drake
Evansville
Illinois Chicago
Illinois State
Indiana State
Murray State
Northern Iowa
Southern Illinois
Valparaiso
Mountain West Conference (10 full members)
Air Force
Grand Canyon*
Hawaii
Nevada
New Mexico
San Jose State
UC Davis*
UNLV
UTEP
Wyoming
*Grand Canyon does not play football and UC Davis plays FCS football in the Big Sky. Northern Illinois is joining as a football-only member.
Northeast Conference (8 full members)
Central Connecticut State*
Chicago State
FDU
Le Moyne
Long Island*
Mercyhurst*
St. Francis*
Stonehill*
Wagner*
*denotes football members, along with football-only affiliate members Duquesne and Robert Morris.
Ohio Valley Conference (11 full members)
Eastern Illinois *
Lindenwood*
Morehead State
SEMO*
SIU-Edwardsville
Southern Indiana
Tennessee State*
Tennessee Tech*
UA Little Rock
UT Martin*
Western Illinois*
*denotes members of the Big South-OVC football association.
Pac-12 Conference (7 full members)
Boise State
Colorado State
Fresno State
Gonzaga*
Oregon State
San Diego State
Utah State
Washington State
*Gonzaga does not participate in football.
Patriot League (10 full members)
American
Army
Boston University
Bucknell*
Colgate*
Holy Cross*
Lafayette*
Lehigh*
Loyola Maryland
Navy
*denotes football members, along with football-only affiliate members Fordham, Georgetown and Richmond.
Southeastern Conference (16 full members)
Alabama
Arkansas
Auburn
Florida
Georgia
Kentucky
LSU
Mississippi
Mississippi State
Missouri
Oklahoma
South Carolina
Tennessee
Texas
Texas A&M
Vanderbilt
Southern Conference (10 full members)
Chattanooga
East Tennessee State
Furman
Mercer
Samford
The Citadel
UNC Greensboro*
VMI
Western Carolina
Wofford
*UNC Greensboro does not play football.
Southland Conference (12 full members)
East Texas A&M
Houston Baptist
Incarnate Word
Lamar
McNeese State
New Orleans*
Nicholls State
Northwestern State
Southeastern Louisiana
Stephen F. Austin
Texas A&M-Corpus Christi*
UTRGV
*New Orleans and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi do not play football.
Southwestern Athletic Conference (12 full members)
Alabama A&M
Alabama State
Alcorn State
Arkansas-Pine Bluff
Bethune-Cookman
Florida A&M
Grambling
Jackson State
Mississippi Valley State
Prairie View A&M
Southern
Texas Southern
Summit League (9 full members)
Denver
Kansas City
North Dakota
North Dakota State
Omaha
Oral Roberts
St. Thomas
South Dakota
South Dakota State
Sun Belt Conference (14 full members)
Appalachian State
Arkansas State
Coastal Carolina
Georgia Southern
Georgia State
James Madison
Louisiana
Marshall
Old Dominion
South Alabama
Southern Mississippi
Texas State
Troy
ULM
West Coast Conference (9 full members)
Loyola Marymount
Pacific
Pepperdine
Portland
Seattle
Saint Mary’s
San Diego
San Francisco
Santa Clara
Western Athletic Conference (7 full members)
Abilene Christian*
California Baptist
Southern Utah*
Tarleton State*
UT Arlington
Utah Tech*
Utah Valley
*denotes football members, playing in the United Athletic Conference.
And here’s what the football-only Division I conferences will look like. The United Athletic Conference is the new name of the ASUN-WAC football alliance made up of the football playing-members of those conferences.
CAA Football (14 members)
Albany
Bryant
Campbell
Elon
Hampton
Maine
Monmouth
New Hampshire
North Carolina A&T
Rhode Island
Stony Brook
Towson
Villanova
William & Mary
Missouri Valley Football Conference (10 members)
Illinois State
Indiana State
Murray State
North Dakota
North Dakota State
Northern Iowa
South Dakota
South Dakota State
Southern Illinois
Youngstown State
Pioneer Football League (11 members)
Butler
Davidson
Dayton
Drake
Marist
Morehead State
Presbyterian
St. Thomas
San Diego
Stetson
Valparaiso
United Athletic Conference (9 members)
Abilene Christian
Austin Peay
Central Arkansas
Eastern Kentucky
North Alabama
Southern Utah
Tarleton State
Utah Tech
West Georgia
The Big South and OVC also formed a football association, which includes the football playing-members of those conferences.
Big South-OVC Football (9 members)
Charleston Southern
Eastern Illinois
Gardner-Webb
Lindenwood
SEMO
Tennessee State
Tennessee Tech
UT Martin
Western Illinois
