College Football Realignment for the 2024 Season

College football is going to look very, very different starting in 2024. The College Football Playoff has expanded to 12 teams and a number of programs have moved from one conference to another.

College football realignment is not a rare phenomenon but the scale to which there have been changes is unprecedented.

12 months ago, we had 10 conferences split into the Power 5 and Group of 5. Now, a conference had died and the other power conference cannibalized its remains to perpetuate the nuclear arms race the game has become.

Conference realignment can be confusing. “Why is Rutgers playing Washington and they’re calling it a Big 10 game?” Let’s take a look at the movement to take hold (and preview the few changes for the 2025 season as we know them).

Breaking Down the 2024 College Football Conference Realignment

The Big Ten Goes West

1. Illinois
2. Indiana
3. Iowa
4. Maryland
5. Michigan
6. Michigan State
7. Minnesota
8. Nebraska
9. Northwestern
10. Ohio State
11. Penn State
12. Purdue
13. Rutgers
14. Wisconsin
15. USC (from Pac-12)
16. UCLA (from Pac-12)
17. Oregon (from Pac-12)
18. Washington (from Pac-12)

The Big Ten hasn’t had just 10 teams since before Penn State joined the party back in 1990. For a while, they had the sneaky “11” hiding in the Big Ten logo. Then, they added Nebraska in 2011 and expanded to 14 teams with the additions of Rutgers and Maryland in 2014.

News broke seemingly out of nowhere on June 30th, 2022 that USC and UCLA were going to leave the Pac-12 and join the Big Ten. This caused a domino effect that eventually killed the conference and allowed Oregon and Washington to defect, thus completely stripping the Pac-12 of any semblance of “The Conference of Champions.”

The Big Ten rolls into the the 2024 season with a whopping 18 teams and announced that they were doing away with the divisions. Thus, the top two teams get to play for the Big Ten title.

The conference is in the thick of a Cold War-esque nuclear arms race with the SEC. The two are now considered, unofficially, the Power 2 conferences and seem to hold all of the cards when it comes to College Football Playoff negotiations. Time will tell if/when the ACC implodes and who will make the jump where.

The Big Ten did not lose any programs and is not currently projected to lose any in the future.

READ MORE: Expanding the CFP is a good idea

Southeastern Conference Adds Two Bluebloods

1. Alabama
2. Arkansas
3. Auburn
4. Florida
5. Georgia
6. Kentucky
7. LSU
8. Mississippi State
9. Missouri
10. Ole Miss
11. South Carolina
12. Tennessee
13. Texas A&M
14. Vanderbilt
15. Texas (from Big 12)
16. Oklahoma (from Big 12)

The SEC has been the most dominant conference in college football and despite the fact that Michigan won* in 2023, the fact remains that the conference is home to 60% of the CPF champions. And, it could have been argued that Georgia was among the Four Best™ teams of the 2023 season but was knocked out with that lone loss in the SEC Championship.

Now, there is a belief that the conference is very top-heavy. Which, to be fair, most conferences are. By adding two of the biggest college football brands in Texas and Oklahoma, the nuclear arms race with the Big Ten is hitting its stride.

Also like the Big Ten, the SEC did not lose any members and there are no plans to do so. The SEC is, once again, primed to be the best football conference and will end up getting a plurality of CFP entrants in 2024, for better or worse. The conference also elected to get rid of its divisions starting in 2024.

The All-Coasts Conference

1. Boston College
2. Clemson
3. Duke
4. Florida State
5. Georgia Tech
6. Louisville
7. Miami (FL)
8. NC State
9. North Carolina
10. Pittsburgh
11. Syracuse
12. Virginia
13. Virginia Tech
14. Wake Forest
15. Cal (from Pac-12)
16. SMU (from AAC)
17. Stanford (from Pac-12)

The ACC stands for the Atlantic Coast Conference. Now, with the addition of Cal, Stanford, and SMU, it could just rebrand to the All-Coasts Conference and keep its logos!

All jokes aside, the ACC is in a bit of a bind and its future is easily the murkiest among the Power 4. Despite being home to Clemson who has won two CFP Titles, it had its undefeated champion left out last year. To make matters worse, that same school has been probing to try and find an out from the ACC.

As of now, the ACC has the second-most members and will still field a number of quality teams. However, barring a miracle change of heart, 2024 could be one of the final seasons of existence for the ACC. If Florida State finds an out, look for each of the biggest brands — Clemson, Duke, North Carolina, Miami (FL) (technically) — who will follow suit and try and find a way to one of the Power 2.

The Big 12 should have a plan in place to poach to not be left behind with the scraps. As for 2024, the ACC should be fine. Past 2024? We shall see…

The Big 12ish

1. BYU
2. Baylor
3. Cincinnati
4. Houston
5. Iowa State
6. Kansas
7. Kansas State
8. Oklahoma State
9. TCU
10. Texas Tech
11. UCF
12. West Virginia
13. Arizona (from Pac-12)
14. Arizona State (from Pac-12)
15. Colorado (from Pac-12)
16. Utah (from Pac-12)

The only Power 5 conference to lose members but not be swallowed up by the aether, the Big 12 continued its expansion in 2024. In 2023, the conference added BYU, Cincinnati, Houston, and UCF in response to Texas and Oklahoma’s plan to defect. Then, with the Pac-12 imploding, Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado, and Utah made the move, perhaps moving the needle a bit more than the previous quartet.

The Big 12 was the lone Power 5 conference to never win a CFP game in the four-team era, so they’re eagerly looking forward to getting more of a shot with the 12-team and 14-team playoffs.

In terms of the state of the conference, the Big 12 could be considered the fourth-best Power 4, and two of its favorites for the upcoming season came from the Pac-12.

READ MORE: Expanding the CFP is a bad idea, actually

Insert Will Smith Alone in a Room Meme

This is all that’s left of the Pac-12:

1. Oregon State
2. Washington State

It’s incredibly disappointing to watch The Conference of Champions™ get thoroughly cannibalized. However, the conference went out with a bang. They had a number of top teams and even sent Washington to the CFP National Championship game only to fall to Connor Stalions Michigan.

The conference still technically exists…but it’s just the two schools no Power 4 conference wanted. The two could officially fold the conference and join the Mountain West. At the same time, the two have, essentially, complete control and could try to poach MWC and top FCS programs in a last-ditch attempt to get back to a semblance of power.

Should either team have a good enough season in 2024, they would likely be treated like Notre Dame: not actually Power 4, but not technically Group of 5.

Independents

1. Notre Dame
2. UConn
3. UMass

While they may not be part of a conference nor have they won a title since before the fall of the Berlin Wall, Notre Dame has plenty of pull…for some reason. But here we are. If they do well, they can get a shot at the CFP as the sixth seed at best.

UConn and UMass are certainly football teams as well. The Minutemen actually have plans to rejoin the MAC in the 2025 season, leaving just Notre Dame and UConn conferenceless.

Fun Belt

East Division

1. Appalachian State
2. Coastal Carolina
3. Georgia Southern
4. Georgia State
5. James Madison
6. Marshall
7. Old Dominion

West Division

1. Arkansas State
2. Louisiana
3. Louisiana-Monroe
4. South Alabama
5. Southern Miss
6. Texas State
7. Troy

As arguably the best of the Group of 5 conferences, it’s impressive the Sun Belt has remained constant throughout the craziest portion of the conference realignment. They added James Madison last year and the Dukes only went 11-2 and was firmly among the best in the conference.

With the CFP expanding and giving the top-ranked Group of 5 (or two if they happen to end up higher ranked than a Power 4 champ…) an automatic bid, the Sun Belt has a great opportunity to wreck the College Football hierarchy.

The Sun Belt is the lone division in FBS left with divisions. Time will tell if they scrap the divisions after this year. Either way, we can expect big things from this conference.

Make the American Athletic Conference Great Again

1. Charlotte
2. East Carolina
3. Florida Atlantic
4. Memphis
5. Navy
6. North Texas
7. Rice
8. South Florida
9. Temple
10. Tulane
11. Tulsa
12. UAB
13. UTSA
14. Army (from Independents)

The American has had its share of arguments for bringing the best Group of 5 conference. Considering it is the lone G5 conference to send a team to the CFP and has vastly outnumbered the others in NY6 appearances (seven from the AAC vs. one each from the MAC, CUSA, and Mountain West), it makes sense.

The AAC was picked over last year and responded by adding a handful of new members. The conference has undergone so much change in its short existence and is likely to continue. SMU, one of the better teams over the last few years, got poached by the ACC whereas the American added Army to go along with current member, Navy.

The Mountain West/Possible New Pac-12?

1. Air Force
2. Boise State
3. Colorado State
4. Fresno State
5. Hawai’i
6. Nevada
7. New Mexico
8. San Diego State
9. San Jose State
10. UNLV
11. Utah State
12. Wyoming

As if now, the Mountain West is still intact. That can always change with the uncertainty surrounding the Pac-2, change could be on the horizon.

The MWC is home to the first Group of 5 win in a NY6 bowl as Boise State took home the win over Arizona in the Fiesta Bowl in 2014.  Moving forward, it’ll be interesting to see what happens with the final Pac teams and if the scheduling partnership between the two remaining and the Mountain West turns into anything.

R O C K in Conference USA

1. FIU
2. Jacksonville State
3. Liberty
4. Louisiana Tech
5. Middle Tennessee State
6. New Mexico State
7. Sam Houston
8. UTEP
9. Western Kentucky
10. Kennesaw State (from FCS; ineligible for postseason play)

Conference USA is on the up and up it seems. Last year, it sent its champion, Liberty, to a NY6 bowl. Often seen as the stepping stone from the FCS, Conference USA often changes.

For 2024, CUSA will look almost the same with the exception of Kennesaw State which will make the jump from the FCS level. Will they take the FBS by storm like James Madison or will they struggle like Sam Houston did?

Conference USA has plenty to love. It’ll be interesting to see how/if the Group of 5 can survive the free-for-all college free agency Transfer Portal era. If there will be a G5 conference to fall, it will likely be CUSA. Even if they have better football than the MAC, the MAC is stable.

Get Some #MACtion

1. Akron
2. Ball State
3. Bowling Green
4. Buffalo
5. Central Michigan
6. Eastern Michigan
7. Kent State
8. Miami (OH)
9. Northern Illinois
10. Ohio
11. Toledo
12. Western Michigan

In an era of uncertainty amid conference realignment, the MAC has been a remarkable constant since Buffalo joined in 1998. Aside from a few football-only members and a short Marshall stint, the current 12 teams have held down the fort.

While it’s regarded as the worst conference, you have to respect it. The conference knows what it is and embraces it. It’s one of the last somewhat regional conferences and it has built-in rivalries week in and week out.

If you don’t love #MACtion, you don’t love football.

The conference joined the ranks of the Power 4 by eliminating divisional play in 2024 and will be adding UMass in 2025 in an unexpected bit of realignment. Will they add more? One can hope.

Main Image: James Lang-USA TODAY Sports