List of NCAA Division I FBS football programs - wikipedia List of NCAA Division I FBS football programs Map of the FBS football programs, 2015 - 16 This is a list of the 129 schools in the Division I Football Bowl Subdivision ( FBS ) of the National Collegiate Athletic Association ( NCAA ) in the United States. By definition, all schools in this grouping have varsity football teams. Schools in Division I FBS are distinguished from those in the Division I Football Championship Subdivision ( FCS ) by being allowed to provide scholarship aid to a total of 85 players, and may grant a full scholarship to all 85. FCS schools are limited to financial assistance amounting to a maximum of 63 full scholarships, although some conferences voluntarily place further restrictions on athletic aid. The NCAA classifies FBS football as a `` head - count '' sport, meaning that each player receiving any athletically - related aid from the school counts fully against the 85 - player limit. By contrast, FCS football is classified as an `` equivalency '' sport, which means that scholarship aid is limited to the equivalent of a specified number of full scholarships. In turn, this means that FCS schools can freely grant partial scholarships, but are also limited to a total of 85 players receiving assistance. Another NCAA rule mandates that any multi-sport athlete who plays football and receives any athletic aid is counted against the football limit, with an exception for players in non-scholarship FCS programs who receive aid in another sport. The three service academies that play in Division I FBS -- Air Force, Army, and Navy -- are theoretically subject to this rule, but are exempt in practice because all students at these schools receive full scholarships from the federal government. Starting in 2014, the FBS began playing a four - team tournament culminating in a National Championship Game to determine its national champion, a system that will be in place from the 2014 - 2025 seasons by contract with ESPN, broadcaster of the games. Formerly, Division I FBS football was the only NCAA sport without a formal tournament to determine an undisputed national champion, with the FBS schools instead playing in a series of postseason bowl games, culminating in the BCS National Championship Game, which attempted to crown a single national champion. Other organizations, most notably the Associated Press, crowned their own champions via polling. The BCS and AP have not always agreed on a single champion. Before the BCS, the AP was considered to be the deciding body for crowning a Champion, but it was started as a regional voting body, much like every other organization before the BCS. Most of the years preceding the BCS era, the Championships were claimed by more than one school. Conference affiliations are current for the 2017 season. Contents 1 FBS programs 2 Future FBS programs 3 Programs downgrading to FCS 4 Former programs 5 Notes 6 References 7 See also FBS programs Team Nickname City State Current Conference Former Conferences First Played Joined FBS Air Force Falcons Colorado Springs Colorado Mountain West WAC 1955 Akron Zips Akron Ohio MAC OAC, MCC, OVC 1891 Alabama Crimson Tide Tuscaloosa Alabama SEC SIAA, SoCon 1892 UAB Blazers Birmingham Alabama C - USA 1991 1999 Appalachian State Mountaineers Boone North Carolina Sun Belt NSC, SoCon 1928 2014 Arizona Wildcats Tucson Arizona Pac - 12 BIAA, WAC 1899 Arizona State Sun Devils Tempe Arizona Pac - 12 BIAA, WAC 1896 Arkansas Razorbacks Fayetteville Arkansas SEC SWC 1894 Arkansas State Red Wolves Jonesboro Arkansas Sun Belt Arkansas Intercollegiate Conference, Southland, Big West 1911 1992 Army West Point Black Knights West Point New York Independent C - USA 1890 Auburn Tigers Auburn Alabama SEC SIAA, SoCon 1892 Ball State Cardinals Muncie Indiana MAC IIC, ICC 1924 Baylor Bears Waco Texas Big 12 TIAA, SWC 1899 Boise State Broncos Boise Idaho Mountain West ICAC, Big Sky, Big West, WAC 1933 Boston College Eagles Chestnut Hill Massachusetts ACC Big East 1893 Bowling Green Falcons Bowling Green Ohio MAC Northwest Ohio Intercollegiate Athletic Association, OAC 1919 Buffalo Bulls Buffalo New York MAC New York State Conference 1894 1999 Brigham Young ! BYU Cougars Provo Utah Independent Rocky Mountain, Mountain States, WAC, MW 1921 California Golden Bears Berkeley California Pac - 12 PCC 1882 UCLA Bruins Los Angeles California Pac - 12 SCIAC, PCC 1919 UCF Knights Orlando Florida American MAC, C - USA 1979 Central Michigan Chippewas Mount Pleasant Michigan MAC MCC, IIAC 1896 Charlotte 49ers Charlotte North Carolina C - USA Sun Belt, C - USA, A-10 2013 2015 Cincinnati Bearcats Cincinnati Ohio American OAC, Buckeye Intercollegiate Athletic Association, MAC, MVC, C - USA, Big East 1885 Clemson Tigers Clemson South Carolina ACC SIAA, SAIAA, SoCon 1896 Coastal Carolina Chanticleers Conway South Carolina Sun Belt Big South 2003 2017 Colorado Buffaloes Boulder Colorado Pac - 12 Colorado Football Association, Rocky Mountain, Mountain States, Big Eight, Big 12 1890 Colorado State Rams Fort Collins Colorado Mountain West Colorado Football Association, Rocky Mountain, Mountain States, WAC 1890 Connecticut Huskies Storrs Connecticut American Yankee, A-10, Big East 1896 2000 Duke Blue Devils Durham North Carolina ACC SoCon 1888 Eastern Michigan Eagles Ypsilanti Michigan MAC MIAA, MCC, IIAC, PAC 1891 East Carolina Pirates Greenville North Carolina American NSC, Carolinas, SoCon, C - USA 1932 FIU Panthers Miami Florida C - USA Sun Belt 2002 2006 Florida Gators Gainesville Florida SEC SIAA, SoCon 1906 Florida Atlantic Owls Boca Raton Florida C - USA Sun Belt 2001 2006 Florida State Seminoles Tallahassee Florida ACC Dixie 1947 Fresno State Bulldogs Fresno California Mountain West California Coast Conference, NCAC, CCAA, Big West, WAC 1921 Georgia Bulldogs Athens Georgia SEC SIAA, SoCon 1892 Georgia Southern Eagles Statesboro Georgia Sun Belt SoCon 1924 2014 Georgia State Panthers Atlanta Georgia Sun Belt CAA 2013 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets Atlanta Georgia ACC SIAA, SoCon, SEC 1892 Hawai'i Rainbow Warriors Honolulu Hawai'i Mountain West WAC 1909 Houston Cougars Houston Texas American Lone Star, Gulf Coast, MVC, SWC, C - USA 1946 Illinois Fighting Illini Urbana -- Champaign Illinois Big Ten Illinois Intercollegiate Football League 1890 Indiana Hoosiers Bloomington Indiana Big Ten IIAA 1887 Iowa Hawkeyes Iowa City Iowa Big Ten WIUFA, MVC 1889 Iowa State Cyclones Ames Iowa Big 12 MVC, Big 8 1892 Kansas Jayhawks Lawrence Kansas Big 12 KCAC, WIUFA, MVC, Big 8 1890 Kansas State Wildcats Manhattan Kansas Big 12 MVC, Big 8 1896 Kent State Golden Flashes Kent Ohio MAC OAC 1920 Kentucky Wildcats Lexington Kentucky SEC SIAA, SoCon 1881 Louisiana State ! LSU Tigers Baton Rouge Louisiana SEC SIAA, SoCon 1893 Louisiana Tech Bulldogs Ruston Louisiana C - USA Louisiana Intercollegiate Athletic Association, Louisiana Intercollegiate Conference, Gulf States Conference, SIAA, Southland, Big West, WAC 1901 Louisiana - Lafayette Ragin ' Cajuns Lafayette Louisiana Sun Belt Louisiana Intercollegiate Athletic Association, Louisiana Intercollegiate Conference, Gulf States Conference, SIAA, Southland, Big West 1902 Louisiana - Monroe Warhawks Monroe Louisiana Sun Belt Gulf States Conference, Southland, Independent 1951 Louisville Cardinals Louisville Kentucky ACC KIAC, SIAA, KIAC, OVC, MVC, C - USA, Big East, American 1910 Marshall Thundering Herd Huntington West Virginia C - USA WVIAC, Buckeye Conference, OVC, MAC, SoCon 1895 1997 Maryland Terrapins College Park Maryland Big Ten MIFA, SAIAA, SoCon, ACC 1888 Massachusetts Minutemen Amherst Massachusetts Independent Yankee, A-10, CAA, MAC 1879 2012 Memphis Tigers Memphis Tennessee American Mississippi Valley Conference, SIAA, MVC, C - USA 1912 Miami ( FL ) Hurricanes Coral Gables Florida ACC SIAA, Big East 1926 Miami ( OH ) RedHawks Oxford Ohio MAC OAC, Buckeye Conference 1888 Michigan Wolverines Ann Arbor Michigan Big Ten 1878 Michigan State Spartans East Lansing Michigan Big Ten MIAA 1885 Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders Murfreesboro Tennessee C - USA VSAC, SIAA, OVC, Sun Belt 1911 1999 Minnesota Golden Gophers Minneapolis Minnesota Big Ten 1882 Mississippi ! Ole Miss Rebels Oxford Mississippi SEC SIAA, SoCon 1890 Mississippi State Bulldogs Starkville Mississippi SEC SIAA, SoCon 1895 Missouri Tigers Columbia Missouri SEC WIUFA, Big 8, Big 12 1890 Navy Midshipmen Annapolis Maryland American Independent 1879 Nebraska Cornhuskers Lincoln Nebraska Big Ten WIUFA, MVC, Big 8, Big 12 1890 Nevada Wolf Pack Reno Nevada Mountain West NCAC, Big Sky, Big West, WAC 1896 1992 UNLV Rebels Las Vegas Nevada Mountain West Big West, WAC 1968 1978 New Mexico Lobos Albuquerque New Mexico Mountain West BIAA, WAC 1892 New Mexico State Aggies Las Cruces New Mexico Sun Belt BIAA, MVC, Big West, Sun Belt, WAC 1893 North Carolina Tar Heels Chapel Hill North Carolina ACC SAIAA, SIAA, SoCon 1888 North Carolina State ! NC State Wolfpack Raleigh North Carolina ACC SAIAA, SIAA, SoCon 1892 North Texas Mean Green Denton Texas C - USA TIAA, Lone Star, Gulf Coast Conference, MVC, Southland, Big West, Sun Belt 1913 1995 Northern Illinois ! NIU Huskies DeKalb Illinois MAC IIAC, Big West 1899 Northwestern Wildcats Evanston Illinois Big Ten 1875 Notre Dame Fighting Irish South Bend Indiana Independent 1887 Ohio Bobcats Athens Ohio MAC OAC, Buckeye Conference 1894 Ohio State Buckeyes Columbus Ohio Big Ten OAC 1889 Oklahoma Sooners Norman Oklahoma Big 12 Oklahoma Intercollegiate Conference, SWC, MVC, Big 8 1895 Oklahoma State Cowboys Stillwater Oklahoma Big 12 Oklahoma Intercollegiate Conference, SWC, MVC, Big 8 1901 Old Dominion Monarchs Norfolk Virginia C - USA CAA 2009 2014 Oregon Ducks Eugene Oregon Pac - 12 PCC, Independent 1894 Oregon State Beavers Corvallis Oregon Pac - 12 PCC, Independent 1893 Penn State Nittany Lions State College Pennsylvania Big Ten 1881 Pittsburgh Panthers Pittsburgh Pennsylvania ACC Big East 1890 Purdue Boilermakers West Lafayette Indiana Big Ten IIAA 1887 Rice Owls Houston Texas C - USA TIAA, SWC, WAC 1912 Rutgers Scarlet Knights Piscataway New Jersey Big Ten Middle Atlantic, Big East, American 1869 San Diego State Aztecs San Diego California Mountain West Southern California Junior College Conference, SCIAC, CCAA, Big West, WAC 1921 San Jose State Spartans San Jose California Mountain West California Coast Conference, NCAC, California Collegiate, Big West, WAC 1892 South Alabama Jaguars Mobile Alabama Sun Belt 2009 2012 South Carolina Gamecocks Columbia South Carolina SEC SIAA, SoCon, ACC 1892 South Florida Bulls Tampa Florida American C - USA, Big East 1997 2001 USC Trojans Los Angeles California Pac - 12 PCC 1888 SMU Mustangs University Park Texas American TIAA, SWC, WAC, C - USA 1915 Southern Miss Golden Eagles Hattiesburg Mississippi C - USA Gulf States Conference, SIAA 1912 Stanford Cardinal Stanford California Pac - 12 PCC 1891 Syracuse Orange Syracuse New York ACC Big East 1889 TCU Horned Frogs Fort Worth Texas Big 12 TIAA, SWC, WAC, C - USA, MW 1896 Temple Owls Philadelphia Pennsylvania American Middle Atlantic, Big East, MAC, Big East 1894 Tennessee Volunteers Knoxville Tennessee SEC SIAA, SoCon 1891 Texas Longhorns Austin Texas Big 12 SIAA, TIAA, SWC 1893 Texas A&M Aggies College Station Texas SEC SIAA, SWC, Big 12 1894 Texas State Bobcats San Marcos Texas Sun Belt TIAA, Lone Star, Gulf Star, Southland, WAC 1904 2012 Texas Tech Red Raiders Lubbock Texas Big 12 BIAA, SWC 1925 Texas - El Paso ! UTEP Miners El Paso Texas C - USA BIAA, WAC 1914 Texas - San Antonio ! UTSA Roadrunners San Antonio Texas C - USA WAC 2011 2012 Toledo Rockets Toledo Ohio MAC Northwestern Ohio Intercollegiate Athletic Association, OAC 1917 Troy Trojans Troy Alabama Sun Belt Alabama Intercollegiate Conference, SIAA, Alabama Collegiate Conference, Mid-South Athletic Conference, Gulf South, Southland 1909 2002 Tulane Green Wave New Orleans Louisiana American SIAA, SoCon, SEC, C - USA 1893 Tulsa Golden Hurricane Tulsa Oklahoma American Oklahoma Intercollegiate Conference, Big 4 Conference, MVC, WAC, C - USA 1895 Utah Utes Salt Lake City Utah Pac - 12 Colorado Football Association, RMAC, Mountain States, WAC, MW 1892 Utah State Aggies Logan Utah Mountain West Colorado Football Association, RMAC, Mountain States, Big West, Independent, Sun Belt, WAC 1892 Vanderbilt Commodores Nashville Tennessee SEC SIAA, SoCon 1890 Virginia Cavaliers Charlottesville Virginia ACC SAIAA, SoCon 1888 Virginia Tech Hokies Blacksburg Virginia ACC SAIAA, SIAA, SoCon, Big East 1892 Wake Forest Demon Deacons Winston - Salem North Carolina ACC Big Five Conference, SoCon 1888 Washington Huskies Seattle Washington Pac - 12 PCC 1889 Washington State Cougars Pullman Washington Pac - 12 PCC, Independent 1893 West Virginia Mountaineers Morgantown West Virginia Big 12 SoCon, WVIAC, Big East 1891 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers Bowling Green Kentucky C - USA SIAA, KIAC, OVC, MVFC, Sun Belt 1913 2009 Western Michigan Broncos Kalamazoo Michigan MAC MCC 1905 Wisconsin Badgers Madison Wisconsin Big Ten 1889 Wyoming Cowboys Laramie Wyoming Mountain West Colorado Football Association, RMAC, WAC 1893 Notes ^ Jump up to : When FBS was created in 1978 as Division I-A, the Southern Conference was designated as a I-A conference. The SoCon was downgraded to FCS ( then Division I - AA ) level beginning in the 1982 season. This school competed in SoCon football during the league 's 1978 -- 81 tenure as a I-A conference. Jump up ^ At that time, the school was a two - year college known as Boise Junior College. The school did not become a four - year institution until 1965, and only began playing football against four - year schools in 1968. Jump up ^ UConn currently plays its home games in East Hartford, Connecticut. ^ Jump up to : Houston, Memphis, and SMU had originally planned to join the Big East Conference in 2013. However, the conference split along football lines in July 2013, with the seven non-FBS schools of the original conference buying the `` Big East '' name and reorganizing as a new, non-football Big East Conference. The FBS schools that did not leave at that time for the ACC joined with the three newcomers, remaining in the original conference structure under the new name of American Athletic Conference. Jump up ^ UMass currently divides its home schedule between its on - campus stadium, physically located in Hadley, Massachusetts but with an Amherst mailing address, and Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts. Jump up ^ Miami currently plays its home games in Miami Gardens, Florida. Jump up ^ The UNLV campus is not within the City of Las Vegas, but is instead in the unincorporated community of Paradise. The football team plays its home games in another unincorporated Las Vegas suburb, Whitney. Future FBS programs School Team City State Current Conference Future FBS Conference First Played FBS Transition Begins FBS Football Membership Coastal Carolina Chanticleers Conway South Carolina Sun Belt 2003 2016 2018 Liberty Flames Lynchburg Virginia Big South FBS independent 1973 2017 2019 Programs downgrading to FCS School Team City State Current Conference Future FCS Conference First Played FCS Football Membership Idaho Vandals Moscow Idaho Sun Belt Big Sky 1893 2018 Notes Jump up ^ Idaho had been a member of the grouping now known as FCS, then Division I - AA, from the group 's creation in 1978 through 1995, after which it moved to the league then known as the Pacific Coast Athletic Association ( now the Big West Conference ). At that time, the PCAA sponsored FBS ( then Division I-A ) football. Former programs Team School City State Former FBS Conference Final Season Current Status Brown Bears Brown University Providence Rhode Island Ivy 1981 FCS Cal State Fullerton Titans California State University, Fullerton Fullerton California Independent 1992 Discontinued Chattanooga Mocs University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Chattanooga Tennessee Southern 1981 FCS Colgate Raiders Colgate University Hamilton New York Independent 1981 FCS Columbia Lions Columbia University Manhattan New York Ivy 1981 FCS Cornell Big Red Cornell University Ithaca New York Ivy 1981 FCS Dartmouth Big Green Dartmouth College Hanover New Hampshire Ivy 1981 FCS Harvard Crimson Harvard University Cambridge Massachusetts Ivy 1981 FCS Holy Cross Crusaders College of the Holy Cross Worcester Massachusetts Independent 1981 FCS Illinois State Redbirds Illinois State University Normal Illinois Missouri Valley 1981 FCS Indiana State Sycamores Indiana State University Terre Haute Indiana Missouri Valley 1981 FCS Lamar Cardinals Lamar University Beaumont Texas Southland 1981 FCS Long Beach State 49ers California State University, Long Beach Long Beach California Big West 1991 Discontinued Marquette Warriors Marquette University Milwaukee Wisconsin Independent 1960 Discontinued McNeese State Cowboys McNeese State University Lake Charles Louisiana Southland 1981 FCS Pacific Tigers University of the Pacific Stockton California Big West 1995 Discontinued Penn Quakers University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia Pennsylvania Ivy 1981 FCS Princeton Tigers Princeton University Princeton New Jersey Ivy 1981 FCS Richmond Spiders University of Richmond Richmond Virginia Independent 1981 FCS Santa Clara Broncos Santa Clara University Santa Clara California Independent 1981 then 1992 FCS then Discontinued Southern Illinois Salukis Southern Illinois University Carbondale Carbondale Illinois Missouri Valley 1981 FCS Tennessee State Tigers Tennessee State University Nashville Tennessee Independent 1980 FCS Texas Arlington Mavericks University of Texas at Arlington Arlington Texas Southland 1981 Discontinued William & Mary Tribe College of William & Mary Williamsburg Virginia Independent 1981 FCS Villanova Wildcats Villanova University Villanova Pennsylvania Independent 1980 FCS Western Carolina Catamounts Western Carolina University Cullowhee North Carolina Southern 1981 FCS Wichita State Shockers Wichita State University Wichita Kansas Independent 1986 Discontinued Yale Bulldogs Yale University New Haven Connecticut Ivy 1981 FCS Notes Several schools have different athletic nicknames for men 's and women 's teams. Usually, this is a matter of preceding the main nickname with `` Lady '', such as LSU Lady Tigers and Tennessee Lady Vols. The two FBS schools nicknamed Cowboys, Oklahoma State and Wyoming, use Cowgirls for women 's teams. However, in some cases, the women 's team nickname has a completely different form, as in Hawaii Rainbow Wahine and Louisiana Tech Lady Techsters. Because this is a list of American football programs, which are traditionally all - male, only the men 's form is given. The Pac - 12 considers the Pacific Coast Conference or PCC as part of its own history, even though the PCC was established with different charter members and was disbanded due to major crisis and scandal. There is considerable continuity between the two leagues. The Athletic Association of Western Universities ( AAWU ), which would eventually become the Pac - 12, was founded by five former PCC members, and by 1964 all of the final PCC members except for Idaho had been reunited in the AAWU. References Jump up ^ 9 states ( Alaska, Delaware, Maine, Montana, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Vermont ) and Washington, D.C. do not currently have FBS programs. Jump up ^ http://www.hurricanesports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?ATCLID=205820405 Jump up ^ http://www.cfbdatawarehouse.com/index.php Jump up ^ Idaho Vandals ( @ Idaho_Vandals ) ( 28 April 2016 ). `` President Staben - `` The University of Idaho Vandal football team will accept an invitation to join the Big Sky Conference '' beginning in ' 18 '' ( Tweet ) -- via Twitter. Jump up ^ https://www.nytimes.com/1981/12/05/sports/ivy-league-is-forced-to-lose-major-team-football-status.html Jump up ^ http://www.marquette.edu/magazine/recent.php?subaction=showfull&id=1329850800 Jump up ^ https://www.nytimes.com/1981/12/05/sports/ivy-league-is-forced-to-lose-major-team-football-status.html Jump up ^ Santa Clara Broncos football Jump up ^ https://www.nytimes.com/1981/12/05/sports/ivy-league-is-forced-to-lose-major-team-football-status.html NCAA Sports Sponsorship : Football Bowl Subdivision Map of NCAA Division I FBS football teams See also College football portal List of NCAA Division I institutions List of NCAA Division II institutions List of NCAA Division III institutions List of NCAA Division I FCS football programs List of NCAA Division I non-football programs List of NCAA Division II football programs List of NCAA Division III football programs List of NAIA football programs List of community college football programs List of NCAA Institutions with club football teams List of Division I schools that have never sponsored football List of defunct college football teams List of undefeated Division I football teams Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=List_of_NCAA_Division_I_FBS_football_programs&oldid=822998173 '' Categories : NCAA Division I FBS football teams Lists of college football teams Hidden categories : All articles lacking reliable references Articles lacking reliable references from September 2015 All articles with dead external links Articles with dead external links from December 2017 Articles with permanently dead external links Talk Contents About Wikipedia Add links This page was last edited on 29 January 2018, at 18 : 44. 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Question: how many teams are in the ncaa football
Answer: 129