NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision

Sport	College football
Founded	1978
No. of teams	134
Country	United States
Most recent champion(s)	Michigan Wolverines (2023)
TV partner(s)	Various

The NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) is the top level of college football in the United States. It used to be called Division I-A. The FBS includes the largest schools in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). As of the 2024 season, there are 10 conferences and 134 schools in the FBS.

College football is super popular across much of the United States. Top FBS schools can make millions of dollars each year. Many fans, tens of thousands, come to watch games. The biggest stadiums in America often host FBS teams or games. Since July 1, 2021, college athletes can earn money for their name, image, and likeness. Before this, colleges could only give players things like athletic scholarships, which cover tuition, housing, and books.

Unlike other NCAA divisions, the NCAA doesn't officially give out an FBS national championship trophy. It also doesn't run a playoff to decide a champion on the field. Before 2014, groups like the Associated Press and AFCA would rank teams. They would vote to pick a national champion. Many cities across the U.S. created their own special games called bowl games. Teams were invited to play in these games, which used to be like exhibition matches. Today, some bowl games are actually semifinal games for the Playoff. The rest are like a postseason for teams that don't make the Playoff.

What is FBS College Football?

Number of FBS teams per state/territory as of 2022.

The FBS is the highest level of college football in the U.S. Most players chosen in the NFL Draft come from FBS teams. For almost all sports, the NCAA has three main divisions: Divisions I, II, and III. But in football, Division I is split into two parts: the Bowl Subdivision (FBS) and the Championship Subdivision (FCS).

These divisions are further divided into conferences. Conferences are groups of schools that play against each other to win a conference championship. The FBS currently has ten conferences. These are often grouped into the "Power Five conferences" and the "Group of Five" (which are less famous).

Even though FCS teams can attract thousands of fans, many FCS schools try to join the FBS. They hope for more money, sponsorships, and national attention. But FBS programs also have higher costs. They spend more on staff salaries, better facilities, and scholarships. Many FBS athletic departments actually lose money each year. They often rely on money from the rest of the university. In many states, the highest-paid public employee is the head coach of an FBS team.

FBS schools can only give financial help to 85 football players. Almost all FBS schools give 85 full scholarships. The three United States service academies in the FBS are a bit different. All their students get federally-funded scholarships, whether they play sports or not. So, they are mostly exempt from the 85-scholarship limit.

To stay an FBS member, schools must meet certain rules. Before 2023, FBS schools had to average at least 15,000 fans at home games. This was measured over two years. An FBS school must also have at least 16 varsity sports teams, including football. At least six must be for men or co-ed, and eight for women. Across all sports, each FBS school must offer at least 200 athletic scholarships. Or they must spend at least $4 million on scholarships each year. FBS football teams must provide at least 90% of the maximum 85 football scholarships.

In October 2023, the NCAA changed the FBS rules. The home attendance rule was removed. It hadn't been strictly enforced and was paused during COVID-19. Starting in 2027–28, schools must offer at least 210 athletic scholarships. They also must spend at least $6 million on scholarships each year. Also, FBS programs must provide at least 90% of the maximum scholarships across all 16 sports, including football.

FBS Game Schedule

The FBS season starts in late August or early September. It ends in January with the College Football Playoff National Championship game. Most FBS teams play 12 regular season games each year. About eight or nine of these games are against other teams in their conference. All ten FBS conferences have a conference championship game. This game decides the conference winner.

Teams play conference games, non-conference games, and a conference championship game. If they are ranked in the top four, they can play in up to two bowl games. Only the four Playoff teams can play in two bowl games in one postseason. The winners of the two playoff semifinal bowl games play a 15th game in the College Football Playoff National Championship. The Hawaii Rainbow Warriors and teams playing at Hawaii can play an extra regular season game. This helps cover their travel costs. So, a team could theoretically play 16 games in a season. No team has played 16 games in one season yet. The College Football Playoff will expand to 12 teams starting in the 2024 season. This new format means a team could play up to 18 games!

For non-conference games, FBS teams can schedule games against any other FBS team. A few FBS teams are independent. They have full control over their own schedules. Non-conference games are often "home and homes." This means teams take turns hosting the game. They also include long-standing rivalries.

Teams from stronger conferences often play non-conference games against weaker conferences. Sometimes, they play against FCS teams. FBS teams can play up to 40% of their games against FCS teams. But only one win against an FCS team counts towards becoming eligible for a bowl game. Also, the FCS opponent must have given out at least 80% of their allowed scholarships. An FBS team must schedule five home games per year. A "home game" must be at their usual stadium. However, one neutral-site game against an FBS team can count as a home game. FBS-FCS games are often called "money games." The FBS team usually hosts these games. If an FCS team wins, it's a big upset. FCS teams get hundreds of thousands of dollars for playing in these games.

The Football Bowl Subdivision gets its name from the bowl games played at the end of the year. Other college divisions also have their own bowl games. FBS bowl games are played in December or January. They bring in over $400 million each year. For the 2017–18 bowl season, there were 40 bowl games. To be bowl eligible, an FBS team must have a winning record. Sometimes, teams with a 5–7 or 6–7 record can also be chosen for bowls. This usually happens to fill empty spots.

Many bowls have special conference connections. For example, the Pop-Tarts Bowl matches teams from the ACC and the Big 12. A few old bowls were very important in the Bowl Championship Series (BCS). The BCS picked the national champion until the 2013 season. These bowls are still important in the College Football Playoff. Under the playoff system, there are six major bowls, called the New Year's Six. The champions of the Power Five conferences get automatic spots. The top-ranked team from the "Group of Five" also gets a spot. Two of these bowls are semifinal games for the College Football Playoff National Championship game. Conferences get millions of dollars for each school that plays in the playoff. Playing in other bowls is also very profitable. Besides the regular bowls, some postseason bowls feature all-star teams. These include players who plan to enter the NFL Draft.

History of College Football and FBS

College football has been played for over 100 years. But the game and its organization have changed a lot. The first college football game was in 1869. The game kept growing in the late 1800s and early 1900s. During this time, Walter Camp invented key ideas. These include the line of scrimmage, the system of downs, and the College Football All-America Team.

The 1902 Rose Bowl was the first ever bowl game. It started happening every year from the 1916 Rose Bowl onwards. In the 1930s, other bowl games began. These include the Sugar Bowl, the Cotton Bowl Classic, and the Orange Bowl. The 1906 college football season was the first season played under the IAAUS. This group later became the NCAA. It was also the first season where the forward pass was allowed. The IAAUS formed after President Theodore Roosevelt asked colleges to make football safer. This was because several players had died during games.

In 1935, the Heisman Trophy was first given out. It's seen as college football's most important individual award. In 1965, the NCAA allowed the platoon system. This meant different players could play offense and defense. Teams had tried this in the 1940s. In 1968, freshmen were allowed to play in games. Before this, freshmen had to take a redshirt year (meaning they couldn't play).

In 1975, the NCAA limited the number of athletic scholarships schools could offer. In 1968, the NCAA made all teams identify as either University Division (for bigger schools) or College Division (for smaller schools). In 1973, the NCAA split into three divisions. Division I-A was formed before the 1978 season. This was because several larger schools wanted more freedom and common rules. The other Division I teams formed the Football Championship Subdivision or FCS (then called Division I-AA).

The NCAA doesn't officially name an FBS football champion. But many teams have claimed national championships. Other groups also rank teams and name a champion. The Dickinson System and other methods were created in the early 1900s. They aimed to pick the best team in the country. The AP Poll and the Coaches Poll started ranking teams in the mid-1900s. In many seasons, different groups picked different national champions. Often, more than one team would finish undefeated. This was because top teams weren't guaranteed to play each other.

In 1992, five major conferences created the Bowl Coalition. This was to help decide the FBS champion. In 1998, the two other major conferences joined. They formed the Bowl Championship Series (BCS). The BCS used a ranking system to match the top two teams in the BCS National Championship Game. But even during the BCS era, there were split national championships. For example, in 2003, the AP Poll and Coaches Poll picked different champions. The College Football Playoff replaced the BCS starting in 2014. It had four teams through the 2023 season. It will expand to 12 teams after that.

Since 2021, FBS football players can earn money from sources other than scholarships. This happened after the Supreme Court ruled in NCAA v. Alston. The court said that limits on name, image, and likeness (NIL) payments were against antitrust law. However, there's still no single system for players to get this money.

How College Football is Shown on TV

College football was first broadcast on radio in 1921. It was first shown on television in 1939. TV became very profitable for both schools and the NCAA. The NCAA strictly controlled which games were shown on TV in the 1950s, 60s, and 70s. Each football team could only be on TV six times over two years.

In 1981, a Supreme Court case changed things. The case was NCAA v. Board of Regents of the University of Oklahoma & University of Georgia. It gave TV rights to individual schools, not the NCAA. This meant teams could show all their games on TV. After this, FBS schools worked together for a while. But then Notre Dame's 1991 TV contract started a new trend. Schools and conferences began making their own TV deals.

This new TV era led to many conference changes. The most notable changes were in 1996, 2005, and the early 2010s. FBS games are still very popular on TV. Over 26 million people watched the 2014 BCS National Championship Game.

Big national networks like CBS, ABC, NBC, ESPN, and Fox have all shown FBS games. Regional and local networks also cover them. Since conferences make their own TV deals, each conference is connected to a network that shows its home games. In the mid-2000s, colleges and conferences started their own TV networks. Examples include the Big Ten Network, BYUtv, the Longhorn Network (which will join the SEC Network in 2024), and the Pac-12 Network. In 2012, college football games had over 400 million viewers.

Teams and Conferences in FBS

FBS Conferences

Most of the 134 FBS schools belong to an FBS conference. But there are also a few independent schools. Since the Western Athletic Conference stopped sponsoring football in 2013, there have been ten conferences in the FBS. Through the 2023 season, all FBS conferences have between ten and fourteen members. Independent Notre Dame has a special agreement with the ACC for scheduling games.

The ten conferences are divided into two groups for the College Football Playoff. The "Power Five conferences" include most of the biggest and most famous college sports programs. A school from a Power Five conference won every BCS National Championship Game (1999-2014). They have also won every College Football Playoff National Championship. The other five conferences are known as the "Group of Five".

Any conference can split its teams into two divisions. However, as of the 2024 season, only the Sun Belt Conference (SBC) uses divisions. The American, Big 12, and CUSA used divisions before. But they stopped after losing some member schools. The Pac-12 decided to get rid of divisions entirely. This was after the NCAA said conferences didn't need divisions to hold a championship game. The ACC and MW also plan to do this for 2023. The Big Ten, MAC, and SEC will do the same for 2024.

Since the 2018 season, all conferences have held a championship game. This game decides the conference champion. The Sun Belt was the last conference to start a championship game. It also was the most recent to split into divisions for football. Both the title game and divisions started in 2018. That conference chose to form football divisions even with only 10 football members. It has since grown to 14 members but kept its divisions.

† "Big Four" or "Power Four" conferences that enjoy "autonomy status" under NCAA rules

Teams Moving to FBS

Some schools have recently moved or are planning to move to the FBS level.

• Georgia Southern University joined the Sun Belt Conference in 2014. They won six FCS (I-AA) national championships before that. The Eagles won the Sun Belt Conference championship in their first FBS year. They were the first team to go undefeated in conference play in their first FBS season.
• Liberty University started its FBS move on July 1, 2017. The NCAA gave them special permission to do this without a conference invitation first. The Flames became an FBS independent team from 2018 to 2022. They joined Conference USA (CUSA) for football in 2023.
• Three schools began moving to FBS on July 1, 2022. James Madison University joined the Sun Belt. They were allowed to play in a bowl game in 2023. This happened because not enough other FBS teams qualified for bowls.
• On July 1, 2023, two former FCS teams, Jacksonville State and Sam Houston, joined CUSA.
• The most recent schools to start moving are Delaware and Missouri State. They began their moves in 2024 and will join CUSA in 2025.
• Kennesaw State University started its move in 2023. They will join Conference USA in 2024.

Money in FBS Football

The table below shows how much money each conference made and spent. This is from the Knight Commission for the 2021–22 school year.

Note: Some universities' numbers are not included here. Only the MAC and SBC conferences are made up entirely of public universities.

Conference Changes and Realignment

The FBS has seen many changes since it started in 1978. Many teams have switched conferences. Some have left the FBS, and others have moved up from the FCS. In 1982, the division became much smaller. The Southern Conference and the Ivy League moved down to the FCS. In 1985, the Missouri Valley Conference stopped sponsoring football.

In the 1980s and 1990s, several independent teams joined conferences. Some stopped playing football or joined the FCS. In the 1996 NCAA conference realignment, the Southwest Conference broke up. Four Texas teams from that conference joined the Big 8 schools to form the Big 12 Conference. The Western Athletic Conference grew to sixteen members. But half of those schools left in 1999 to form the Mountain West Conference.

Conference USA (CUSA) formed from a merger of two conferences that didn't have football. The Big West stopped sponsoring football after the 2000 season. It was mostly replaced by the Sun Belt Conference. The Sun Belt added former Big West members and started sponsoring football in 2001. In the mid-2000s, the Big East added Connecticut. Temple left the conference, but later returned in 2013. During another wave of changes in 2005, three schools moved from the Big East to the ACC. The Big East then added schools from Conference USA.

College football had another big conference change in the early 2010s. Members of the Big East left to join the Big 12 and ACC. The Big 12 lost members to the SEC, Pac-12, and Big Ten. The Big Ten also gained one former ACC member. The remaining Big East members split into two conferences. These were the American Athletic Conference ("The American") and a new conference that kept the Big East name but doesn't have football. The American added schools from CUSA. But it lost one school each to the ACC and Big Ten after its first season.

In turn, CUSA added FCS schools and schools from the Sun Belt Conference. The Sun Belt Conference filled its spots by adding FCS schools and schools from the Western Athletic Conference. The Mountain West lost schools to the Big 12, Pac-12, and became FBS independent. It also added several schools from the WAC. After many teams left, the WAC stopped sponsoring football.

The early 2010s changes also affected independent FBS teams. BYU left the MW in 2011 to be football independent. In 2013, Idaho and New Mexico State became FBS independents. They were the last two football schools in the WAC. But they returned to the Sun Belt Conference as football-only members the next year. Also in 2013, Notre Dame became a full member of the ACC (but not for football). They made a deal to play five games each season against ACC schools. They also agreed to play each ACC school at least once every three years. Finally, in 2015, Navy became a football-only member of The American. This ended over 100 years of football independence for Navy.

Changes continued at a slower pace through the rest of the 2010s and into the early 2020s. Georgia Southern joined the Sun Belt in 2014. The Eagles won the Sun Belt championship in their first FBS year. The 2016 season was when FCS Coastal Carolina joined the Sun Belt for other sports. Their football team joined the Sun Belt in 2017. That season was also the last for Idaho and New Mexico State in the Sun Belt. After 2017, New Mexico State became independent again. Idaho moved back down to FCS football. This was the first time a program willingly moved down without special reasons. Also in 2016, UMass became independent. Most recently, UConn became independent in 2020. This was when they left The American to rejoin their old basketball rivals in the current Big East Conference. Notre Dame played a full ACC schedule in 2020 because of COVID-19.

The most recent changes are still happening. Most conference changes in this period are in 2023 and 2024. It started with Oklahoma and Texas saying they would leave the Big 12 for the SEC by 2025. They later moved their departure date to 2024. The first actual changes came in 2022. The Sun Belt gained Marshall, Old Dominion, and Southern Miss from CUSA. They also added FCS upgrader James Madison.

The next year, CUSA added Jacksonville State and Sam Houston (both from FCS). They also added New Mexico State and Liberty (FBS independents). But CUSA lost Charlotte, Florida Atlantic, North Texas, Rice, UAB, and UTSA to The American. In turn, The American lost Cincinnati, Houston, and UCF to the Big 12. The Big 12 also added former independent BYU.

In 2024, Oklahoma and Texas joined the SEC. Also, 10 of the 12 Pac-12 members left for other major conferences. UCLA, USC, Oregon, and Washington went to the Big Ten. Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado, and Utah went to the Big 12. California and Stanford went to the ACC. In addition, Kennesaw State moved up to FBS and joined CUSA. SMU left The American for the ACC. Army stopped being independent and became a football-only member of The American. In 2025, two new teams will move from FCS to FBS. Delaware and Missouri State will join CUSA. Also, UMass will leave its independent status to become a full member of the MAC.

Awards in FBS Football

Many awards are given each year to FBS players and coaches. While all college football players can win some of these awards (like the Heisman Trophy), FBS players usually do. Other awards (like the Walter Payton Award) honor players in other divisions and the FCS. Besides national awards, FBS conferences also have their own awards. Several groups also release a yearly College Football All-America Team. In 1951, the National Football Foundation started the College Football Hall of Fame.

Here are some important individual awards:

• Best/most valuable player: Heisman Trophy, Maxwell Award, Walter Camp Award, Archie Griffin Award, AP Player of the Year, SN Player of the Year, Lombardi Award (originally for linemen/linebackers, but now for all players).
• Defensive player of the year: Chuck Bednarik Award, Bronko Nagurski Trophy, Lott Trophy.
• Awards for specific positions: Dave Rimington Trophy (Center), Davey O'Brien Award and Manning Award (Quarterback), Dick Butkus Award (Linebacker), Doak Walker Award (Running back), Fred Biletnikoff Award (Wide receiver), Jim Thorpe Award (Defensive back), John Mackey Award (Tight end), Lou Groza Award (Placekicker), Outland Trophy (Interior lineman), Ray Guy Award (Punter), Ted Hendricks Award (Defensive end), Jet Award (Return Specialist).
• Other playing awards: Paul Hornung Award (most versatile player), Burlsworth Trophy (top player who started as a walk-on), Jon Cornish Trophy (top Canadian player).
• Coaching awards:
  • Head coaches: AFCA Coach of the Year, Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year, SN Coach of the Year, Walter Camp Coach of the Year Award, Paul "Bear" Bryant Award, Home Depot Coach of the Year Award, AP Coach of the Year.
  • Assistants: Broyles Award, AFCA Assistant Coach of the Year.
• Other awards: William V. Campbell Trophy, Wuerffel Trophy, Rudy Award, Amos Alonzo Stagg Award, Walter Camp Man of the Year, Theodore Roosevelt Award.

The NCAA doesn't officially name a national champion. But other groups do name national champions. All conferences take part in the College Football Playoff to decide a champion. The winner of the College Football Playoff gets the College Football Playoff National Championship Trophy. The AP gives out the AP National Championship Trophy. The American Football Coaches Association gives out the AFCA National Championship Trophy. This trophy used to go to the winner of the BCS National Championship Game. That game was before the College Football Playoff National Championship game. The Football Writers Association of America gave out the Grantland Rice Trophy until 2013. The National Football Foundation gives out the MacArthur Bowl. Since the disputed end of the 2003 season, the different groups have agreed on one national champion.

Images for kids

• 

  Atlantic Coast Conference

• 

  Big Eight Conference

• 

  Big Ten Conference

• 

  Pac-12 Conference

• 

  Southeastern Conference

• 

  Southwest Conference

• 

  Western Athletic Conference

• 

  Independents

• 

  Border Intercollegiate Athletic Association

• 

  Skyline Conference

• 

  Southern Conference

• 

  Missouri Valley Conference

• 

  Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference

• 

  Mid-American Conference

• 

  Big East Conference (1979-2013)