List of NCAA Division I FBS football programs
Team Nickname City State Enrollment Current Conference Former Conferences First Played
Air Force Falcons Colorado Springs Colorado 4,237 Mountain West WAC 1955
Akron Zips Akron Ohio 19,200 MAC OAC , MCC , OVC 1891
Alabama Crimson Tide Tuscaloosa Alabama 38,500 SEC SIAA , SoCon 1892
Appalachian State Mountaineers Boone North Carolina 19,100 Sun Belt NSC , SoCon 1928
Arizona Wildcats Tucson Arizona 45,200 Pac-12 BIAA , WAC 1899
Arizona State Sun Devils Tempe Arizona 51,800 Pac-12 BIAA , WAC 1896
Arkansas Razorbacks Fayetteville Arkansas 27,800 SEC SWC 1894
Arkansas State Red Wolves Jonesboro Arkansas 22,000 Sun Belt Arkansas Intercollegiate Conference , Southland , Big West 1911
Army Black Knights West Point New York 4,300 Independent C-USA 1890
Auburn Tigers Auburn Alabama 30,400 SEC SIAA , SoCon 1892
Ball State Cardinals Muncie Indiana 22,500 MAC IIC , ICC 1924
Baylor Bears Waco Texas 17,200 Big 12 TIAA , SWC 1899
Boise State Broncos Boise Idaho 25,500 Mountain West ICAC , Big Sky , Big West , WAC 1933
Boston College Eagles Chestnut Hill Massachusetts 14,700 ACC Big East 1893
Bowling Green Falcons Bowling Green Ohio 23,000 MAC Northwest Ohio Intercollegiate Athletic Association , OAC 1919
Buffalo Bulls Buffalo New York 31,500 MAC New York State Conference 1894
BYU Cougars Provo Utah 33,600 Independent Rocky Mountain , Mountain States , WAC , MW 1922
California Golden Bears Berkeley California 42,500 Pac-12 PCC 1882
Central Michigan Chippewas Mount Pleasant Michigan 21,700 MAC MCC , IIAC 1896
Charlotte 49ers Charlotte North Carolina 29,700 C-USA Sun Belt , C-USA , A-10 2013
FBS programs
This is a list of the 130 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. But since the College Football Playoff is not sanctioned by the NCAA, this makes FBS football the only sport without an NCAA-sanctioned champion. The FCS is the highest division in college football to hold a playoff tournament sanctioned by the NCAA to determine its champion.