Legislation is being considered right now that could slow down conference realignment in college sports. But it hasn’t passed yet, and we have plenty of FBS teams changing conferences this offseason.
All of those teams are in the Group of Six, including the new-look Pac-12. So we’re taking a closer look and grading every G6 conference realignment move that became official yesterday on July 1.
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List Of Every FBS Team Changing Conferences This Season
- Boise State to the Pac-12
- Utah State to the Pac-12
- Fresno State to the Pac-12
- Colorado State to the Pac-12
- San Diego State to the Pac-12
- Texas State to the Pac-12
- North Dakota State to the Mountain West
- Northern Illinois to the Mountain West
- UTEP to the Mountain West
- Louisiana Tech to the Sun Belt
- Sacramento State to the MAC
Boise State, Utah State, Fresno State, Colorado State & San Diego State Going To The Pac-12
Grade: A-
I’m lumping the five Mountain West teams that are leaving for the Pac-12 into one section here. The circumstances are pretty similar: All of them are leaving a pretty strong G6 league and are making an even stronger one with Washington State and Oregon State in the fold.
With the money the Pac-12 had from all of its old members leaving, it made sense for these teams to make these moves. I believe the Pac-12 is in the top tier of G6 leagues with the American as far as football.
And the Pac-12 was on the brink of completely dissolving after it lost all but two members. The fact that the league pulled this off and will be this strong is remarkable.
But I’m only giving it an A- because I think there could’ve been a better resolution reached between the Pac-2 (WSU and OSU) and the Mountain West. A single conference – whether it would’ve been called the Mountain West, Pac-12, or something else – would’ve been even stronger if teams like UNLV, Air Force, or New Mexico were in the picture.
I get why these moves took place. But it felt like there was an even better move on the table.
Texas State Going To The Pac-12
Grade: B+
Texas State isn’t historically a strong football program. But that’s really the only thing that brings it down to a B+ to me.
The Bobcats have been a fun team since GJ Kinne became their head coach. It’s a program that’s on the upswing. Plus, adding Texas State gave the Pac-12 a footprint in Texas.
The new Pac-12 is a strong league, top to bottom, so I don’t blame the Bobcats for going west rather than staying east with the Sun Belt. But they may end up being below .500 in conference play often. Texas State has been better, but the Bobcats traditionally aren’t as great as some of the other teams in the conference.
North Dakota State Going To The Mountain West
Grade: A+
This is the move that overwhelmingly made the most sense in this wave of conference realignment.
North Dakota State had been seeking a home in the FBS, and going to the Mountain West always tracked from the Bison’s point of view. They obviously have had a ton of success in the FCS, and after seeing some of the other strong FCS teams make the FBS jump, this was a good time to make this transition.
For the Mountain West, I’m glad the league went this route after already sniping teams from the MAC and Conference USA. The Bison may be from the FCS, but they’re a fairly recognizable program in the national landscape. And they’re instantly being picked as a team that could make the College Football Playoff this season, which would obviously be a win for the Mountain West as a conference as well.
Northern Illinois Going To The Mountain West
Grade: C+
I didn’t love how the Mountain West went with NIU – and reportedly Toledo was in the conversation as well – before it invited North Dakota State. But with the addition of NDSU, it makes a little more sense.
NIU is leaving the MAC, which made more sense geographically than the Mountain West. But I don’t fault the Huskies for leaving – a move that will bring in more money.
And while NIU went 3-9 last year and is in between coaches, the Huskies have been solid in the MAC. On top of beating Notre Dame a couple years ago, the Huskies have been bowl-eligible 14 times in the last 20 years and won five conference championships during that span.
UTEP Going To The Mountain West
Grade: B-
UTEP hasn’t been great on the field in recent years, which is why I give this a B-. But I don’t blame the Mountain West for inviting UTEP.
First off, it gives the MW a team in the state of Texas. And it made more sense from a travel perspective than a lot of the other moves available to the conference. That is unless the Mountain West looked at more FCS schools.
There’s also familiarity with the Miners and the other Mountain West members. UTEP played against some of these programs while in the Western Athletic Conference.
Louisiana Tech Going To The Sun Belt
Grade: A-
Louisiana Tech hasn’t been superb the last six years. The Bulldogs’ 8-5 record in 2025 was their first winning season since 2019.
Still, they won six straight bowl games before that, going 52-28 during that stretch. So this program isn’t incapable of winning.
And after the Sun Belt lost Texas State to the Pac-12, Louisiana Tech was a logical addition geographically. LA Tech is now joining a league that includes Louisiana and ULM with Southern Miss and Arkansas State nearby as well.
Sacramento State Going To The MAC
Grade: D+
Sacramento State became seemingly desperate after campaigning and doing everything it could to go to the FBS. That’s why it paid the MAC millions of dollars for a conference invite.
Does it make sense for the MAC? The money is nice. But sending Buffalo all the way to Sacramento for a Wednesday MACtion game isn’t.
This is a big gamble for the Hornets, who already tried to move up to the FBS as an independent but was denied. The main reason I don’t give this an F is because conference realignment may be slowing down or come to a halt with the aforementioned legislation being considered. Sac State at least guaranteed itself a spot at the FBS table amidst uncertainty.
