Group Of Six Conferences: What Football Teams & Leagues Are In The G6?

The Group of Six refers to the six FBS college football conferences which are not considered part of the Power Four leagues. The AAC, Conference USA, the MAC, the Mountain West, the Pac-12, and the Sun Belt are the G6 conferences.

While the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12, and SEC were previously part of the Power Five, most of the teams in the Pac-12 decided to go to other “power” conferences except for Oregon State and Washington State. Those two teams, along with Boise State, Colorado State, Utah State, Fresno State, San Diego State, and Texas State, will make up the Pac-12 football conference in 2026.

Why Is It Called The Group Of Six?

The Group of Six is a controversial term because it’s designated for the FBS conferences that aren’t often viewed as the “top” conferences based on different metrics. Schools from the SEC and Big Ten are often competing for national championships and College Football Playoff berths, while many G5 schools often aren’t.

G5 teams certainly have the potential to upset Power Four teams. That happened on several occasions in 2025.

However, broadly speaking, the Power Four teams do have several advantages that Group of Six teams do not. For example, television deals dole out much more money to the P4 leagues than the G6. And with more financial resources, Power Four teams can afford to lure highly-respected coaches and elite players through the transfer portal. 

And sometimes that means some of the top G6 teams want to “move up” to the Power Four because of those financial resources and visibility. SMU, for example, was invited to go to the ACC before the 2024 season. The Mustangs ended their time as a member of the AAC with a conference championship.

Some argue the Group of Six label is an arbitrary term used to separate some teams from others based on many factors which are outside of success on the field, despite all of these teams competing in the FBS.

Who Plays In The Group Of Six?

Teams in the American, Conference USA, the MAC, the Mountain West, the Pac-12 and the Sun Belt are considered to be Group of Six. Some also include UConn, which is independent.

Here’s a look at the makeup of the Group of Six right now:

Conferences In The Group Of Six

• American Conference
• Conference USA
• Mid-American Conference
• Mountain West Conference
• Pac-12 Conference
• Sun Belt Conference

Every Group Of Six Team

List of G6 Teams Organized By Conference