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Group of Six
American
The American has a new look with some current teams remaining along with a number of FCS teams making the jump up.
James Madison, Delaware and Villanova make the most sense coming out of the CAA. Kennesaw State is a rapidly growing young program. And North Carolina A&T has big aspirations for its program and would certainly join the new-look Group of Six subdivision. -Sam Herder
| Team | Former Conference |
|---|---|
| Appalachian State | Sun Belt |
| Charlotte | Conference USA |
| Delaware | CAA |
| East Carolina | American |
| James Madison | CAA |
| Kennesaw State | Big South |
| Liberty | FBS Independent |
| Navy | American |
| North Carolina A&T | MEAC* |
| South Florida | American |
| Temple | American |
| Tulane | American |
| Tulsa | American |
| Villanova | CAA |
*North Carolina A&T was scheduled to join the Big South in 2021.
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Conference USA
After Charlotte bolted for the new American, Conference USA landed one of the most sought-after realignment free agents, SMU, a former Conference USA member and natural geographical fit who becomes the fifth Texas school in the 14-team conference.
It will be the fifth conference in the last 26 seasons for SMU, who played in Conference USA from 2005-12. -Andrew Doughty
| Team | Former Conference |
|---|---|
| Florida Atlantic | Conference USA |
| Florida International | Conference USA |
| Louisiana Tech | Conference USA |
| Marshall | Conference USA |
| Middle Tennessee | Conference USA |
| North Texas | Conference USA |
| Old Dominion | Conference USA |
| Rice | Conference USA |
| SMU | American |
| Southern Miss | Conference USA |
| UAB | Conference USA |
| UTEP | Conference USA |
| UTSA | Conference USA |
| Western Kentucky | Conference USA |
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Flyover States
Andrew and I are from Minnesota, went to college in Kansas and North Dakota, respectively, and currently live in Minnesota, so we hope folks get a kick out of the Flyover States Conference name instead of being offended.
This conference would be a blast as the two MAC schools are joined by some of the strongest FCS programs from the Big Sky and MVFC. -Sam Herder
| Team | Former Conference |
|---|---|
| Ball State | MAC |
| Idaho | Big Sky |
| Illinois State | Missouri Valley |
| Montana | Big Sky |
| Montana State | Big Sky |
| North Dakota State | Missouri Valley |
| Northern Illinois | MAC |
| Northern Iowa | Missouri Valley |
| South Dakota State | Missouri Valley |
| Weber State | Big Sky |
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MAC
Ball State and Northern Illinois aren't founding MAC members — Ball State joined in 1973, Northern Illinois joined in 1975 (and left in 1986 before returning in 1997 — but it still hurt to watch them bail for the high-potential Flyover States Conferences.
The MAC reportedly wasn't interested in UConn as a football-only member when the Huskies announced their American departure last year. They rethink during this wave of realignment and expand their footprint into Connecticut and Tennessee. -Andrew Doughty
| Team | Former Conference |
|---|---|
| Akron | MAC |
| Bowling Green | MAC |
| Buffalo | MAC |
| Central Michigan | MAC |
| Chattanooga | Southern |
| Eastern Michigan | MAC |
| Kent State | MAC |
| Miami (OH) | MAC |
| Ohio | MAC |
| Toledo | MAC |
| UConn | FBS Independent |
| Western Michigan | MAC |
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Mountain West
Dan Hawkins was long gone from Boise State when the Broncos jumped from the WAC to Mountain West in 2011 but now the fourth-year UC Davis head coach gets to replace his former program in the Mountain West.
The Mountain West took a few body blows in losing Boise State and San Diego State (and failing to rekindle an old romance with BYU) but retained 10 members and added a strong FCS program in UC Davis. -Andrew Doughty
| Team | Former Conference |
|---|---|
| Air Force | Mountain West |
| Colorado Sate | Mountain West |
| Fresno State | Mountain West |
| Hawai'i | Mountain West |
| Nevada | Mountain West |
| New Mexico | Mountain West |
| New Mexico State | FBS Independent |
| San Jose State | Mountain West |
| UNLV | Mountain West |
| UC Davis | Big Sky |
| Utah State | Mountain West |
| Wyoming | Mountain West |
[divider]
Sun Belt
Jacksonville State, Nicholls and Sam Houston State join the Sun Belt and realistically would compete very well. They already beat out some of these schools for recruits. -Sam Herder
| Team | Former Conference |
|---|---|
| Arkansas State | Sun Belt |
| Coastal Carolina | Sun Belt |
| Georgia Southern | Sun Belt |
| Georgia State | Sun Belt |
| Jacksonville State | Ohio Valley |
| Louisiana | Sun Belt |
| Louisiana-Monroe | Sun Belt |
| Nicholls | Southland |
| Sam Houston State | Southland |
| South Alabama | Sun Belt |
| Texas State | Sun Belt |
| Troy | Sun Belt |
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Independents
Liberty jumped at a conference invite, as did New Mexico State with a more geographically compatible Mountain West after leaving the Sun Belt two years ago. UConn found a football-only membership in the MAC, and Notre Dame is the only Independent in the new Power Five.
That leaves Army, BYU, and UMass as the lone Independents. Army passed on the American, BYU couldn't agree to terms with the Pac-12 and passed on the Mountain West, and UMass rejected an unattractive pity offer from the MAC. -Andrew Doughty
| Team | Former Conference |
|---|---|
| Army | FBS Independent |
| BYU | FBS Independent |
| UMass | FBS Independent |
