There has been plenty of conference realignment in the last few years. Here is the conference realignment outlook for 2026.
Sacramento State Hornets
Previous Conference: Big Sky Conference (FCS)
City: Sacramento, California
Sacramento State started playing football in 1954. They were classified as a Division-II team starting in 1973. In 1993, Sacramento State moved up to the FCS level (at the time I-AA). The Hornets played in two bowl games in the 1960s and had four appearances in the FCS playoffs from 2019-2023.
In the FBS, the Hornets will play in the MAC after cutting a deal with the conference. Northern Illinois left the conference in football to compete in the Mountain West. While Sacramento State doesn’t fit the conference geographically, they decided to join to move up to the Division I level.
Alonzo Carter is taking over as head coach for the program after Brennan Marion left to be the offensive coordinator at Colorado. He has been a head coach at the high school and JUCO level, but has been an assistant at the FBS and FCS level. The Hornets may have a tough time competing early, as they only return four starters and will have to travel a lot during their first season.
North Dakota State Bison
Previous Conference: Missouri Valley Conference (FCS)
City: Fargo, North Dakota
North Dakota State has played college football since the 1800s, but is now making the jump to the FBS. They won small college national championships in the 1960s. After succeeding, they won five Division II national championships from 1983 to 1990. They moved up to the FCS level and have since won 10 national championships at that level from 2011 to 2024.
The Bison will play in the Mountain West Conference to start their journey in the FBS. With several of the teams in the conference joining the new Pac-12 conference, they made the offer for North Dakota State to make the jump to the FBS.
Tim Polasek has been the coach for the past two seasons and has only lost three games overall. He won one national championship at the FCS level. While that is likely not going to happen at the FBS level, the Bison should be competitive in the Mountain West. They return eight starters, have added some transfers and have done a great job of player development. With the Mountain West going through a transition period, they can take advantage.
Northern Illinois Huskies
Previous Conference: MAC
City: DeKalb, Illinois
Northern Illinois first competed in football in 1899. They joined the MAC in 1975, but bounced around conferences for a while before going back to the MAC in 1997 and staying through the 2025 season. The Huskies will join the Mountain West in football only this season.
With several Mountain West teams joining the Pac-12, it opened up some availability in the conference and Northern Illinois benefited from that and received the invite. Even though they don’t match up too closely to other teams in the conference geographically, the Huskies decided to make the jump.
Thomas Hammock has a 35-47 record as head coach of Northern Illinois with a mix of good and bad years. He has a very notable win over Notre Dame, which came in the 2024 season. The Huskies only retained three starters and may not have brought in enough talent to compete in the Mountain West this season.
UTEP Miners
Previous Conference: C-USA
City: El Paso, Texas
UTEP started the football program in 1914. They were a member of the Border Conference and Independent before joining the WAC in 1968. In 2005, they joined Conference-USA, where they have played since.
While the Miners haven’t had the greatest football success, they fit much better geographically with some of the teams in the Mountain West more than they did with most of C-USA.
The Miners have four starters back, all on defense, from a team that won two games last season. Scotty Walden has won just five games in his two seasons as head coach and now will face a jump in competition. New talent can help, but it may take a few years for UTEP to adjust to the competition in the MWC.
Boise State Broncos
Previous Conference: Mountain West
City: Boise, Idaho
Boise State started playing football in 1933 and joined the FBS (formerly Division I-A) in 1996. They played in the Big West, WAC and Mountain West Conferences from that point through 2025. The Broncos notched some big moments in those conferences, including winning three Fiesta Bowls, most notably defeating Oklahoma following the 2006 season.
The Broncos have a great chance of winning the Pac-12 in their first season. They return 12 starters from last year’s 9-5 team. Spencer Danielson is 24-8 in over two seasons as head coach and has plenty of talent to work with. Maddux Madsen is back at quarterback and the running game can be great. Don’t be surprised if Boise State is perenially contender in the conference.
Colorado State Rams
Previous Conference: Mountain West
City: Fort Collins, Colorado
The first recorded football game for Colorado State was in 1892. They joined the WAC in 1968, then moved to the Mountain West in 1999. Since they joined the Mountain West in 1999, they have played in 13 bowl games.
Jim Mora is taking over the Colorado State program after finding some recent success at UConn. He’ll have to revamp the program, as they won two games last season. Only four starters are back and there was probably too much work to do to the roster for the Rams to compete in 2026, but Mora can get good results from small beginnings with time.
Fresno State
Previous Conference: Mountain West
City: Fresno, California
Fresno State started the football program in 1922. They joined the Big West in 1988 and the WAC in 1992. In 2012, they joined the Mountain West. From the time they joined the Mountain West, they have played in nine bowl games.
Former North Dakota State head coach Matt Entz went 9-4 in his first year with the Bulldogs. He is now leading the team into the Pac-12. With 12 returning starters from a team that won nine games, the Bulldogs have enough firepower to finish near the top of the conference.
San Diego State Aztecs
Previous Conference: Mountain West
City: San Diego, California
The Aztecs played their first football game in 1921. They joined the WAC in 1978, then made the move to the Mountain West in 1999. They have made 11 bowl games since 1999, with a string of nine straight that ended in 2019.
Six starters are back on offense, including quarterback Jayden Denegal and running back Lucky Sutton. The defense was one of the best in the country and has a lot of new faces contributing. Sean Lewis helped the team improve to nine wins in his second year after they had three in his first year. If he can keep the program rolling, San Diego State should be in the thick of the Pac-12 race.
Utah State Aggies
Previous Conference: Mountain West
City: Logan, Utah
Utah State began the football program in 1892. They joined the Big West in 1978, then were independent, before joining the Sun Belt for two seasons. From 2005 and 2012, they played in the WAC before getting the invite and becoming a member of the Mountain West. In their 13 seasons in the MWC, they played in 10 bowl games.
Bronco Mendenhall took the Utah State job last season and helped the team win six games. Nine starters return from that team, including star running back Jeven Jacobs. They may not finish at the top of the conference this season, but the Aggies should be competitive.
Texas State Bobcats
Previous Conference: Sun Belt
City: San Marcos, Texas
The Bobcats didn’t play college football until 1951. After competing in Division II, the Bobcats moved up to Division I-AA in 1984. They joined the FBS in 2012 and participated in the WAC. After one season in the WAC, they moved to the Sun Belt. They have only made three bowl games at the Division I level, with all three of them coming over the last three seasons.
GJ Kinne has elevated the Texas State program to new heights in the last three years, as he has a 23-16 record. The 10 starters returning can help them win some games, but this is a huge jump in competition that the Bobcats will have to adjust to. Texas State has been growing and could be competitive in a few seasons, especially if they retain Kinne.
Louisiana Tech Bulldogs
Previous Conference: C-USA
City: Ruston, Louisiana
Louisiana Tech had their first football season in 1901. After having some success at the Division II level in the 1970s, they moved up to Division I-AA in the 1980s. When they moved up to the FBS level (formerly Division I-A), they have bounced around from being an Independent to a few different conferences. Most recently, they were in Conference-USA in 2025 before making the move to the Sun Belt.
In the Sun Belt, Louisiana Tech will be matched up with teams with a slightly more similar geographic footprint than they had in C-USA. They will bring the number of teams in the conference to 14 for the 2026 season.
Sonny Combie has had a rocky tenure as head coach of Louisiana Tech with a 19-31 record. He will lead the Bulldogs in their first season in the Sun Belt after putting up his most impressive season with the team, as he recorded eight wins. It will be tough to win in the league early, as they only retain six starters. They will lean heavily on returning starter quarterback Blake Baker and tight end Eli Finley to lead the team.
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