This is a list of 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 the following:
FBS programs are 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. Unlike FBS schools, for whom an athlete receiving a partial scholarship counts fully against the limit of 85, FCS schools can freely grant partial scholarships, but are also limited to a total of 85 players receiving assistance.
The three service academies that play in Division I FBS — Air Force , Army , and Navy — are exempt from this rule because all students at these schools receive full scholarships from the federal government.
Division I FBS football is the only NCAA sport without a formal tournament to determine an undisputed national champion. FBS schools instead play in a series of postseason bowl games, culminating in the BCS National Championship Game, which attempts to crown a single national champion. Other organizations, most notably the Associated Press, crown their own champions via polling. The BCS and AP have not always agreed on a single champion. In contrast, Division I FCS football conducts a 20-team single-elimination tournament, the NCAA Division I Football Championship, to determine its undisputed champion.
Team
Location
Conference
Air Force Falcons
Colorado Springs, CO
Mountain West
Akron Zips
Akron, OH
Mid-American
Alabama Crimson Tide
Tuscaloosa, AL
SEC
Appalachian State Mountaineers
Boone, NC
Sun Belt
Arizona Wildcats
Tucson, AZ
Pac-12
Arizona State Sun Devils
Tempe, AZ
Pac-12
Arkansas Razorbacks
Fayetteville, AR
SEC
Arkansas State Red Wolves
Jonesboro, AR
Sun Belt
Army Black Knights
West Point, NY
Independent
Auburn Tigers
Auburn, AL
SEC
Ball State Cardinals
Muncie, IN
Mid-American
Baylor Bears
Waco, TX
Big 12
Boise State Broncos
Boise, ID
Mountain West
Boston College Eagles
Chestnut Hill, MA
ACC
Bowling Green Falcons
Bowling Green, OH
Mid-American
BYU Cougars
Provo, UT
Independent
Buffalo Bulls
Amherst, NY
Mid-American
California Golden Bears
Berkeley, CA
Pac-12
Central Florida Knights
Orlando, FL
American
Central Michigan Chippewas
Mount Pleasant, MI
Mid-American
Charlotte 49ers
Charlotte, NC
Conference USA
Cincinnati Bearcats
Cincinnati, OH
American
Clemson Tigers
Clemson, SC
ACC
Colorado Buffaloes
Boulder, CO
Pac-12
Colorado State Rams
Fort Collins, CO
Mountain West
Connecticut Huskies
Storrs, CT
American
Duke Blue Devils
Durham, NC
ACC
East Carolina Pirates
Greenville, NC
American
Eastern Michigan Eagles
Ypsilanti, MI
Mid-American
Florida Gators
Gainesville, FL
SEC
Florida Atlantic Owls
Boca Raton, FL
Conference USA
FIU Panthers
Miami, FL
Conference USA
Florida State Seminoles
Tallahassee, FL
ACC
Fresno State Bulldogs
Fresno, CA
Mountain West
Georgia Bulldogs
Athens, GA
SEC
Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
Atlanta, GA
ACC
Hawaii Rainbow Warriors
Honolulu, HI
Mountain West
Houston Cougars
Houston, TX
American
Illinois Fighting Illini
Champaign, IL
Big Ten
Indiana Hoosiers
Bloomington, IN
Big Ten
Iowa Hawkeyes
Iowa City, IA
Big Ten
Iowa State Cyclones
Ames, IA
Big 12
Kansas Jayhawks
Lawrence, KS
Big 12
Kansas State Wildcats
Manhattan, KS
Big 12
Kent State Golden Flashes
Kent, OH
Mid-American
Kentucky Wildcats
Lexington, KY
SEC
Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns
Lafayette, LA
Sun Belt
Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks
Monroe, LA
Sun Belt
LSU Tigers
Baton Rouge, LA
SEC
Louisiana Tech Bulldogs
Ruston, LA
Conference USA
Louisville Cardinals
Louisville KY
ACC
Marshall Thundering Herd
Huntington, WV
Conference USA
Maryland Terrapins
College Park, MD
ACC
Massachusetts Minutemen
Amherst, MA
Independent
Memphis Tigers
Memphis, TN
American
Miami Hurricanes
Coral Gables, FL
ACC
Miami (OH) RedHawks
Oxford, OH
Mid-American
Michigan Wolverines
Ann Arbor, MI
Big Ten
Michigan State Spartans
East Lansing, MI
Big Ten
Middle Tennessee State Blue Raiders
Mufreesboro, TN
Conference USA
Minnesota Golden Gophers
Minneapolis, MN
Big Ten
Mississippi Rebels
Oxford, MS
SEC
Mississippi State Bulldogs
Starkville, MS
SEC
Missouri Tigers
Columbia, MO
SEC
Navy Midshipmen
Annapolis, MD
American
Nebraska Cornhuskers
Lincoln, NE
Big Ten
Nevada Wolf Pack
Reno, NV
Mountain West
New Mexico Lobos
Albuquerque, NM
Mountain West
New Mexico State Aggies
Las Cruces, NM
Sun Belt
North Carolina Tar Heels
Chapel Hill, NC
ACC
North Carolina State Wolfpack
Raleigh, NC
ACC
North Texas Mean Green
Denton, TX
Sun Belt
Northern Illinois Huskies
DeKalb, IL
Mid-American
Northwestern Wildcats
Evanston, IL
Big Ten
Notre Dame Fighting Irish
South Bend, IN
Independent
Ohio Bobcats
Athens, OH
Mid-American
Ohio State Buckeyes
Columbus, OH
Big Ten
Oklahoma Sooners
Norman, OK
Big 12
Oklahoma State Cowboys
Stillwater, OK
Big 12
Old Dominion Monarchs
Norfolk, VA
Conference USA
Oregon Ducks
Eugene, OR
Pac-12
Oregon State Beavers
Corvallis, OR
Pac-12
Penn State Nittany Lions
University Park, PA
Big Ten
Pittsburgh Panthers
Pittsburgh, PA
ACC
Purdue Boilermakers
West Lafayette, IN
Big Ten
Rice Owls
Houston, TX
Conference USA
Rutgers Scarlet Knights
Piscataway, NJ
Big Ten
San Diego State Aztecs
San Diego, CA
Mountain West
San Jose State Spartans
San Jose, CA
Mountain West
South Alabama Jaguars
Mobile, AL
Sun Belt
South Carolina Gamecocks
Columbia, SC
SEC
South Florida Bulls
Tampa, FL
American
SMU Mustangs
Dallas, TX
Conference USA
Southern Miss Golden Eagles
Hattiesburg, MS
Conference USA
Stanford Cardinal
Stanford, CA
Pac-12
Syracuse Orange
Syracuse, NY
ACC
Temple Owls
Philadelphia, PA
American
Tennessee Volunteers
Knoxville, TN
SEC
Texas Longhorns
Austin, TX
Big 12
Texas A&M Aggies
College Station, TX
SEC
TCU Horned Frogs
Fort Worth, TX
Big 12
Texas State Bobcats
San Marcos, TX
Sun Belt Conference
Texas Tech Red Raiders
Lubbock, TX
Big 12
Toledo Rockets
Toledo, OH
Mid-American
Troy Trojans
Troy, AL
Sun Belt
Tulane Green Wave
New Orleans, LA
Conference USA
Tulsa Golden Hurricane
Tulsa, OK
Conference USA
UAB Blazers
Birmingham, AL
Conference USA
UCLA Bruins
Los Angeles, CA
Pac-12
UNLV Rebels
Las Vegas, NV
Mountain West
USC Trojans
Los Angeles, CA
Pac-12
Utah Utes
Salt Lake City, UT
Pac-12
Utah State Aggies
Logan, UT
Mountain West
UTEP Miners
El Paso, TX
Conference USA
UTSA Roadrunners
San Antonio, TX
Conference USA
Vanderbilt Commodores
Nashville, TN
SEC
Virginia Cavaliers
Charlottesville, VA
ACC
Virginia Tech Hokies
Blacksburg, VA
ACC
Wake Forest Demon Deacons
Winston-Salem, NC
ACC
Washington Huskies
Seattle, WA
Pac-12
Washington State Cougars
Pullman, WA
Pac-12
West Virginia Mountaineers
Morgantown, WV
Big 12
Western Kentucky Hilltoppers
Bowling Green, KY
Conference USA
Western Michigan Broncos
Kalamazoo, MI
Mid-American
Wisconsin Badgers
Madison, WI
Big Ten
Wyoming Cowboys
Laramie, WY
Mountain West