NCAA Men's Division I Football Championship Subdivision alignment history

This article depicts the NCAA Men's Football Championship Subdivision Alignment History—specifically, all schools that have competed in the lower tier of NCAA

National Collegiate Athletic Association

The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...

Division I college football

College football

College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...

since Division I football was split into two subdivisions in 1978. This includes schools competing in:

Division I-AA from 1978 through 2005
Division I FCS since 2006

Teams in bold italics are now in the Football Bowl Subdivision; those in plain italics either play football in lower divisions or not at all. Teams followed by an asterisk (*) dropped football.

Dates reflect when a team began play in I-AA/FCS, not when it became eligible for postseason play. Four schools—Massachusetts

UMass Minutemen football

The UMass Minutemen football team is a collegiate football team that has finished its last season in the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision and the Colonial Athletic Association in 2011. UMass began play in 1879 and have since appeared in three National Championship games, winning the title in...

, South Alabama

South Alabama Jaguars

The South Alabama Jaguars represent the University of South Alabama in NCAA Division I intercollegiate athletics.USA competes in the Sun Belt Conference; it is the conference's only remaining charter member from its inception. USA's athletics teams are nicknamed the Jaguars. Popular sports are...

, Texas State

Texas State Bobcats

The Texas State Bobcats are the sports teams that represent Texas State University-San Marcos. Currently, they compete in the Southland Conference in NCAA Division I...

, and UTSA

UTSA Roadrunners

The UTSA Roadrunners is an athletic program that represent the University of Texas at San Antonio . The UTSA Roadrunners are also commonly referred to as "UTSA", Roadrunners,or simply as "Runners" . The Roadrunners compete in the NCAA Division I Southland Conference in 17 varsity sports...

—will begin transitions to FBS in 2011. Their last season as FCS members will be 2011, with provisional FBS membership in 2012 and full FBS membership in 2013. The article reflects these dates.

School names reflect those in current use, not necessarily those used by a school when it competed in I-AA/FCS. Specifically, three schools were known by different names throughout their entire tenure in Division I-AA/FCS:

Louisiana-Monroe — Northeast Louisiana
Troy
Troy Trojans football
The Troy Trojans football program represents Troy University, Alabama, in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision, formerly known as Division I-A, of which it has been a member since 2001...

— Troy State
West Texas A&M
West Texas A&M University
West Texas A&M University , part of the Texas A&M University System, is a public university located in Canyon, Texas, a small city south of Amarillo. West Texas A&M opened on September 20, 1910...

— West Texas State

A

Alabama A&M 1999–present
UAB 1993–1995
Akron 1980–1986
Alabama State 1982–present
Albany (N.Y.) 1999–present
Alcorn State 1978–present
Appalachian State 1982–present
Arkansas-Pine Bluff 1998–present
Arkansas State 1982–1991
Austin Peay 1978–present

B

Ball State 1982
Bethune-Cookman 1980–present
Brown 1982–present
Bucknell 1978–present
Butler 1993–present
Boise State 1978–1998
Boston University* 1978–1997
Bowling Green 1982
Bryant 2008–present
Buffalo 1993–1998

C

UC Davis 2007–present
Cal Poly 1994–present
Cal State Northridge* 1993–2001
Campbell 2008–present
Canisius* 1993–2002
Central Arkansas 2006–present
Central Connecticut State 1993–present
UCF 1990–1995
Charleston Southern 1993–present
Chattanooga 1982–present
The Citadel 1982–present
Coastal Carolina 2003–present
Colgate 1982–present
Columbia 1982–present
Connecticut 1978–2001
Cornell 1982–present

D

Dartmouth 1982–present
Davidson 1978-1990, 1993–present
Dayton 1993–present
Delaware 1980–present
Delaware State 1978, 1980–present
Drake 1981–1985, 1993–present
Duquesne 1993–present

E

Eastern Illinois 1981–present
Eastern Kentucky 1978–present
Eastern Michigan 1982
Eastern Washington 1984–present
East Tennessee State* 1982–2003
Elon 1999–present
Evansville* 1993–1997

F

Fairfield* 1997–2002
Florida A&M 1979–present
Florida Atlantic 2001–2004
Florida International 2003–2005
Fordham 1989–present
Furman 1982–present

G

Gardner-Webb 2002–present
Georgetown 1993–present
Georgia Southern 1984–present
Georgia State 2010–present
Grambling 1978–present

H

Hampton 1997–present
Harvard 1982–present
Hofstra* 1993–2009
Holy Cross 1982–present
Howard 1978, 1980–present

I

Idaho 1978–1996
Idaho State 1978–present
Illinois State 1982–present
Indiana State 1982–present
Iona* 1993–2008

J

Jackson State 1978–present
Jacksonville 1998–present
Jacksonville State 1997–present
James Madison 1980–present

L

Lamar 1982–1989, 2010–present
La Salle 1997–present
Lafayette 1978–present
Lehigh 1978–present
Liberty 1989–present
Louisiana-Monroe 1982–1993
Louisiana Tech 1982–1988

M

Maine 1978–present
Marist 1993–present
Marshall 1982–1996
Massachusetts 1978–2011
McNeese State 1982–present
Middle Tennessee 1978–1998
Mississippi Valley State 1980–present
Missouri State 1982–present
Monmouth 1994–present
Montana 1978–present
Montana State 1978–present
Morris Brown* 2001–2003
Morehead State 1978–present
Morgan State 1986–present
Murray State 1978–present

N

Nevada 1978-1991
New Hampshire 1978–present
Nicholls State 1980–present
Norfolk State 1997–present
North Carolina A&T 1978–present
North Dakota 2008–present
North Dakota State 2004–present
North Texas 1982–1994
Northeastern* 1978–2009
Northern Arizona 1978–present
Northern Colorado 2007–present
Northern Illinois 1982
Northern Iowa 1981–present
Northwestern State 1978–present

P

Pennsylvania 1982–present
Portland State 1978–1980, 1998–present
Prairie View 1978–present
Presbyterian 2007–present
Princeton 1982–present

S

Sacramento State 1993–present
Sacred Heart 1999–present
St. Francis (Pa.) 1993–present
St. John’s (N.Y.)* 1993–2002
St. Mary’s (Cal.)* 1993–2003
St. Peter’s* 1993–2006
Sam Houston State 1986–present
Samford 1989–present
San Diego 1993–present
Savannah State 2002–present
Siena* 1993–2003
South Alabama 2011
South Carolina State 1978, 1980–present
South Dakota 2008–present
South Dakota State 2004–present
South Florida 1997–2000
Southeast Missouri State 1990–present
Southeastern Louisiana 1980–1985; 2003–present
Southern U. 1978–present
Southern Illinois 1982–present
Southern Utah 1993–present
Stephen F. Austin 1986–present
Stony Brook 1999–present

T

Tennessee-Martin 1992–present
Tennessee State 1981–present
Tennessee Tech 1978–present
Texas-Arlington* 1982–1985
Texas Southern 1978–present
Texas State 1984–2011
Towson 1987–present
Troy 1993–2001

V

Valparaiso 1993–present
Villanova 1987–present
Virginia Military Institute (VMI) 1982–present

W

Wagner 1993–present
Weber State 1978–present
West Texas A&M 1982–1985
Western Carolina 1982–present
Western Illinois 1981–present
Western Kentucky 1978–2007
William & Mary 1982–present
Winston-Salem 2010–present
Wofford 1995–present

A

B

C

D

E

F

G

H

I

J

L

M

N

P

S

T

V

W

See also