The 2026 FCS Season is scheduled to begin on Thursday, August 27, 2026, and end on Monday, January 4, 2027. There are currently 128 FCS teams slated to compete across 13 conferences.
2026 FCS Over FBS Victories
Playoff Bracket, Notes, and National Champion
The FCS Playoff format is expected to remain the same for the 2026 season with a 24-team bracket and 16-seeded teams. The top 8 teams will receive a bye to the second round, while seeds 9 through 16 will host a first-round matchup. Campus sites were used from the first round through the semifinal round. FirstBank Stadium in Nashville, Tennessee, will host the FCS Championship for the second time. The National Championship game is scheduled for Monday, January 4, 2027.
Conference Changes
There is one conference change at the FCS level for the 2026 season, although it’s a restructuring. The Western Athletic Conference will rebrand as the United Athletic Conference and become a multi-sport conference. The UAC was previously a football-only conference for the 2023, 2024, and 2025 seasons. Abilene Christian, Austin Peay, Central Arkansas, Eastern Kentucky, North Alabama, Tarleton State, West Florida, and West Georgia will comprise the UAC in 2026.
Team Changes
There are 11 changes set for the 2026 FCS season, including 3 departures, 2 additions, and 6 teams moving conferences. This is subject to change if more realignment changes occur in the run-up to the season.
Chicago State will add a football team in 2026 and compete as an independent in its first season. The Cougars will join the NEC in 2027. Speaking of the NEC, Saint Francis (PA) is leaving the NEC, FCS, Division I to join the NCAA Division III Presidents’ Athletic Conference.
North Dakota State is leaving the FCS to join the FBS and Mountain West Conference. The Bison have been the most dominant team in the subdivision for the previous 15 seasons, winning 10 titles in that span.
Sacramento State is leaving the Big Sky Conference and will join the FBS as a football-only member of the MAC. The Hornets attempted a solo move to the FBS in 2025, but were rebuffed by the NCAA.
Sacred Heart will move from an FCS independent to the CAA. Villanova and William & Mary will leave the CAA and join the Patriot League, putting the CAA at 13 teams and the Patriot League at 10.
Southern Utah and Utah Tech will leave the United Athletic Conference and join the Big Sky Conference. The Big Sky will be at 13 members, while the UAC will have 7. Finally, Tennessee Tech will leave the OVC-Big South Football Association to join the Southern Confernece. The OVC-Big South has 8 members, while the SoCon climbs to 10.
West Florida will move up from the Gulf South Conference and NCAA Division II to join the United Athletic Conference for the 2026 season.
| Team | Old Conference | New Conference |
|---|---|---|
| Chicago State | New Program | FCS Independent |
| North Dakota State | MVFC (FCS) | Mountain West (FBS) |
| Sacramento State | Big Sky (FCS) | MAC (FBS) |
| Sacred Heart | FCS Independent | CAA (FCS) |
| Saint Francis | NEC (FCS) | PAC (D-III) |
| Southern Utah | UAC (FCS) | Big Sky (FCS) |
| Tennessee Tech | OVC-Big South (FCS) | Southern (FCS) |
| Utah Tech | UAC (FCS) | Big Sky (FCS) |
| Villanova | CAA (FCS) | Patriot League (FCS) |
| West Florida | Gulf South (D-II) | UAC (FCS) |
| William & Mary | CAA (FCS) | Patriot League (FCS) |
2025 Season ————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————– 2027 Season