Which Conferences Previously Existed at the FCS Level?
Like the many teams that have been part of the FCS, conferences have come and gone as well. Some changes were due to a simple renaming but others no longer sponsor football or have disbanded completely. Below is a list of all FCS conferences that have competed in the subdivision since the Division 1 split in 1978. Clicking on a conference name in the table will bring you further down in the post for additional details. The list has been updated as of the 2024 FCS season while a graphical representation of the timelines described below can be found here.
| Conference | Years | Active | Ultimate Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| American West Conference | 1993 – 1995 | No | Disbanded |
| ASUN | 2022 | No | Merged into United Athletic Conference |
| Atlantic 10 Conference | 1997 – 2006 | No | Football Discontinued |
| Big Sky Conference | 1978 – Present | Yes | Still Active |
| Big South Conference | 2002 – 2022 | Yes | Combined into Big South-OVC |
| Big South-OVC Football Association | 2023 – Present | Yes | Still Active |
| Coastal Athletic Association | 2023 – Present | Yes | Still Active |
| Colonial Athletic Association | 2007 – 2022 | No | Renamed to Coastal Athletic Association |
| Colonial League | 1986 – 1989 | No | Renamed to Patriot League |
| FCS Independents | 1978 – Present | Yes | Still Active |
| Gateway Collegiate Athletic Conference | 1985 – 1991 | No | Renamed to Missouri Valley Football Conference |
| Gateway Football Conference | 1992 – 2007 | No | Renamed to Missouri Valley Football Conference |
| Great West Conference | 2004 – 2011 | No | Disbanded |
| Gulf Star Conference | 1984 – 1986 | No | Disbanded |
| Ivy League | 1982 – Present | Yes | Still Active |
| Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference | 1993 – 2007 | No | Football Discontinued |
| Mid-Continent | 1981 – 1984 | No | Football Discontinued |
| Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference | 1978 – Present | Yes | Still Active |
| Missouri Valley Conference | 1982 – 1985 | No | Football Discontinued |
| Missouri Valley Football Conference | 2008 – Present | Yes | Still Active |
| Northeast Conference | 1996 – Present | Yes | Still Active |
| Ohio Valley Conference | 1978 – 2022 | Yes | Combined into Big South-OVC |
| Patriot League | 1990 – Present | Yes | Still Active |
| Pioneer Football League | 1993 – Present | Yes | Still Active |
| SIAC (D2) | 1978 | No | Special Note |
| Southern Conference | 1982 – Present | Yes | Still Active |
| Southland Conference | 1982 – Present | Yes | Still Active |
| Southwestern Athletic Conference | 1978 – Present | Yes | Still Active |
| United Athletic Conference | 2023 – Present | Yes | Still Active |
| Western Athletic Conference | 2021 – 2022 | No | Merged into United Athletic Conference |
| Yankee Conference | 1978 – 1996 | No | Became Atlantic 10 Conference |
American West Conference
The American West Conference competed at the FCS level from 1993 through 1995. The AWC never had more than 5 members and struggled to gain traction that would help them reach the NCAA minimum of 6 members to obtain an automatic qualifying bid to the FCS playoffs.
ASUN Conference
The Atlantic Sun Conference formally competed in the FCS for only one year in 2022 with its members being part of the ASUN-WAC challenge to win the combined automatic qualifying bid to the FCS Playoffs. (The ASUN members also played in the ASUN-WAC challenge in 2021 before the ASUN football conference formally existed). The ASUN and WAC football members formally merged into the United Athletic Conference beginning with the 2023 season.
Atlantic 10 Conference
The Atlantic 10 Conference officially began in 1997 when it absorbed the Yankee Conference. Following a series of realignment changes, the Atlantic 10 ceased football sponsorship following the 2006 season. Even though all the members of the Atlantic 10 ended up in the Colonial Athletic Association, the CAA is a separate entity and is Yankee/Atlantic 10 successor in spirit only,
Big Sky Conference
The Big Sky has operated at the FCS level since the Division 1 split in 1978.
Big South Conference
The Big South Conference began sponsoring FCS football in 2002 and operated on its own through the 2022 season. Beginning in 2023, the Big South and Ohio Valley Conferences formed the Big South-OVC Football Association to allow all members of each conference to compete for an automatic qualifying bid to the FCS playoffs.
Big South-OVC Football Association
The Big South-OVC Football Association began in 2023 with the Big South and Ohio Valley Conferences combining its football members to compete for an automatic qualifying bid to the FCS playoffs.
CAA
The Colonial Athletic Association began sponsoring football in 2007 and is the spiritual successor to the Atlantic 10/Yankee Conferences. Although the CAA had the same teams that were previously in the Atlantic 10, it set up a separate charter for football much like the Missouri Valley Football Conference did with the Missouri Valley Conference. The CAA changed its name to the Coastal Athletic Association beginning with the 2023 season.
Colonial League
The Colonial League began sponsoring football in 1986 and was later renamed to the Patriot League beginning with the 1990 season.
Gateway Collegiate Athletic Conference
The Gateway Collegiate Athletic Conference began sponsoring football in 1985 and was merged with the Missouri Valley Conference and renamed the Gateway Football Conference beginning with the 1992 season. The Gateway Football Conference would be changed to the current Missouri Valley Football Conference beginning in 2008.
Gateway Football Conference
The Gateway Football Conference began in 1992 following the merger of the Gateway Collegiate Athletic Conference and Missouri Valley Conference. The Gateway Football Conference was the successor to the GCAC and was renamed the Missouri Valley Football Conference beginning with the 2008 season.
Great West Conference
The Great West Conference sponsored FCS football from 2004 through 2011 but disbanded as realignment impacted its stability. North Dakota State and South Dakota State transitioned from Division 2 to the FCS with the Great West being both teams’ temporary home before moving to the MVFC.
Gulf Star Conference
The Gulf Star Conference sponsored FCS football for the 1984, 1985, and 1986 seasons. The majority of its members would end up in the Southland Conference.
Ivy League
Despite the Division 1 Split in 1978, the Ivy League remained an FBS conference (then I-A). In 1982, the Ivy League decided to move down to the FCS level (then I-AA) as a whole and have remained in the FCS since.
Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC)
The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) sponsored FCS football from 1993 through 2007. The conference stopped sponsoring football after the 2007 season due to a declining number of football-playing members. The MAAC continues to operate as of 2023-24 without football.
Mid-Continent
The Mid-Continent Athletic Association began sponsoring FCS football in 1981 when the entire conference moved up from NCAA Division 2. In 1982, the name was revised to the Association of Mid-Continent Universities and played three additional years at the FCS level in 1982, 1983, and 1984. The league stopped sponsoring football after the 1984 season and was later renamed to the Summit League.
Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC)
The MEAC has operated at the FCS level since the Division 1 split in 1978.
Missouri Valley Conference (MVC)
The Missouri Valley Conference was one of the more interesting cases of former FCS conferences. The MVC operated from 1982 through 1985 but was the Schrödinger’s cat of conferences with some teams classified as FBS (I-A at the time) and some classified as FCS (I-AA at the time). The MVC has not sponsored football since 1985 and the Missouri Valley Football Conference is a separate entity and the two conferences do not share football history.
Missouri Valley Football Conference (MVFC)
The Missouri Valley Football Conference has been used since the 2008 season but was previously referred to as the Gateway Football Conference from 1992 through 2007. The GFC was previously the Gateway Collegiate Athletic Conference from 1985 through 1991. The MVFC does recognize its FCS football history back to 1985 to include the previous conference names. The MVFC is not to be confused with the Missouri Valley Conference that operated from 1982 through 1985.
Northeast Conference
The Northeast Conference began sponsoring FCS football in 1996.
Ohio Valley Conference
The Ohio Valley Conference has sponsored FCS football since the Division 1 split in 1978. Beginning with the 2023 season, the OVC’s football members combined with the Big South football members into one conference called the Big South-OVC Football Association to contest an automatic qualifying bid to the FCS playoffs.
Patriot League
The Patriot League has been competing at the FCS level since 1986 when it was called the Colonial League from 1986 through 1989. The Patriot League has been the name of the conference since 1990.
Pioneer Football League
The Pioneer Football League sponsored FCS football beginning with the 1993 season. None of the PFL members offer football scholarships.
Southern Conference
Despite the Division 1 Split in 1978, the Southern Conference remained an FBS conference (then I-A). In 1982, the Southern Conference decided to move down to the FCS level (then I-AA) as a whole and have remained in the FCS since.
Southland Conference
Despite the Division 1 Split in 1978, the Southland Conference remained an FBS conference (then I-A). In 1982, the Southland Conference decided to move down to the FCS level (then I-AA) as a whole and have remained in the FCS since.
Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC)
The SWAC has operated at the FCS level since the Division 1 split in 1978.
United Athletic Conference (UAC)
The United Athletic Conference was formed in 2023 when the football members of the Atlantic Sun and Western Athletic Conferences merged.
Western Athletic Conference (WAC)
The Western Athletic Conference was an FBS/I-A conference from 1962 through 2012 before the WAC stopped sponsoring football. The WAC brought football back beginning with the 2021 season at the FCS level. In 2021, the WAC housed both the WAC and future ASUN members to compete for the automatic qualifying bid in 2021. The WAC-ASUN challenge returned in 2022 for AQ purposes as the ASUN began its operation as a separate entity. Beginning in 2023, the ASUN and WAC football members merged into the United Athletic Conference.
Yankee Conference
The Yankee Conference began sponsoring football in 1978 after the Division 1 split into the I-A and I-AA subdivisions. After the 1996 season, the Yankee Conference merged with the Atlantic 10. The A10 maintained the football sponsorship from the Yankee Conference and its history beginning in 1998. The Atlantic 10 would stop sponsoring football after the 2006 season with its members (and former Yankee members) joining the CAA. The CAA had a separate charter beginning with its inaugural season in 2007 and would not maintain the history of the A10/Yankee Conferences.
Special Note
In 1978 – the first year of the Division 1 split into the I-A and I-AA subdivisions – Florida A&M competed in the NCAA Division 2 Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. FAMU was granted classification as an I-AA team for the 1978 season and won the first I-AA/FCS National Championship that same year.