power conferences

{{For|a full list of FBS football programs|List of NCAA Division I FBS football programs}}

The ten FBS conferences as of the 2025–26 academic year are listed. For the Power Four, the members of each conference are also listed:

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| USA

| width = 900

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| caption = Teams for each of the Power Four conferences during the 2024 season.
ACC 10px
Big Ten 10px
Big 12 10px
SEC 10px
Power Four independent 10px

| places =

{{Location map~ | USA | mark = Location dot black.svg |marksize=8 | label = Notre Dame | position=right | lat_deg =41 | lat_min =42 | lat_dir = N | lon_deg =86 | lon_min =14 | lon_dir = W }}

{{Location map~ | USA | mark = Location dot red.svg |marksize=8 | label = Texas A&M | position=right | lat_deg =30 | lat_min =37 | lat_dir = N | lon_deg =96 | lon_min =21 | lon_dir = W }}

{{Location map~ | USA | mark = Location dot red.svg |marksize=8 | label = Arkansas | position=right | lat_deg =36 | lat_min =4 | lat_dir = N | lon_deg =94 | lon_min =11 | lon_dir = W }}

{{Location map~ | USA | mark = Location dot red.svg |marksize=8 | label = Florida | position=right | lat_deg =29 | lat_min =39 | lat_dir = N | lon_deg =82 | lon_min =21 | lon_dir = W }}

{{Location map~ | USA | mark = Location dot red.svg |marksize=8 | label = Kentucky | position=bottom | lat_deg =38 | lat_min =2 | lat_dir = N | lon_deg =84 | lon_min =30 | lon_dir = W }}

{{Location map~ | USA | mark = Location dot red.svg |marksize=8 | label = Georgia | position=right | lat_deg =33 | lat_min =57 | lat_dir = N | lon_deg =83 | lon_min =22 | lon_dir = W }}

{{Location map~ | USA | mark = Location dot red.svg |marksize=8 | label = Tennessee | position=bottom | lat_deg =35 | lat_min =57 | lat_dir = N | lon_deg =83 | lon_min =56 | lon_dir = W }}

{{Location map~ | USA | mark = Location dot red.svg |marksize=8 | label = Vanderbilt | position=left | lat_deg =36 | lat_min =9 | lat_dir = N | lon_deg =86 | lon_min =48 | lon_dir = W }}

{{Location map~ | USA | mark = Location dot red.svg |marksize=8 | label = Alabama | position=bottom | lat_deg =33 | lat_min =13 | lat_dir = N | lon_deg =87 | lon_min =32 | lon_dir = W }}

{{Location map~ | USA | mark = Location dot red.svg |marksize=8 | label = Auburn | position=bottom | lat_deg =32 | lat_min =36 | lat_dir = N | lon_deg =85 | lon_min =29 | lon_dir = W }}

{{Location map~ | USA | mark = Location dot red.svg |marksize=8 | label = LSU | position=right | lat_deg =30 | lat_min =25 | lat_dir = N | lon_deg =91 | lon_min =11 | lon_dir = W }}

{{Location map~ | USA | mark = Location dot red.svg |marksize=8 | label = Ole Miss | position=left | lat_deg =34 | lat_min =22 | lat_dir = N | lon_deg =89 | lon_min =32 | lon_dir = W }}

{{Location map~ | USA | mark = Location dot red.svg |marksize=8 | label = {{nowrap|Mississippi State}} | position=left | lat_deg =33 | lat_min =27 | lat_dir = N | lon_deg =88 | lon_min =47 | lon_dir = W }}

{{Location map~ | USA | mark = Location dot red.svg |marksize=8 | label = Missouri | position=top | lat_deg =38 | lat_min =57 | lat_dir = N | lon_deg =92 | lon_min =20 | lon_dir = W }}

{{Location map~ | USA | mark = Location dot red.svg |marksize=8 | label = South Carolina | position=right| lat_deg =34 | lat_min =0 | lat_dir = N | lon_deg =81 | lon_min =2 | lon_dir = W }}

{{Location map~ | USA | mark = Location dot red.svg |marksize=8 | label = Oklahoma | position=left | lat_deg =35 | lat_min =13 | lat_dir = N | lon_deg =97 | lon_min =27 | lon_dir = W }}

{{Location map~ | USA | mark = Location dot red.svg |marksize=8 | label = Texas | position=left | lat_deg =30 | lat_min =17 | lat_dir = N | lon_deg =97 | lon_min =44 | lon_dir = W }}

{{Location map~ | USA | mark = Location dot blue.svg |marksize=8 | label = Washington | position=bottom| lat_deg =47 | lat_min =39 | lat_dir = N | lon_deg =122 | lon_min =18 | lon_dir = W }}

{{Location map~ | USA | mark = Location dot blue.svg |marksize=8 | label = UCLA | position=top | lat_deg =34 | lat_min =4 | lat_dir = N | lon_deg =118 | lon_min =27 | lon_dir = W }}

{{Location map~ | USA | mark = Location dot blue.svg |marksize=8 | label = Oregon | position=bottom | lat_deg =44 | lat_min =3 | lat_dir = N | lon_deg =123 | lon_min =5 | lon_dir = W }}

{{Location map~ | USA | mark = Location dot blue.svg |marksize=8 | label = USC | position=bottom | lat_deg =34 | lat_min =1 | lat_dir = N | lon_deg =118 | lon_min =17 | lon_dir = W }}

{{Location map~ | USA | mark = Location dot blue.svg |marksize=8 | label = Penn State | position=top | lat_deg =40 | lat_min =48 | lat_dir = N | lon_deg =77 | lon_min =52 | lon_dir = W }}

{{Location map~ | USA | mark = Location dot blue.svg |marksize=8 | label = Rutgers | position=right | lat_deg =40 | lat_min =30 | lat_dir = N | lon_deg =74 | lon_min =27 | lon_dir = W }}

{{Location map~ | USA | mark = Location dot blue.svg |marksize=8 | label = Nebraska | position=left | lat_deg =40 | lat_min =49 | lat_dir = N | lon_deg =96 | lon_min =42 | lon_dir = W }}

{{Location map~ | USA | mark = Location dot blue.svg |marksize=8 | label = Indiana | position=left | lat_deg =39 | lat_min =10 | lat_dir = N | lon_deg =86 | lon_min =32 | lon_dir = W }}

{{Location map~ | USA | mark = Location dot blue.svg |marksize=8 | label = Michigan | position=right | lat_deg =42 | lat_min =17 | lat_dir = N | lon_deg =83 | lon_min =45 | lon_dir = W }}

{{Location map~ | USA | mark = Location dot blue.svg |marksize=8 | label = Michigan State | position=top | lat_deg =42 | lat_min =43 | lat_dir = N | lon_deg =84 | lon_min =29 | lon_dir = W }}

{{Location map~ | USA | mark = Location dot blue.svg |marksize=8 | label = Ohio State | position=top | lat_deg =40 | lat_min =0 | lat_dir = N | lon_deg =83 | lon_min =1 | lon_dir = W }}

{{Location map~ | USA | mark = Location dot blue.svg |marksize=8 | label = Illinois | position=left | lat_deg =40 | lat_min =7 | lat_dir = N | lon_deg =88 | lon_min =14 | lon_dir = W }}

{{Location map~ | USA | mark = Location dot blue.svg |marksize=8 | label = Iowa | position=bottom | lat_deg =41 | lat_min =39 | lat_dir = N | lon_deg =91 | lon_min =32 | lon_dir = W }}

{{Location map~ | USA | mark = Location dot blue.svg |marksize=8 | label = Minnesota | position=left | lat_deg =44 | lat_min =58 | lat_dir = N | lon_deg =93 | lon_min =14 | lon_dir = W }}

{{Location map~ | USA | mark = Location dot blue.svg |marksize=8 | label = Northwestern | position=left | lat_deg =42 | lat_min =3 | lat_dir = N | lon_deg =87 | lon_min =40 | lon_dir = W }}

{{Location map~ | USA | mark = Location dot blue.svg |marksize=8 | label = Purdue | position=top | lat_deg =40 | lat_min =25 | lat_dir = N | lon_deg =86 | lon_min =56 | lon_dir = W }}

{{Location map~ | USA | mark = Location dot blue.svg |marksize=8 | label = Wisconsin | position=left | lat_deg =43 | lat_min =5 | lat_dir = N | lon_deg =89 | lon_min =25 | lon_dir = W }}

{{Location map~ | USA | mark = Location dot blue.svg |marksize=8 | label = Maryland | position=right | lat_deg =38 | lat_min =59 | lat_dir = N | lon_deg =76 | lon_min =56 | lon_dir = W }}

{{Location map~ | USA | mark = Location dot orange.svg |marksize=8 | label = Arizona | position=right | lat_deg =32 | lat_min =14 | lat_dir = N | lon_deg =110 | lon_min =57 | lon_dir = W }}

{{Location map~ | USA | mark = Location dot orange.svg |marksize=8 | label = Arizona State | position=top | lat_deg =33 | lat_min =25 | lat_dir = N | lon_deg =111 | lon_min =56 | lon_dir = W }}

{{Location map~ | USA | mark = Location dot orange.svg |marksize=8 | label = BYU | position=bottom | lat_deg =40 | lat_min =13 | lat_dir = N | lon_deg =111 | lon_min =48 | lon_dir = W }} {{Location map~ | USA | mark = Location dot orange.svg |marksize=8 | label = Colorado | position=bottom | lat_deg =40 | lat_min =0 | lat_dir = N | lon_deg =105 | lon_min =16 | lon_dir = W }}

{{Location map~ | USA | mark =Location dot orange.svg | label = Utah | position=top | lat_deg =40 | lat_min =46 | lat_dir = N | lon_deg =111 | lon_min =51 | lon_dir = W }}

{{Location map~ | USA | mark = Location dot orange.svg |marksize=8 | label = Cincinnati | position=right | lat_deg =39 | lat_min =7 | lat_dir = N | lon_deg =84 | lon_min =30 | lon_dir = W }}

{{Location map~ | USA | mark = Location dot orange.svg |marksize=8 | label = Houston | position=right | lat_deg =29 | lat_min =45 | lat_dir = N | lon_deg =95 | lon_min =21 | lon_dir = W }}

{{Location map~ | USA | mark = Location dot orange.svg |marksize=8 | label = Iowa State | position=left | lat_deg =42 | lat_min =1 | lat_dir = N | lon_deg =93 | lon_min =39 | lon_dir = W }}

{{Location map~ | USA | mark = Location dot orange.svg |marksize=8 | label = Kansas | position=bottom | lat_deg =38 | lat_min =57 | lat_dir = N | lon_deg =95 | lon_min =15 | lon_dir = W }}

{{Location map~ | USA | mark = Location dot orange.svg |marksize=8 | label = Kansas State | position=left | lat_deg =39 | lat_min =12 | lat_dir = N | lon_deg =96 | lon_min =35 | lon_dir = W }}

{{Location map~ | USA | mark = Location dot orange.svg |marksize=8 | label = {{nowrap|Oklahoma State}} | position=left | lat_deg =36 | lat_min =8 | lat_dir = N | lon_deg =97 | lon_min =5 | lon_dir = W }}

{{Location map~ | USA | mark = Location dot orange.svg |marksize=8 | label = Texas Tech | position=top | lat_deg =33 | lat_min =34 | lat_dir = N | lon_deg =101 | lon_min =53 | lon_dir = W }}

{{Location map~ | USA | mark = Location dot orange.svg |marksize=8 | label = Baylor | position=left | lat_deg =31 | lat_min =33 | lat_dir = N | lon_deg =97 | lon_min =6 | lon_dir = W }}

{{Location map~ | USA | mark = Location dot orange.svg |marksize=8 | label = TCU | position=top | lat_deg =32 | lat_min =43 | lat_dir = N | lon_deg =97 | lon_min =22 | lon_dir = W }}

{{Location map~ | USA | mark = Location dot orange.svg |marksize=8 | label = UCF | position=right| lat_deg =28 | lat_min =36 | lat_dir = N | lon_deg =81 | lon_min =12 | lon_dir = W }}

{{Location map~ | USA | mark = Location dot orange.svg |marksize=8 | label = West
Virginia | position=right | lat_deg =39 | lat_min =38 | lat_dir = N | lon_deg =79 | lon_min =57 | lon_dir = W }}

{{Location map~ | USA | mark = Location dot green.svg |marksize=8 | label = Stanford | position=bottom | lat_deg =37 | lat_min =26 | lat_dir = N | lon_deg =122 | lon_min =10 | lon_dir = W }}

{{Location map~ | USA | mark = Location dot green.svg |marksize=8 | label = California | position=top | lat_deg =37 | lat_min =52 | lat_dir = N | lon_deg =122 | lon_min =16 | lon_dir = W }}

{{Location map~ | USA | mark = Location dot green.svg |marksize=8 | label = {{nowrap|Georgia Tech}} | position=bottom | lat_deg =33 | lat_min =47 | lat_dir = N | lon_deg =84 | lon_min =24 | lon_dir = W }}

{{Location map~ | USA | mark = Location dot green.svg |marksize=8 | label = Wake
Forest | position=left | lat_deg =36 | lat_min =8 | lat_dir = N | lon_deg =80 | lon_min =17 | lon_dir = W }}

{{Location map~ | USA | mark = Location dot green.svg |marksize=8 | label = Virginia | position=right | lat_deg =38 | lat_min =2 | lat_dir = N | lon_deg =78 | lon_min =30 | lon_dir = W }}

{{Location map~ | USA | mark = Location dot green.svg |marksize=8 | label = NC State | position=right | lat_deg =35 | lat_min =47 | lat_dir = N | lon_deg =78 | lon_min =41 | lon_dir = W }}

{{Location map~ | USA | mark = Location dot green.svg |marksize=8 | label = UNC | position=bottom | lat_deg =35 | lat_min =55 | lat_dir = N | lon_deg =79 | lon_min =3 | lon_dir = W }}

{{Location map~ | USA | mark = Location dot green.svg |marksize=8 | label = Duke | position=top | lat_deg =36 | lat_min =0 | lat_dir = N | lon_deg =78 | lon_min =56 | lon_dir = W }}

{{Location map~ | USA | mark = Location dot green.svg |marksize=8 | label = Clemson | position=right | lat_deg =34 | lat_min =41 | lat_dir = N | lon_deg =82 | lon_min =50 | lon_dir = W }}

{{Location map~ | USA | mark = Location dot green.svg |marksize=8 | label = Boston College | position=bottom | lat_deg =42 | lat_min =20 | lat_dir = N | lon_deg =71 | lon_min =10 | lon_dir = W }}

{{Location map~ | USA | mark = Location dot green.svg |marksize=8 | label = Syracuse | position=bottom| lat_deg =43 | lat_min =2 | lat_dir = N | lon_deg =76 | lon_min =8 | lon_dir = W }}

{{Location map~ | USA | mark = Location dot green.svg |marksize=8 | label = Pittsburgh | position=right | lat_deg =40 | lat_min =27 | lat_dir = N | lon_deg =79 | lon_min =57 | lon_dir = W }}

{{Location map~ | USA | mark = Location dot green.svg |marksize=8 | label = Miami (FL) | position=right | lat_deg =25 | lat_min =43 | lat_dir = N | lon_deg =80 | lon_min =17 | lon_dir = W }}

{{Location map~ | USA | mark = Location dot green.svg |marksize=8 | label = Virginia Tech | position=top | lat_deg =37 | lat_min =13 | lat_dir = N | lon_deg =80 | lon_min =25 | lon_dir = W }}

{{Location map~ | USA | mark = Location dot green.svg |marksize=8 | label = Florida State | position=top| lat_deg =30 | lat_min =27 | lat_dir = N | lon_deg =84 | lon_min =18 | lon_dir = W }}

{{Location map~ | USA | mark = Location dot green.svg | label = Louisville | position=left | lat_deg =38 | lat_min =13 | lat_dir = N | lon_deg =85 | lon_min =46 | lon_dir = W }}

{{Location map~ | USA | mark = Location dot green.svg |marksize=8 | label = SMU | position=right | lat_deg =32| lat_min =50 | lat_dir = N | lon_deg =96| lon_min =47 | lon_dir = W }}

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The power conferences are all part of NCAA Division I, which contains most of the largest and most competitive collegiate athletic programs in the United States, and the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), which is the higher of the two levels of college football within NCAA Division I.{{cite news|title=American football: Sarah Fuller makes history as first woman in a Power 5 game|date=November 29, 2020|website=BBC.com|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-55115661|access-date=November 30, 2020|quote=The Power 5 refers to five conferences, including the SEC, considered the elite of collegiate football.}} It is unknown where the term "Power Conference" originated; it is not officially documented by the NCAA, though it has been used since at least 2006.{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/29339532/bcs_race_already_is_getting_ugly/ |title=BCS race already is getting ugly |first=John |last=Lindsey |agency=Scripps Howard News Service |newspaper=Pittsburgh Post-Gazette |page=F-2 |date=November 1, 2006 |access-date=March 9, 2019 |via=newspapers.com|quote=Even though the system is usually stacked in their favor, the haves — schools from the traditional power five conferences, the Southeastern, Atlantic Coast, Big Ten, Big 12 and Pac-10 — are already bent out of shape.}} The top conferences in the college football are called the "Power Four conferences": the Big Ten Conference, the Big 12 Conference, the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), and the Southeastern Conference (SEC). Since 2014, the power conferences have held some autonomy from the rest of Division I in regard to issues such as stipends and recruiting rules.{{cite news|last1=Bennett|first1=Brian|title=NCAA board votes to allow autonomy|url=https://www.espn.com/college-sports/story/_/id/11321551/ncaa-board-votes-allow-autonomy-five-power-conferences|access-date=December 9, 2014|website=ESPN.com|date=August 8, 2014}}{{cite web|url=http://www.ncaapublications.com/productdownloads/D118.pdf |title=5.3.2.1 Process for Areas of Autonomy |work=2017–18 NCAA Division I Manual |page=33 |date=August 1, 2017 |access-date=March 11, 2019}}{{efn-ua|Section 5.3.2.1 of the NCAA Constitution grants the five conferences autonomy "to permit the use of resources to advance the legitimate educational or athletics-related needs of student-athletes and for legislative changes that will otherwise enhance student-athlete well-being". Eleven areas of autonomy are listed, including promotional activities unrelated to athletics participation, pre-enrollment expenses and support, and financial aid.}}

Roughly half of the schools in the FBS play in one of the Power Four conferences. The remaining schools are either independent, play in the Pac-12 Conference, or play in one of the conferences known as the Group of Five conferences, which consists of the American Athletic Conference (AAC or "The American"), Conference USA (CUSA), the Mid-American Conference (MAC), the Mountain West Conference (MW), and the Sun Belt Conference (SBC).{{cite news|last1=McMurphy|first1=Brett|title=Power Five coaches polled on games|url=https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/11320309/majority-power-five-coaches-want-power-five-only-schedules|access-date=December 9, 2014|publisher=ESPN|date=August 7, 2014}} The term "Power Four conferences" is often shortened to "P4", while the Group of Five Conferences are often referred to as the "G5".{{cite news |last1=Russo |first1=Ralph D. |title=AP Top 25 Reality Check: Group of 5 teams struggling to break into rankings with lack of P5 upsets |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaaf/2023/10/16/ap-top-25-reality-check-group-of-5-teams-struggling-to-break-into-rankings-with-lack-of-p5-upsets/71201689007/ |publisher=Associated Press |date=October 16, 2023}} The FBS has three independents as of the 2024 season: the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, the UConn Huskies, and the UMass Minutemen. Notre Dame is considered equal to the Power Four schools, being a full (with the exception of football) member of the ACC with an annual five-game football scheduling agreement with that conference; Notre Dame also has its own national television contract and its own arrangement for access to the CFP-affiliated bowl games should it meet stated competitive criteria. The other independents are generally considered to be on the same level as the G5 conferences.

Compared to the Group of Five, power conference schools have significantly higher revenue, due to television deals with major networks and streaming services.{{cite news |last1=Russo |first1=Ralph D. |title=Is a revenue gap keeping top coaches away from G5 schools? |url=https://www.foxsports.com/stories/college-football/is-a-revenue-gap-keeping-top-coaches-away-from-g5-schools |work=Fox Sports |date=March 4, 2020}} In 2022, the power conferences generated a combined $3.3 billion in revenue.{{cite news |last1=Witz |first1=Billy |title=Conferences Are Changing. The Sport Is, Too. |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/09/01/sports/ncaafootball/college-football-preview-realignment-big12-bigten-acc-pac12-bigten.html |work=The New York Times |date=September 1, 2023}} College football games often draw strong television ratings, and, along with the NFL, college football was one of the few television properties to grow in live ratings between 2013 and 2023.{{cite news |last1=Shaw |first1=Lucas |title=Live TV Has Been Collapsing for a Decade. Why Hasn't Football? |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2023-11-19/live-tv-has-been-collapsing-for-a-decade-why-hasn-t-football |publisher=Bloomberg |date=November 19, 2023}} In 2022, college football games between power conference teams made up five of the ten most-watched non-NFL sporting events among U.S. viewers. With 22.56 million viewers, the 2022 national championship game ranked as the most watched college football game of the year, and as the 33rd most-watched sporting event in the United States; only NFL games ranked higher.{{cite news |last1=Lewis |first1=Jon |title=2022 ratings wrap: Another dominant year for NFL |url=https://www.sportsmediawatch.com/2023/01/most-watched-games-2022-nfl-world-cup-olympics-college-football-viewership/ |publisher=Sports Media Watch |date=January 7, 2023}} Almost every Power Four school has a home stadium capacity of at least 40,000,{{cite news |last1=Kaduk |first1=Kevin |title=College football: The Power 5's smallest stadiums |url=https://sports.yahoo.com/college-football-power-5-smallest-160028942.html |publisher=Yahoo Sports |date=September 30, 2023}} and the power conferences all had an average attendance of at least 44,000 in 2022. This compares to an FBS average attendance of just under 42,000 and Group of Five average attendance that ranged between 14,000 and 29,000 for each conference. This revenue advantage allows Power Four conferences to pay higher salaries to coaches and invest in expensive athletic facilities and amenities.{{cite news |last1=Hobson |first1=Will |last2=Rich |first2=Steven |title=Colleges spend fortunes on lavish athletic facilities |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/college/ct-athletic-facilities-expenses-20151222-story.html |publisher=Chicago Tribune |date=December 23, 2015}} Although schools cannot directly pay student athletes,{{cite news |last1=Associated Press |title=NCAA president wants colleges to directly pay some student athletes |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/sports/ncaa-president-wants-colleges-directly-pay-student-athletes-rcna128213 |publisher=NBC News |date=December 5, 2023}} since 2021 school boosters and other third parties can pay student athletes for their name, image, and likeness (NIL) rights. Much of this NIL money goes to Power Four conference athletes, although numerous athletes from other conferences have also received NIL compensation.{{cite news |last1=Hunziger |first1=Erica |title=One year of NIL: How much have athletes made? |url=https://apnews.com/article/college-football-sports-basketball-6a4a3270d02121c1c37869fb54888ccb |publisher=AP |date=July 6, 2022}}

Teams in the Power Four conferences play an eight or nine-game conference schedule, and play an additional three or four non-conference games to fill out their 12-game regular season schedule.{{cite news |last1=Felder |first1=Michael |title=How Is a College Football Schedule Made? |url=https://bleacherreport.com/articles/1350023-how-is-a-college-football-schedule-made |publisher=Bleacher Report |date=September 27, 2012}}{{efn-ua|Hawaii and teams that play at Hawaii are allowed to schedule a thirteenth regular-season game.{{cite news |last1=Burke |first1=Peter |title=What is college football's 'Week Zero' and why are some games starting early? |url=https://www.wptv.com/sports/college-sports/understanding-week-zero-2023 |publisher=WPTV |date=August 25, 2023}}}} Teams from the Power Four and the Group of Five often play non-conference games against each other during the season, and sometimes also play against teams from the FCS, the lower tier of division one football.{{cite news |last1=Meyer |first1=Craig |title=SEC 2023 buy games: How much teams paid non-conference opponents in FCS, Group of Five |url=https://www.tennessean.com/story/sports/college/SEC/2023/11/17/sec-buy-games-2023-college-football-season-fcs-group-five/71597288007/ |publisher=The Tennessean |date=November 17, 2023}} However, many coaches of power conference schools have argued that power conference schools should only be allowed to schedule games against other power conference schools. All Power Four conferences that require their members to schedule at least one power conference opponent in nonconference play consider Notre Dame to be a power conference opponent for such purposes; the Big Ten and SEC also count Army as such an opponent.{{cite news|last1=Fornelli|first1=Tom|title=SEC will consider Notre Dame, BYU, and Army as Power Five opponents|url=http://www.cbssports.com/collegefootball/eye-on-college-football/25114107/sec-to-consider-notre-dame-byu-and-army-as-power-five-opponents|access-date=September 17, 2016|publisher=CBS|date=March 19, 2015}}{{cite news|last1=McMurphy|first1=Brett|title=Independents BYU, Army, Notre Dame can fulfill Power 5 quota for Big Ten|url=http://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/13716412/big-ten-approves-byu-army-notre-dame-nonconference-quota|access-date=September 17, 2016|publisher=ESPN|date=September 22, 2015}} Though not required to do so, all Power Four conferences hold conference championship games following the conclusion of the regular season and prior to the College Football Playoff. The power conferences previously each had two divisions and matched the winner of each division in the conference championship game, but all of the Power Four conferences have scrapped divisions, and conference championship games take place between the two highest-ranking teams.

The College Football Playoff takes place after the conference championship games and contemporaneously with several other bowl games. Following several changes after the 2023 college football season, the playoff consists of 12 teams, with the top five conference champions receiving automatic bids to the playoffs. At least one Group of Five Conference will be awarded one of the automatic bids in each playoff.{{cite news |last1=Patterson |first1=Chip |title=College Football Playoff's move to 5+7 model improves regular season, adds intrigue to first-round matchups |url=https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/college-football-playoffs-move-to-5-7-model-improves-regular-season-adds-intrigue-to-first-round-matchups/ |work=CBS Sports |date=February 20, 2024}} The College Football Playoff requires that a conference have at least eight teams in order to be eligible for an automatic qualifying bid, so the two-member Pac-12{{efn-ua|The Pac-12 is set to expand to seven football-sponsoring members for the 2026 season with the addition of Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, San Diego State, and Utah State.{{cite news |last1=Mandel |first1=Stewart |title=Pac-12 will never be a power again, but securing a Playoff spot is all that matters |url=https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5763474/2024/09/12/pac-12-realignment-college-football-playoff-bet/ |publisher=The Athletic |date=September 12, 2024}}}} is not eligible to receive an automatic bid. The four highest-ranked conference champions receive first-round byes, while the remaining eight teams play in the opening round of the playoffs at the home fields of the higher seeds. The "New Year's Six" bowls, which have held an important role in the college football postseason since before the establishment of the College Football Playoff, host the quarterfinals and semifinals on a rotating basis. The College Football Playoff National Championship, the final game of the College Football Playoff, is held at a separately determined neutral site.{{cite news |last1=Auerbach |first1=Nicole |title=College Football Playoff board approves move to 5+7 model for start of 12-team format |url=https://theathletic.com/5287930/2024/02/20/college-football-playoff-format-automatic-bids/ |publisher=The Athletic |date=February 20, 2024}}

{{Further|College football#History}}

File:1900yale.jpg, deemed national champion of the 1900 college football season]]

College football originated in the Northeastern United States in the final third of the 19th century, with the 1869 Princeton vs. Rutgers football game often considered to be the first college football game.{{cite web|url=https://www.ncaa.com/news/football/article/2017-11-06/college-football-history-heres-when-1st-game-was-played#:~:text=Rutgers%20and%20New%20Jersey%20(later,on%20hand%2C%20according%20to%20Rutgers.|title=1st college football game ever was New Jersey vs. Rutgers in 1869|author=Richmond, Sam|website=NCAA|date=November 6, 2019|access-date=2020-06-23}} The schools that would eventually form the Ivy League dominated college football in the 19th century and for parts of the 20th century, claiming numerous national championships.{{cite news |last1=Pichini |first1=Luke |title=The Evolution of Ivy League Football |url=https://cornellsun.com/2020/10/07/the-evolution-of-ivy-league-football/ |publisher=The Cornell Daily Sun |date=October 7, 2020}} Motivated in large part by fatalities and injuries sustained in college football, President Theodore Roosevelt worked with various collegiate athletic programs to establish the NCAA in 1906.{{cite book|last1=Crowley|first1=Joseph|title=The NCAA's First Century|date=2006|pages=9–10|url=http://www.ncaapublications.com/productdownloads/AB06.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130327171633/http://www.ncaapublications.com/productdownloads/AB06.pdf|archive-date=March 27, 2013|url-status=live}} The NCAA was preceded by the earliest athletic conferences, including the Big Ten, which was founded in 1896 as the Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representatives and was often referred to as the "Western Conference". The conference became known as the Big Ten after expanding to ten teams in 1917, though it would not legally adopt the "Big Ten" name until 1987. The Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association (SIAA), founded in 1894, at its peak consisted of 28 schools across almost every Southern state, and was the predecessor to both the SEC and the ACC.

File:1925 Washington Huskies football team.jpg, who competed in the Pacific Coast Conference]]

The Missouri Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MVIAA) was formed in 1907, and in 1928 the MVIAA split into two conferences, with the larger schools from the MVIAA forming the Big Six Conference.{{cite news |last1=Miller |first1=David |title=Conference loyalty a thing of the past |url=https://www.poncacitynews.com/sports/conference-loyalty-thing-past |publisher=The Ponca City News |date=August 24, 2022|quote=In 1928, the MVIAA split into two conferences, both retaining the MVIAA name officially, but the one involving the larger schools took “Big Six” as a descriptive moniker. The Big Six were Oklahoma, Kansas, Kansas State, Missouri, Nebraska and Iowa State. Drake, Grinnell, Washington and Oklahoma A&M were in the second MVIAA conference, which was known familiarly as the Missouri Valley.}} The Big Six later expanded to eight teams in 1957, becoming known as the Big Eight Conference. The Southwest Conference (SWC) was formed in 1914 by several schools in Texas and neighboring states, and after some early defections would maintain stable membership into the 1990s. The Pacific Coast Conference (PCC) was founded in 1915, but disbanded in 1959 following a "pay-for-play" scandal. Some of the former members of the Pacific Coast Conference formed the Athletic Association of Western Universities (AAWU) that same year, and by 1968 the AAWU had renamed itself as the Pac-8 and contained most of the former members of the PCC.{{cite news |last1=Mandel |first1=Stewart |title=College football conference realignment timeline: 124 years of drama, money and bitterness |url=https://theathletic.com/4662822/2023/07/14/college-football-conference-realignment-history/ |publisher=The Athletic |date=July 14, 2023}} Several of the larger schools split off from the SIAA in 1921 to form the Southern Conference, and the SIAA ultimately dissolved in 1942. The Southern Conference in turn later experienced the departure of its most prominent teams, first with the secession of 13 schools located south or west of the Appalachians to form the SEC in 1932. Most of the remaining large schools departed the Southern Conference in 1953 to form the ACC, and after losing its top programs, the Southern Conference ultimately became part of the FCS.{{cite news |last1=Hylton |first1=J. Gordon |title=Recent College Football Realignments Are Nothing New |url=https://law.marquette.edu/facultyblog/2011/11/recent-college-football-realignments-are-nothing-new/ |publisher=Marquette University Law School |date=November 7, 2011}} The Ivy League was officially founded in the 1950s, but the football programs of Ivy League schools declined in stature after World War II, and the conference ultimately dropped down to Division I-AA in 1982.

Until the 1990s, many top programs, particularly in the Northeast, played as football independents.{{cite news |last1=Hale |first1=David |title=What happened to college football in the Northeast? |url=https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/34301978/what-happened-college-football-northeast |publisher=ESPN |date=August 4, 2022}} Many of these independents were affiliated with the Big East Conference, the Atlantic 10 Conference (A-10), or the Metro Conference, each of which were founded in the 1970s as non-football conferences. In 1962, several members of the Skyline Conference and the Border Conference founded the Western Athletic Conference (WAC). Although generally not considered a power conference, four of the six founding WAC members would ultimately join one of the Power Four conferences, and the 1984 BYU Cougars football team won the national championship.{{cite magazine | url=https://www.si.com/more-sports/2009/08/06/byu-1984 | title=BYU pulled off a miracle 25 years ago; will it ever happen again? | magazine=Sports Illustrated | date=2009-08-06 | access-date=18 October 2016 | author=Mandel, Stewart}}{{cite news |last1=Alden |first1=Doug |title=BYU's sights are set on a repeat of 1984 |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2009-aug-16-sp-dog-byu16-story.html |work=Los Angeles Times |date=August 16, 2009}}{{cite news |last1=Smith |first1=Michael |title=History lesson: Super-conference concept rooted in 1990 proposal |url=https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Journal/Issues/2011/09/26/Colleges/Super-conference.aspx |publisher=Sports Business Journal |date=September 26, 2011 |quote="But the [Metro Conference] didn’t sponsor football and it needed to grow if it intended to survive against the heavies of that time: the SEC, ACC, Southwest Conference, Big Eight, Big Ten and Pac-10."}} NCAA divisions were created in 1956, initially for basketball and cross-country, with the largest schools placed in the University Division and other schools in the College Division. The NCAA requested all schools to classify themselves as members of the College or University divisions in 1968, and in 1973 the University Division was renamed Division I and given the power to establish some of its own rules related to matters such as recruitment and membership criteria. In 1978, Division I football programs were further sub-divided into Division I-A (later Division I FBS) and Division I-AA (later Division I FCS).{{cite book|last1=Crowley|first1=Joseph|title=The NCAA's First Century|date=2006|pages=41–44|url=http://www.ncaapublications.com/productdownloads/AB06.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130327171633/http://www.ncaapublications.com/productdownloads/AB06.pdf|archive-date=March 27, 2013|url-status=live}}

File:Jimmy Angelich carries the ball in the 1935 Rose Bowl.jpg]]

The Rose Bowl, a postseason game matching top teams from the West with top teams from the East, was first played in 1902 and became a yearly tradition in 1916. As college football grew beyond its regional affiliations in the 1930s, it garnered increased national attention. Four new bowl games were created: the Orange Bowl, Sugar Bowl, and Sun Bowl in 1935, and the Cotton Bowl in 1937. In lieu of an actual national championship, these bowl games provided a way to match up teams from distant regions of the country that did not otherwise play. In 1936, the Associated Press began its weekly poll of prominent sports writers, ranking all of the nation's college football teams. Since there was no national championship game, the final version of the AP poll was used to determine who was crowned the national champion of college football.{{cite book |editor1-last=Vancil |editor1-first=Mark |title=ABC Sports College Football: All Time All America Team |date=2000 |publisher=Hyperion |isbn=978-0-7868-6710-3|page=30}}

The first college football game was televised in 1938, and as universities began to widely televise their games after World War II, the NCAA took control of television broadcast rights in 1951 and restricted the number of games that a program could air on television.{{cite journal |last1=Dennie |first1=Christian |title=Conference Realignment: From Backyard Brawls to Cash Cows |journal=Mississippi Sports Law Review |date=2012 |volume=1 |issue=2 |pages=249–251 |url=https://law.olemiss.edu/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Conference-Realignment-From-Backyard-Brawls-to-Cash-Cows.pdf}} The 1984 Supreme Court case NCAA v. Board of Regents of the University of Oklahoma spurred a round of conference realignment by ending the NCAA's monopoly on television rights of college football games, instead granting the rights to individual schools and conferences.{{cite news |last1=Godfrey |title=College football is barreling toward a super league, no matter what might be lost |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2023/08/15/college-football-super-league/ |newspaper=Washington Post |date=August 15, 2023}} With the exception of Notre Dame, all of the major independent programs joined a conference in the early 1990s.{{cite news |last1=Maske |first1=Mark |title=Changing Times: Conference Realignment Could Reshape College Athletics |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/sports/1990/07/02/changing-times-conference-realignment-could-reshape-college-athletics/9b62a261-caf4-4ba5-913f-03436bb1610b/ |newspaper=Washington Post |date=July 2, 1990}} Many of the independents in the Northeast and elsewhere on the Eastern Seaboard joined the Big East, which began playing football in 1991. Other independent schools joined the Big Ten, the ACC, or the SEC, and in 1992 the SEC became the first Division I conference to hold a conference championship game for football.{{cite news |last1=Meyer |first1=Craig |title=Big Ten football championship history: From Leaders and Legends divisions, to East and West |url=https://www.freep.com/story/sports/college/2023/12/01/big-ten-conference-divisions-football-championship-game-leaders-legends-east-west/71746348007/ |publisher=Detroit Free Press |date=December 1, 2023}} The Southwest Conference dissolved in the wake of a series of scandals and concerns over an insufficiently large television market, and four teams from that conference joined with the Big 8 to create the Big 12 Conference in 1994. The remaining SWC schools joined the WAC or the newly-formed Conference USA, though most would later join one of the Power Four conferences;{{efn-ua|Of the former long-term members of the SWC, all but Rice University are currently in a Power Four conference.}} other future power conference schools such as Louisville and BYU also played in the WAC or Conference USA during the 1990s.

{{collapse top|Map of power conferences in 1993|bg=#F0F2F5}}

{{Location map+ | USA |

| width = 900

| float = center

| caption = The conferences of the Bowl Coalition (including independent Notre Dame), as well as the future founding conferences of the Bowl Championship Series (BCS), during the 1993 season:{{cite web|title=1993 College Football Standings|url=https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/years/1993-standings.html|website=SR/College Football|publisher=Sports Reference}}
10px Atlantic Coast Conference
10px Big East Conference (1979-2013)
10px Big Eight Conference
10px Big Ten Conference
10px Pacific-10
10px SEC
10px Southwest Conference
10px Notre Dame

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{{Location map~ | USA | mark = Location dot red.svg | marksize = 8 | label = {{small|Ole Miss}} | position = left | lat_deg = 34.365253 | lon_deg = -89.533860 }}

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}}

{{collapse bottom}}

By the middle of the 20th century, the Rose Bowl matched up the Big Ten champion against the champion of the PCC and its successors, the Sugar Bowl generally hosted the conference champion of the SEC, and the Cotton Bowl generally hosted the conference champion of the SWC. The Orange Bowl often hosted the champion of the Big Eight, though it would later develop close ties with the ACC. The Fiesta Bowl was initially founded in 1971 to host the WAC champion, but later rose to prominence in the 1980s while frequently hosting games involving independents, including the 1987 Fiesta Bowl, which served as the de facto national championship game for that season. From 1968 to 1992, the number one and number two ranked teams in the AP poll met only eight times in a bowl game, frequently leading to situations in which multiple teams claimed the national championship. Seeking a more definitive way to determine the national champion, the SEC, Big 8, SWC (prior to its dissolution), ACC, Big East, and independent Notre Dame joined with several bowls to form the Bowl Coalition, which was later succeeded by the similar Bowl Alliance. The Big Ten and Pac-10 declined to join either group in favor of continuing to send their respective champion to the Rose Bowl, contributing to split national championships during some seasons in the 1990s.{{cite news |last1=Molski |first1=Max |title=The History of College Football Championship Games |url=https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/sports/the-history-of-college-football-championship-games/3477302/ |publisher=NBC New York |date=January 3, 2022}}

File:Sugar Bowl Game 2004 from Flickr 29799042.jpg, the BCS championship game for the 2003 season]]

In 1998, the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) was created by the Big 10, Pac-12, and the former members of the Bowl Alliance.{{cite news |last1=Low |first1=Chris |title=How the creation of the BCS set the stage for the current playoff format |url=https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/38778801/how-creation-bcs-set-stage-current-playoff-format |publisher=ESPN |date=October 31, 2023}} The Rose Bowl, the Sugar Bowl, the Orange Bowl, and the Fiesta Bowl all took part in the system, with a national championship game either rotating among the four bowl sites (prior to the 2006 season) or played as a separate game. The BCS succeeded in bringing an end to split national championships, except in the 2003 season, when LSU won the national championship game and was crowned national champion by the Coaches Poll, but USC was selected as the national champion by the AP poll. While the number of AQ conferences was technically variable,{{cite web |title=AQ conferences could grow by 1 in 2012 |work= Bowl Championship Series |date=April 22, 2010 |url= http://www.bcsfootball.org/news/story?id=5126859 }} the BCS always had six AQ conferences for its entire history between 1998 and 2013. Following the departure of several Big East members to the ACC, the non-football schools of the Big East known as the "Catholic 7" chose to withdraw from the conference, ultimately creating a new conference that took on the Big East name.{{cite news |last1=((Multiple contributors)) |title=Sources: Xavier, Butler also joining |url=https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/9000502/catholic-7-schools-keep-big-east-name-new-league-next-season-according-sources |publisher=ESPN |date=February 28, 2013}} The rump Big East renamed itself as the American Athletic Conference and took the Big East's automatic bid for the 2013 season.{{cite news |last1=Adelson |first1=Andrea |title=Realignment revisited - The beginning of the end for Big East football |url=https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/31838915/realignment-revisited-beginning-end-big-east-football |publisher=ESPN |date=July 20, 2021}} The Mountain West Conference, formed in 1998 by several former WAC members, was perhaps the closest of the other conferences to getting AQ status, but its request for AQ status was denied in 2012.{{cite news|title=BCS denies Mountain West automatic qualifying exemption|url=http://www.cbssports.com/collegefootball/eye-on-college-football/19427343/bcs-denies-mountain-west-automatic-qualifying-exemption|access-date=December 9, 2014}}

In addition to creating a national championship game, the BCS also created a set format for other major bowls. After the two top teams in the BCS rankings were matched up in the BCS National Championship Game, the other three or (after the 2005 season) four bowls selected other top teams. The BCS ranking formula used a combination of polls and computer selection methods to determine team rankings, though conference championships also affected game selection. The term "BCS conference" was used by many fans to refer to one of the six conferences whose champions received an automatic berth in one of the five BCS bowl games, although the BCS itself used the term "automatic qualifying conference" (AQ conference).{{cite web |url=http://www.bcsfootball.org/bcsfb/faq |title=CFB - - FOX Sports on MSN |access-date=January 8, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091228101556/http://www.bcsfootball.org/bcsfb/faq |archive-date=December 28, 2009 }} Each of the bowls had a historical link with one or more of the six BCS conferences with the exception of the former Big East, and the bowl games selected a team from each of these conferences if it was eligible for a BCS bowl and not playing in the national title game. Notre Dame remained an independent in football, but had guaranteed access to the BCS bowls when it met certain defined performance criteria.{{cite magazine | url=https://www.si.com/more-sports/2010/08/18/byu-mwc | title=Would BYU be Notre Dame as a football independent ... or Navy? | access-date=March 31, 2011 | author=Mandel, Stewart | date=August 18, 2010 | magazine=Sports Illustrated | publisher=Time Inc.}} The conferences automatic qualifying conferences and their traditional bowl links were:

• Big East Conference (The American in 2013) (not tied to any specific BCS bowl)
• Atlantic Coast Conference (Orange Bowl)
• Big 12 Conference (Fiesta Bowl)
• Big Ten Conference (Rose Bowl)
• Pac-12 Conference (Rose Bowl)
• Southeastern Conference (Sugar Bowl)

{{collapse top|Map of automatic qualifying conference schools in 2013|bg=#F0F2F5}}

{{Wide image|BCS Universities.svg|900px|A map of every university in the automatic qualifying conferences in 2013.}}

{{collapse bottom}}

The other conferences (listed below) were non-AQ conferences because they did not receive an annual automatic bid to a BCS bowl game. The highest ranked champion of any non-AQ conference received an AQ bid if they ranked in the top 12 of the final BCS poll or ranked in the top 16 and higher than a champion of an AQ conference.{{cite web|title=BCS selection procedures|url=http://www.bcsfootball.org/news/story?id=4819597|website=ESPN.com|date=January 12, 2010}} The conferences in this group were:{{cite web |url=http://www.bcsfootball.org/bcsfb/conferences |title=FOX Sports - BCSFootball - BCS Conferences |access-date=January 9, 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070107005422/http://www.bcsfootball.org/bcsfb/conferences |archive-date=January 7, 2007 }}

• Big West Conference (BWC) – stopped sponsoring football after the 2000 season.
• Conference USA (CUSA)
• Mid-American Conference (MAC)
• Mountain West Conference (MW)
• Sun Belt Conference (SBC) – began sponsoring football in 2001.
• Western Athletic Conference (WAC) – dropped football after the 2012 season.{{efn-ua|The WAC dropped football following a near-complete membership turnover that saw the league stripped of all but two of its football-sponsoring schools. The conference would reinstate football in 2021, but as part of the second-tier Division I FCS; it has since merged its football league with that of the Atlantic Sun Conference, creating the current United Athletic Conference.}}

{{Location map+|USA|width=450|float=right|caption=Locations of the New Year's Six Bowl games, which collectively play a major role in the College Football Playoff|places=

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}}

The BCS faced several controversies throughout its tenure, driven largely by teams and fans dissatisfied at being left out of the championship game. The presence of two SEC teams in the 2012 BCS National Championship Game brought the opposition to the BCS to a head, and helped spur the adoption of the College Football Playoff beginning with the 2014 season. Like the BCS, the four-team College Football Playoff took place after the conference championship games and contemporaneously with several other bowl games. It rotated among six bowl games, with two bowl games used each year as the national semi-finals, and four other bowls matching the remaining top teams in the country. These six bowl games were collectively labeled as the "New Year's Six" bowl games. The New Year's Six consisted of the four BCS bowls, the Cotton Bowl, and the Peach Bowl, the latter of which was established in 1968 but had been considered a minor bowl for much of its history.{{cite news |last1=Solomon |first1=Jon |title=How the Peach Bowl went from nearly out of business to playoff semifinal host |url=https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/how-the-peach-bowl-went-from-nearly-out-of-business-to-playoff-semifinal-host/ |work=CBS Sports |date=December 29, 2016}}{{cite news |last1=Tucker |first1=Tim |title=How the Peach Bowl grew up to be a College Football Playoff semifinal |url=https://www.ajc.com/sports/college/how-the-peach-bowl-grew-college-football-playoff-semifinal/TkLQMa3qarDIl6o2zj02VK/ |publisher=The Atlanta Journal-Constitution |date=December 30, 2016}}

Although the term "Power Five conferences" had been used by at least 2006, it gained prominence following the collapse of the Big East and the end of BCS automatic qualifying status for conferences; the Power Five conferences consisted of the ACC, the Big Ten, the Big 12, the Pac-12, and the SEC.{{cite news |last1=Russo |first1=Ralph D. |title=Column: It's not conference realignment. It's consolidation and no one is safe in the dash for cash |url=https://apnews.com/article/big-ten-big12-realignment-pac12-2ab096bb273425903f3f0bf9a1b5a852 |publisher=AP |date=August 7, 2023}}{{cite news |last1=Reusse |first1=Patrick |title='Power Five' conference change favors SEC |url=https://www.startribune.com/power-five-conference-change-favors-sec/329672381 |publisher=The Minnesota Star Tribune |date=September 26, 2015}}{{cite news |last1=Hinton |first1=Matt |title=Division Zero: What the NCAA's 'Power Five' Autonomy Decision Means for the Future of College Sports |url=https://grantland.com/the-triangle/division-zero-what-the-ncaas-power-five-autonomy-decision-means-for-the-future-of-college-sports/ |publisher=Grantland |date=August 8, 2014}}{{cite news |last1=Dufresne |first1=Chris |title=College football's game of conference realignment is finally ending |url=https://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-college-football-realignment-20140817-column.html |work=Los Angeles Times |date=August 16, 2014 |quote=The Big East began the Bowl Championship Series era in 1998 as one of six privileged football leagues. It has now been re-cobbled among the Gilligan’s Island “And the Rest” leagues along with the Mid-American, Sun Belt, Conference USA and the Mountain West.}} Each conference champion from the Power Five and the highest-ranked Group of Five conference champion were guaranteed a spot in a New Year's Six Bowl.{{cite web|title=Six bowls in playoff format|first=Brett |last=McMurphy|website=ESPN.com|date=November 13, 2012|access-date=July 24, 2013|url=https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/8624387/six-bowls-pool-college-football-semifinal-games}} Because there were four spots in the playoffs and five power conferences, at least one Power Five champion was always left out of the playoff. In some seasons only two or three P5 champions were selected to the playoff, though the 2023 Florida State Seminoles were the lone undefeated P5 champion to be passed over for selection.{{cite news |last1=Morse |first1=Ben |title=Why Florida State was left out of the College Football Playoff and why it's so controversial |url=https://www.cnn.com/2023/12/04/sport/florida-state-left-out-college-football-playoffs-explainer-spt-intl/index.html |publisher=CNN |date=December 5, 2023}}

The new playoff system drew strong television ratings, helping to boost the profile of college football and specifically to the Power Five conferences, who constituted all but one of the CFP participants in the four-team era, and the remaining FBS programs. Responding in part to the possibility that the Power Five might split off to form its own organization, in 2014 the NCAA Division I Board of Directors granted the Power Five conferences autonomy over rules such as stipends and staff sizes. The CFP also led to changes in stature among the Power Five, and the Pac-12's failure to place a team in the CFP for seven years contributed to the exodus of most of its programs following the 2023 season.{{cite news |last1=Mandel |first1=Stewart |title=Mandel's Final Thoughts: It was Michigan vs. Everybody, and Michigan won decisively |url=https://theathletic.com/5189579/2024/01/09/michigan-national-championship-jim-harbaugh-mandel/?source=user_shared_articleMandel%27sFinalThoughts:ItwasMichiganvs.Everybody,andMichiganwondecisively |publisher=The Athletic |date=January 9, 2024}} Bowl games declined in prestige as more focus went to the playoff, and even the New Year's Six bowls frequently saw top players opt out.{{cite news |last1=Russo |first1=Ralph D. |title=CFP 1.0 changed college football, not all for better, and was necessary step in postseason evolution |url=https://apnews.com/article/college-football-playoff-d51d69e7fe94f942c85a6afe312d2108 |publisher=Associated Press |date=January 2, 2024}} Like the BCS, the new system endured a series of controversies related to teams being left out of the championship process, both among the Power Five and the Group of Five, leading many to call for a playoff. The 2021 Cincinnati Bearcats were the only Group of Five team{{efn-ua|name=g5cinciucf|The Cincinnati Bearcats and UCF Knights later joined the Big 12 in 2023, thereby becoming Power Five teams.{{Cite web |date=2021-09-10 |title=Big 12 gives OK to BYU, Cincinnati, Houston, UCF |url=https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/32182361/big-12-votes-accept-adding-byu-cincinnati-houston-ucf-conference |access-date=2022-05-25 |website=ESPN.com |language=en}}}} to ever play in the College Football Playoff prior to the playoff's expansion to twelve teams in 2024; the Bearcats were defeated in the semi-final 2021 Cotton Bowl Classic.{{cite news |last1=Associated Press |title=Unbeaten Cincinnati make history as they reach College Football Playoff |url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2021/dec/05/unbeaten-cincinnati-make-history-as-they-reach-college-football-playoff |work=The Guardian |date=December 5, 2021}} Another Group of Five team, the 2017 UCF Knights,{{efn-ua|name=g5cinciucf}} was left out of the CFP, but proclaimed themselves the national champion after going undefeated in the regular season and winning the 2018 Peach Bowl.{{efn-ua|UCF was also recognized as national champion by the Colley Matrix, but the AP poll and the Coaches Poll both selected Alabama as the national champion after it won the 2018 College Football Playoff National Championship.}} In 2022, the College Football playoff board voted to expand the playoff to twelve teams, with the new system taking effect for the 2024 season.{{cite news |last1=ESPN staff |title=College Football Playoff expansion: What you need to know |url=https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/35155431/college-football-playoff-expansion-need-know |publisher=ESPN |date=December 1, 2022}}

As part of the early-2020s NCAA conference realignment, ten schools departed from the Pac-12 following the 2023 college football season, leaving Oregon State and Washington State as the last remaining members of the Pac-12. Although the Football Bowl Subdivision requires conferences to have at least eight members, the conference continued operating with just two members because conferences are allowed a two-year grace period after losing members. In early 2024, the NCAA Division I Board of Directors stripped the Pac-12 of its autonomous conference status.{{cite news |last1=Vannini |first1=Chris |title=What it means for Pac-12 to be classified as 'nonautonomous FBS conference' |url=https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5437109/2024/04/22/pac-12-nonautonomous-conference/ |publisher=The Athletic |date=April 22, 2024 |quote=In 2014, the [NCAA Division I Board of Directors] created a new 'autonomy' model, granting the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12 and SEC the ability to make some of their own rules together, which happened the next year with full cost-of-attendance scholarships. The autonomy group became colloquially known as the 'Power 5' and regularly held its own meetings, but didn’t do much else legislatively with that autonomy power.}} In light of the changes, various sources began referring to the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, and SEC as the Power Four Conferences,{{cite news |last1=Florio |first1=Mike |title=College football expands playoffs from four teams to 12 |url=https://www.nbcsports.com/nfl/profootballtalk/rumor-mill/news/college-football-expands-playoffs-from-four-teams-to-12 |publisher=NBC Sports |date=February 20, 2024}}{{cite news |last1=Russo |first1=Ralph D. |title=AP Sports Story of the Year: Realignment, stunning demise of Pac-12 usher in super conference era |url=https://apnews.com/article/conference-realignment-e0356caa1c9cf5ba2630e7b23a1a06ed |publisher=AP |date=December 18, 2023}}{{cite news |last1=Lederman |first1=Doug |title=Conference Realignment Poses Threats to Big-Time Sports |url=https://www.insidehighered.com/news/students/athletics/2023/09/05/conference-realignment-poses-risks-big-time-college-sports |publisher=Inside Higher Ed |date=September 5, 2023}}{{cite news |last1=Schwartz |first1=Geoff |title=2024-25 College Football odds: Best early Power Four conference futures bets |url=https://www.foxsports.com/stories/college-football/2024-25-college-football-odds-best-early-power-four-conference-futures-bets |work=Fox Sports |date=July 5, 2024}}{{cite news |last1=Kaiser |first1=Mitch |title=College Football: 4 teams from each Power Four conference that can make the College Football Playoff |url=https://www.pff.com/news/college-football-4-teams-power-four-conference-college-football-playoff-2024 |publisher=Pro Football Focus |date=August 2, 2024}}{{cite news |last1=Dodd |first1=Dennis |title=Stanford, Cal, SMU catch last train into the Power Four, but it's hardly the end of conference realignment |url=https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/stanford-cal-smu-catch-last-train-into-the-power-four-but-its-hardly-the-end-of-conference-realignment/ |work=CBS Sports |date=September 1, 2023}}{{cite news |last1=Forde |first1=Pat |title=Welcome to the New College Landscape: How Each Power Four Conference Stacks Up |url=https://www.si.com/college/welcome-to-the-new-college-landscape-how-each-power-four-conference-stacks-up |publisher=Sports Illustrated |date=July 1, 2024}} with the Pac-12 relegated to "de facto Group of 5 status".{{cite news |last1=Mandel |first1=Stewart |title=Which college football teams are most helped — and hurt — by conference realignment? |url=https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5611204/2024/07/03/college-football-realignment-teams-benefit-impact/ |publisher=The Athletic |date=July 3, 2024}}{{cite news |last1=Vannini |first1=Chris |title=Why the Pac-12 poached the Mountain West and where both leagues go from here |url=https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5764885/2024/09/13/pac-12-realignment-mountain-west-members/ |publisher=The Athletic |date=September 13, 2024|quote=No one is under the impression the new Pac-12 will be the Pac-12 of old...It’s essentially going to be a new Group of 5-level conference, hoping to be in the strongest position to earn that fifth CFP auto-bid.}}

The FBS has undergone several waves of realignment since the 1990s, when the Bowl Coalition was established. The first realignment occurred in the 1990s, and resulted in the demise of the Southwest Conference, which was a member of the Bowl Coalition and at times considered equal to some of the power conferences; as well as many schools giving up independent status to join conferences. In the early 1990s, Arkansas left the Southwest Conference for the SEC; the original Big East Conference began sponsoring football, with eight former football independents joining either for all sports or football only; and other major independents such as Florida State (to the ACC), Penn State (to the Big Ten), and South Carolina (to the SEC) joined major conferences. In the 1996 NCAA conference realignment, the SWC dissolved, and four Texas teams from that conference joined with the Big 8 schools to form the Big 12 Conference.

During another phase of realignment in 2005, three schools (Boston College, Miami-FL and Virginia Tech) jumped from the Big East to the ACC, and Temple also left the conference (before eventually returning in 2013). The Big East responded by adding former basketball-only member Connecticut and three schools from CUSA.{{cite news|last1=Bostock|first1=Mike|title=Tracing the History of N.C.A.A. Conferences|url=https://www.nytimes.com/newsgraphics/2013/11/30/football-conferences/|access-date=December 9, 2014|work=The New York Times|date=November 30, 2013}}

College football underwent another major conference realignment from 2010 to 2014, as the Big Ten and Pac-10 sought to become large enough to stage championship games. Members of the original Big East left the conference to join the Big 12, Big Ten, and ACC. The Big 12 lost members to the SEC, the Pac-12, and the Big Ten, while the Big Ten also gained one former ACC member. The remaining members of the Big East split into two conferences: the American Athletic Conference (the American) and a new Big East Conference that does not sponsor football (only three of the original 10 members of the Big East sponsor football, all at the second-tier Division I FCS level). The American, the football successor to the Big East, is no longer considered a power conference. Despite the major conference realignment from 2010 to 2014, relatively few schools dropped out of or joined the ranks of the power conferences. Two of the three non-AQ schools that had appeared in multiple BCS bowls left the Mountain West Conference and joined a power conference, as Utah joined the Pac-12 and TCU joined the Big 12. Former Big East members Temple and South Florida became part of The American; another former Big East member, UConn, left American Conference football after the 2019 season to become an FBS independent while otherwise joining the Big East. Of these, only Temple was a founding member of the Big East in football.{{cite news|url=https://www.cbssports.com/college-basketball/news/uconn-leaving-aac-after-accepting-invitation-to-join-big-east-conference-in-all-sports-except-football/ |title=UConn leaving AAC after accepting invitation to join Big East Conference in all sports except football |first=Matt |last=Norlander |website=CBSSports.com |date=June 26, 2019 |access-date=June 26, 2019}}

The most recent major realignment is ongoing, though there is no future planned power conference realignment after the 2024 season. During a period of less than two months in 2021, the Big 12 both gained and lost members. First, on July 30, the conference lost two of its mainstays when Oklahoma and Texas announced that they would leave for the SEC no later than 2025;{{cite press release|url=https://www.secsports.com/article/31921323/sec-grants-membership-oklahoma-texas-starting-2025 |title=SEC grants membership to Oklahoma, Texas starting in 2025 |publisher=Southeastern Conference |date=July 30, 2021 |access-date=September 10, 2021}} the two schools later reached a buyout agreement allowing them to join the SEC in 2024.{{cite press release|url=https://big12sports.com/news/2023/2/9/conference-big-12-announces-agreement-for-withdrawal-of-oklahoma-and-texas.aspx |title=Big 12 Announces Agreement for Withdrawal of Oklahoma and Texas |publisher=Big 12 Conference |date=February 9, 2023 |access-date=February 9, 2023}} The Big 12 reloaded by announcing four new members on September 10, initially announcing that American members Cincinnati, Houston, and UCF plus FBS independent BYU would join no later than 2024.{{cite press release|url=https://big12sports.com/news/2021/9/10/conference-big-12-extends-membership-invitations.aspx |title=Big 12 Extends Membership Invitations |publisher=Big 12 Conference |date=September 10, 2021 |access-date=September 10, 2021}} BYU's initial announcement stated that it would join in 2023,{{cite press release|url=https://byucougars.com/story/athletics/1297568/byu-join-big-12-conference |title=BYU to Join Big 12 Conference |publisher=BYU Cougars |date=September 10, 2021 |access-date=November 15, 2021}} and the other three schools' 2023 entry date was confirmed after they reached a buyout agreement with The American.{{cite press release|url=https://theamerican.org/news/2022/6/10/general-american-announces-agreements-with-ucf-cincinnati-and-houston-on-departure.aspx |title=American Announces Agreements With UCF, Cincinnati and Houston on Departure |publisher=American Athletic Conference |date=June 10, 2022 |access-date=June 10, 2022}} On June 30, 2022, Pac-12 mainstays UCLA and USC announced they would move to the Big Ten in 2024.{{cite press release|url=https://bigten.org/news/2022/6/30/general-big-ten-conference-statement.aspx |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220701003507/https://bigten.org/news/2022/6/30/general-big-ten-conference-statement.aspx |url-status=dead |archive-date=July 1, 2022 |title=Big Ten Conference Statement |publisher=Big Ten Conference |date=June 30, 2022 |access-date=June 30, 2022}} The Pac-12 lost another member a little more than a year later when Colorado returned to the Big 12 in 2024 after an absence of 13 years.{{cite press release |url=https://cubuffs.com/news/2023/7/27/general-colorado-to-join-big-12-conference-in-2024-25.aspx |title=Colorado To Join Big 12 Conference In 2024-25 |publisher=Colorado Buffaloes |date=July 27, 2023 |access-date=July 27, 2023}}

Five more schools announced their departure from the Pac-12 on August 4, 2023; Oregon and Washington joined the Big Ten and Arizona, Arizona State, and Utah joined the Big 12.{{cite news |url=https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/38135852/big-ten-adds-oregon-washington-newest-members-blow-pac-12 |title=Big Ten adds Oregon, Washington as newest members in blow to Pac-12 |publisher=ESPN |date=August 4, 2023 |access-date=August 4, 2023}}{{cite news |url=https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/38136135/big-12-approves-addition-utah-arizona-state-bringing-league-16-teams |title=Big 12 approves additions of Utah, Arizona State, bringing league to 16 teams |publisher=ESPN |date=August 4, 2023 |access-date=August 4, 2023}} Less than a month after this exodus, California and Stanford announced their departure from the Pac-12 to join the ACC in 2024, with American Conference member SMU also joining the ACC.{{cite press release |url=https://theacc.com/news/2023/9/1/general-the-atlantic-coast-conference-welcomes-the-university-of-california-berkeley-southern-methodist-university-and-stanford-university-as-new-members.aspx |title=The Atlantic Coast Conference Welcomes the University of California, Berkeley, Southern Methodist University and Stanford University as New Members |publisher=Atlantic Coast Conference |date=September 1, 2023 |access-date=September 1, 2023}} This realignment led to Pac-12 being considered a de facto member of the Group of Five, and fueled discussion that the Big Ten and the SEC might ultimately emerge as the "Power Two" conferences.{{cite news |last1=Blinder |first1=Alan |title=Power 5? College Sports May Soon Be Dominated by a Mighty 2. |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/01/sports/power-5-college-sports.html |work=The New York Times |date=July 30, 2022}}{{cite news |last1=Bender |first1=Bill |title=From Power 5 to Power 2: Big Ten, SEC will dominate post-realignment FBS at a heavy cost |url=https://www.sportingnews.com/us/ncaa-football/news/power-5-power-2-big-ten-sec-dominate-post-realignment-cost/xgo9nswt8xqkaoo7ppdaqeih |publisher=Sporting News |date=August 3, 2023}} The realignment also generated much commentary regarding the lack of geographical proximity within conferences.{{cite news |last1=Brewer |first1=Jerry |title=Greed and ambition have killed college football's regional charm |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2023/07/31/college-football-greed-ambition/ |newspaper=Washington Post |date=July 31, 2023}}{{cite news |last1=Witz |first1=Billy |title=Conferences Are Changing. The Sport Is, Too. |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/09/01/sports/ncaafootball/college-football-preview-realignment-big12-bigten-acc-pac12-bigten.html |work=The New York Times |date=September 1, 2023}}{{cite news |last1=Rand |first1=Michael |title=Latest absurd college conference realignment makes a mess of math, geography |url=https://www.startribune.com/latest-absurd-college-conference-realignment-makes-a-mess-of-math-geography/600295642 |publisher=The Minnesota Star Tribune |date=August 8, 2023}} In a 2022 article, FiveThirtyEight described the Big Ten as the first "major college athletics league" to be bicoastal (the Big Ten would later be joined by the ACC in this distinction after the latter conference added Stanford and California), adding that the average distance between FBS conference members was set to increase from 336 miles to 412 miles.{{cite news |last1=Mejia |first1=Elaine |last2=Lourim |first2=Jake |title=How Realignment Is Changing College Football, In 20 Maps |url=https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/how-realignment-is-changing-college-football-in-20-maps/ |publisher=FiveThirtyEight |date=September 22, 2022}}

{{See also|List of NCAA Division I conference changes in the 2010s|List of NCAA Division I conference changes in the 2020s}}

{{color box|#00F000}} Indicates a football-only move.
{{color box|Yellow}} Indicates a non-football move.

This list includes all institutions that have either left or announced their departure from the ACC, Big East,{{efn|name=AAC2013|Louisville and Rutgers are also listed in the table because they departed from the American Athletic Conference after the 2013 season, when the AAC inherited the Big East's automatic qualifying status.{{cite web|url=https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/9000502/catholic-7-schools-keep-big-east-name-new-league-next-season-according-sources |title=Catholic 7 to keep 'Big East' name for new league next season, according to sources |last=McMurphy |first=Brett |publisher=ESPN |date=March 1, 2013 |access-date=March 7, 2013}}}} Big 12, Pac-12, Big 10, or SEC since the establishment of the Bowl Championship Series in 1998.

{{notelist|group=moves}}

{{color box|#00F000}} Indicates a football-only move.
{{color box|Yellow}} Indicates a non-football move.

This list includes all institutions that joined or have announced that they will join the ACC, Big 12, Pac-12, Big 10, or SEC after the establishment of the Bowl Championship Series in 1998, and that had previously been independent or had affiliated with a non-power conference. It also includes all institutions that joined the original Big East between 1998 and 2013, and teams that joined the AAC for the 2013 season, since that conference inherited the Big East's BCS automatic qualifying status for that season.{{cite news |url=https://www.si.com/college-football/2012/11/12/college-football-playoff-six-bowls |title=Big East, rest of 'Group of Five' score victory with six-bowl decision |first1=Stewart |last1=Mandel |date=November 12, 2012 |work=SI.com |access-date=December 30, 2019}}

{{notelist|group=moves}}

{{See also|College Football Playoff#Selections by year}}

The following table lists the number of times that a member of each conference appeared was selected to appear in a BCS bowl game (from 1998 to 2013), a New Year's Six bowl game (from 2014 to 2023), or the College Football Playoff (since 2014). From the 1998 to 2005 seasons eight teams were selected, from 2006 to 2013 ten teams were selected, and since 2014 twelve teams have been selected to appear in these games.

A * indicates a team from that conference won the national championship as determined by the BCS or the College Football Playoff,{{efn-ua|Since 1998, there has been one instance where either the BCS or College Football Playoff chose a different national championship from the AP poll or the Coaches Poll. In the 2003 season, the LSU Tigers won that season's BCS National Championship game and were chosen as the champion by the Coaches Poll, but the AP poll selected USC as the national champion after their victory in the 2004 Rose Bowl.}} while a ^ indicates a team from that conference was the runner-up in the national championship game. Statistics reflect conference membership at the time of the game. Note that the American filled the Big East's automatic bid in 2013.

Ten "non-AQ" teams appeared in the nine following BCS games, with an overall record of 5-3:

• 2005 Fiesta Bowl: Utah (MW) 35, Pittsburgh 7
• 2007 Fiesta Bowl: Boise State (WAC) 43, Oklahoma 42 (OT)
• 2008 Sugar Bowl: Georgia 41, Hawai{{okina}}i (WAC) 10
• 2009 Sugar Bowl: Utah (MW) 31, Alabama 17
• 2010 Fiesta Bowl: Boise State (WAC) 17, TCU (MW) 10
• 2011 Rose Bowl: TCU (MW) 21, Wisconsin 19
• 2013 Orange Bowl: Florida State 31, Northern Illinois (MAC) 10

Of these appearances, all were via automatic qualifying bids, except Boise State's participation in the highly controversial 2010 Fiesta Bowl in which the Broncos were selected via at-large bid and played fellow BCS Buster TCU.

College Football Playoff semifinal in bold. Group of Five team in italics. Asterisks denotes years in which Group of Five teams won the game.

{{Update|section|date=August 2024}}

Each power conference sponsors at least 22 sports, with the Big Ten sponsoring the most at 28; among all NCAA conferences, only the Ivy League sponsors more sports.{{cite news |last1=Rienzi |first1=Greg |title=A new playing field as Hopkins lacrosse joins Big Ten |url=https://hub.jhu.edu/gazette/2015/january-february/datebook-sports-big-ten/ |publisher=Johns Hopkins |date=February 2015}} Power Four schools dominate the list of NCAA schools with the most NCAA Division I championships; of the top fifteen schools, only the University of Denver, which last played football in 1960, does not play in a Power Four conference.{{cite news |last1=Wilco |first1=Daniel |title=Colleges with the most NCAA championships |url=https://www.ncaa.com/news/ncaa/article/2018-07-06/colleges-most-ncaa-championships |publisher=NCAA |date=July 23, 2019}} Power Four schools also generally dominate the standings in the Division I NACDA Directors' Cup and the Capital One Cup, two awards honoring schools with the greatest collegiate athletic success across all sports. For example, the top ten of the 2022-2023 Division I NACDA Directors' Cup standings consisted entirely of power conference programs.{{cite news |last1=Bahns |first1=Carter |title=Learfield Directors' Cup 2023: Stanford earns 26th title, SEC dominates final standings |url=https://247sports.com/longformarticle/learfield-directors-cup-2023-stanford-earns-26th-title-sec-dominates-final-standings-212202095/ |publisher=24/7 Sports |date=June 28, 2023}}

The Power Four conferences are not necessarily the most prominent conferences in all sports in which they compete. For example, in men's college basketball, the Big East Conference is also generally considered to be a power conference.{{cite news |last1=Cobb |first1=David |title=College basketball conference power rankings 2023: Big 12 still No. 1, but Big Ten not far behind |url=https://www.cbssports.com/college-basketball/news/college-basketball-conference-power-rankings-2023-big-12-still-no-1-but-big-ten-not-far-behind/ |work=CBS Sports |date=April 13, 2023}}{{cite news |last1=Shaw |first1=Jamie |title=College basketball: Ten Power Six Transfers to Watch |url=https://www.on3.com/transfer-portal/news/college-basketball-ten-power-six-transfers-to-watch/ |publisher=On3 |date=November 15, 2023}}{{cite news |last1=Bennett |first1=Brian |title=Who are you calling a mid-major? The broken term defines too much of college basketball |url=https://theathletic.com/1315199/2019/10/23/who-are-you-calling-a-mid-major-the-broken-term-defines-too-much-of-college-basketball/ |publisher=The Athletic |date=October 23, 2019}} In basketball and some other sports, the Division I programs that are not part of the power conferences are often referred to as "mid-major" programs, although the appropriateness of the term has been criticized since some mid-major programs have resources equal to that of some power conference programs. Most notably, Gonzaga, a member of the mid-major West Coast Conference but set to join the reimagined Pac-12 in 2026, is generally considered a power program in men's basketball.

In 2024, the National Invitation Tournament, an annual men's college basketball tournament, was restructured such that the then-Power Five conferences, along with their former BCS counterpart the Big East, received two automatic bids with accompanying home court advantage, with the two bids selected from teams in those conferences that were not selected for the main men's basketball tournament. The move drew criticism from mid-major universities and conferences, as the previous NIT structure had awarded automatic bids to all Division I conferences whose teams with the strongest regular season record had not qualified for the NCAA Tournament.{{Cite news |last=Miller |first=Andrew |date=2023-10-31 |title=NIT decision 'takes away' from mid-major schools, CofC AD says |url=https://www.postandcourier.com/sports/cofc/nit-decision-cofc-mid-majors/article_bf7dc8c4-780e-11ee-9421-138797667f98.html |access-date=2023-11-12 |website=Post and Courier |language=en}} The NCAA admitted the maneuver was done in an attempt to preempt a proposed alternative tournament to the NIT.{{Cite web |date=2023-11-01 |title=Gavitt: NIT tweaks made to combat new tourney |url=https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/38794849/changes-postseason-nit-made-response-new-tournament |access-date=2023-11-12 |website=ESPN.com |language=en}} By contrast, the NCAA did not use this method of setting the field for the Women's Basketball Invitation Tournament, which it launched in the 2023–24 season as a direct parallel to the NIT. It instead followed the 2006-2023 NIT practice of inviting all regular-season conference champions that failed to make the NCAA tournament, if otherwise eligible for postseason play.{{cite press release |url=https://www.ncaa.org/news/2023/9/26/media-center-espn-networks-to-televise-inaugural-womens-basketball-invitation-tournament.aspx |title=ESPN networks to televise inaugural Women's Basketball Invitation Tournament |publisher=NCAA |date=September 26, 2023 |access-date=April 23, 2024}}{{efn-ua|The 2023–24 regular-season and tournament champion of the Ohio Valley Conference, Southern Indiana, was not eligible for either the NCAA tournament or WBIT due to being in transition from NCAA Division II.}}

The overall institutional profiles and academic prestige of colleges and universities have a major influence on collegiate athletics conference membership,{{cite news |last1=Knight |first1=Joey |title=How much will USF's elite academic status help its Power Five pursuits? |url=https://www.tampabay.com/sports/bulls/2023/06/07/usf-association-american-universities-power-five-michael-kelly/ |publisher=Tampa Bay Times |date=June 7, 2023}}{{cite news |last1=Silver |first1=Nate |title=Where Should The Big Ten Expand Next? We Crunched The Numbers. |url=https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/where-should-the-big-ten-expand-next-we-crunched-the-numbers/ |publisher=FiveThirtyEight |date=August 25, 2022}} and athletic conference membership can impact a university's fundraising, academics, and overall reputation.{{cite news |last1=Politi |first1=Steve |last2=Sargeant |first2=Keith |title=How Big Ten changed Rutgers beyond athletics |url=https://www.nj.com/rutgers/2022/11/how-big-ten-changed-rutgers-beyond-athletics.html |publisher=NJ.com |date=November 21, 2022}}{{cite news |last1=Lavigne |first1=Paula |title=Rich get richer in college sports as poorer schools struggle to keep up |url=https://www.espn.com/espn/otl/story/_/id/17447429/power-5-conference-schools-made-6-billion-last-year-gap-haves-nots-grows |publisher=ESPN |date=September 2, 2016}} Membership in the Association of American Universities (AAU), a 71-member organization of research universities in the United States and Canada, has frequently been discussed as a factor in conference realignment, particularly for the Big Ten.{{cite news |last1=Benson |first1=Michael |title=Perspective: In conference realignment, academics — not athletics — are king |url=https://www.deseret.com/2021/8/6/22613053/college-football-conference-realignment-aau-association-of-american-universities |publisher=Deseret News |date=August 6, 2021}}{{cite news |last1=Acosta |first1=Joseph |title=What the Association of American Universities (AAU) has to do With Conference Expansion |url=https://www.si.com/college/northwestern/football/what-the-association-of-american-universities-has-to-do-with-big-ten-expansion |publisher=Sports Illustrated |date=August 1, 2021}}{{cite news |last1=Dyer |first1=Kristian |title=Around the Big Ten: What today's AAU news means for the Big Ten? |url=https://sports.yahoo.com/around-big-ten-today-aau-211545500.html |publisher=Yahoo Sports |date=June 1, 2023}}{{cite news |last1=Wood |first1=Trent |title=How important is AAU membership in conference realignment? Particularly Big Ten expansion? |url=https://sports.yahoo.com/important-aau-membership-conference-realignment-183000360.html |publisher=Deseret News |date=June 7, 2023}} About half of the Power Four schools are in the AAU, with most of those schools in the ACC or Big Ten, although several are members of the Big 12 or the SEC. The Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education, a classification system of universities based on research activity,{{cite news |last1=Anderson |first1=Nick |title=In new sorting of colleges, Dartmouth falls out of an exclusive group |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/grade-point/wp/2016/02/04/in-new-sorting-of-colleges-dartmouth-falls-out-of-an-exclusive-group/ |newspaper=Washington Post |date=February 4, 2016}} lists nearly all Power Four schools as "R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research spending and doctorate production"; the exceptions are TCU and Wake Forest, each of which is listed as "R2: Doctoral Universities – High research spending and doctorate production". Of the 30 U.S. universities with the greatest research expenditures in 2022, nearly two-thirds were members of one of the power conferences.{{cite news |last1=Zalaznick |first1=Matt |title=Billion-dollar business: These are higher ed's top 30 R&D performers |url=https://universitybusiness.com/r-d-research-and-development-billion-dollar-top-30-college-university-higher-ed-spenders/ |publisher=University Business |date=January 6, 2023}} Some of the Power Four conferences share academic resources among conference members through related academic consortiums such as the Big Ten Academic Alliance and the Atlantic Coast Conference Academic Consortium.{{cite news |last1=Hendrix |first1=Sheridan |title=Will USC and UCLA's addition to the Big Ten boost its academics? Experts say it's likely |url=https://www.dispatch.com/story/news/education/2022/07/29/usc-and-ucla-joining-big-ten-they-boost-its-academics/7817411001/ |publisher=The Columbus Dispatch |date=July 29, 2022}}

Out of all Power Four schools, only five are religiously affiliated: Baylor, Boston College, BYU, Notre Dame, and TCU.{{cite news |last1=Smith |first1=Erick |title=It's been a record year for religiously affiliated schools in the men's basketball tournament |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaab/2021/03/27/march-madness-ncaa-tournament-record-six-religious-schools/7009395002/ |publisher=USA Today |date=March 27, 2021}} Seven Power Four schools that are now officially nonsectarian were founded as faith-based institutions—ACC members Duke, SMU, Syracuse, and Wake Forest, Big Ten members Northwestern and USC, and SEC member Vanderbilt. Most became officially nonsectarian in the 20th century. The main exceptions are Northwestern, which committed itself to a nonsectarian admissions policy at its 1851 founding; and SMU, which has been in a legal battle to formally separate itself from the United Methodist Church since 2019, with the school having won an intermediate appeal in the Texas courts in 2021. Another Power Four school, Kentucky, was founded as a publicly chartered department within the faith-based Kentucky University (now Transylvania University) before becoming an independent public institution in 1878.

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