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Massachusetts leaves the MAC to become an independent in 2016. UAB, which shut down its program after the 2014 season, is reconstituting its program and will rejoin Conference USA in 2017. Also in 2017, Coastal Carolina will play a transition season in the Sun Belt and become bowl eligible in 2018. The Big 12 will begin staging a championship game in 2017. The Sun Belt will do the same in 2018. In 2017, the Sun Belt's 4-year agreements with Idaho and New Mexico State. As a result, Idaho will drop to the FCS level in 2018 and join the Big Sky Conference. New Mexico State has yet to determine its future
Overall, the number of schools competing at the FBS level remains at 128.
Here are the changes for 2016 and beyond.
2016
In: None
Out: None
2016
In: None
Out: None
2016
In: None
Out: None
NOTE: The Big Ten will begin a 9-game conference slate in 2016, playing all 6 schools from its own division and 3 cross-divisional games.
2016
In: None
Out: None
NOTE: The Big XII will begin staging a championship game in 2017. Details regarding how the two participants will be selected will be available at a later date. Rules set forward by the Division I Council in January allow conferences with fewer than 12 members to hold championship games in football, as long as they meet one of two conditions. A conference can choose to either play their championship game between division winners after round-robin competition in each division, or between the top two teams in the conference standings following full round-robin regular-season competition between all members of the conference.
CUSA
2016
In: None
Out: None
2017
In: UAB
Out: None
2016
In: Massachusetts (leaves MAC)
Out: None
2018
In: Possibly New Mexico State (Sun Belt).
Out: None
2016
In: None
Out: Massachusetts (becomes Independent)
2016
In: None
Out: None
2016
In: None
Out: None
2016
In: None
Out: None
2016
In: None
Out: None
2017
In: Coastal Carolina
Out: None
2018
In: None
Out: Idaho (FCS), New Mexico State (future plans TBD)
2018
The Sun Belt will begin staging a championship game in 2018. Details regarding how the two participants will be selected will be available at a later date. Rules set forward by the Division I Council in January allow conferences with fewer than 12 members to hold championship games in football, as long as they meet one of two conditions. A conference can choose to either play their championship game between division winners after round-robin competition in each division, or between the top two teams in the conference standings following full round-robin regular-season competition between all members of the conference. The Sun Belt will have 10 members in 2018 with the addition of Coastal Carolina and the subtraction of Idaho and New Mexico State, and the league will play a 9-game full round-robin conference schedule.