Oct 27, 2026 · @Steve Emanuelson

Overview

All 138 FBS programs are placed into a three-tier pyramid modeled on English football. Only Tier 1 teams can win the national championship. Teams move between tiers each year based on their results on the field.

Tier | Teams | Structure | Purpose

Tier 1: Championship | 16 | East and West divisions of 8 | Compete for the national title

Tier 2: Challenger | 16 | East and West divisions of 8 | Compete for promotion to Tier 1

Tier 3: Regional | 106 | Eight regional leagues of 13–14 | Compete for promotion to Tier 2

Each year, 3 teams are relegated from Tier 1 and 3 promoted from Tier 2, and the same between Tier 2 and Tier 3. Initial placements are based on the 2021–2025 seasons; the 2026 season information was not used.

Seeding method

Teams are ranked on a five-year composite (2021–2025 seasons). The top 16 form Tier 1, the next 16 form Tier 2, and everyone else goes to Tier 3.

Factor | Weight | Reasoning

Win percentage | 40% | Rewards sustained results

Final AP Top 25 finishes (25 points for #1, down to 1 for #25) | 30% | Captures quality, not just record

CFP / New Year's Six appearances | 20% | Rewards proving it in the postseason

Most recent season (2025) | 10% | Reflects where a program is now

Recruiting rankings and revenue are left out on purpose: placement is earned on the field. The placements below are a judgment-based application of this formula, not a computed result.

Tier 1: Championship Tier

Sixteen teams in two divisions of 8 compete for the national title through an 8-team playoff.

Format

  • 7 division games, 4 crossover games (opponents rotate each year), and 1 open date (12 games total).

  • Playoff: The two division winners plus the 6 best remaining records.

  • The bottom 3 in the overall table are relegated to Tier 2.

Divisions

East: Georgia, Ohio State, Alabama, Michigan, Notre Dame, Penn State, Indiana, Clemson

West: Texas, Oregon, Ole Miss, Oklahoma, Texas A&M, Miami, Tennessee, LSU

Annual division rivalries include Ohio State–Michigan, Texas–Oklahoma, Texas–Texas A&M, Alabama–LSU and Alabama–Tennessee.

Closest calls for placement: Clemson and LSU (weak 2025 seasons) and Texas Tech (strongest Tier 2 team).

Tier 2: Challenger Tier

Sixteen teams in two divisions of 8 compete for three promotion spots to Tier 1.

Format

  • Same 12-game structure as Tier 1: 7 division games, 4 rotating crossovers, 1 open date.

  • The top 2 in the overall table are promoted automatically.

  • Teams finishing 3rd–6th play a 4-team playoff for the third promotion spot.

  • The bottom 3 are relegated to Tier 3.

Divisions

East: Iowa, Iowa State, Kansas State, Missouri, Louisville, Florida State, Tulane, James Madison

West: Utah, BYU, USC, Washington, Arizona State, Boise State, Texas Tech, SMU

Annual division rivalries include Utah–BYU, Iowa–Iowa State and Kansas State–Iowa State. The West is slightly stronger on paper, with Texas Tech and BYU at the top of the composite.

Tier 3: Regional leagues

The remaining 106 FBS teams play in eight regional leagues. A 13-team league plays a full 12-game round robin; a 14-team league plays 12 of its 13 opponents.

League | Teams | Members

Northeast | 13 | Boston College, UConn, UMass, Syracuse, Buffalo, Army, Rutgers, Temple, Pittsburgh, Maryland, Navy, Delaware, West Virginia

Atlantic | 13 | Virginia, Virginia Tech, Liberty, Old Dominion, Marshall, Duke, NC State, North Carolina, Wake Forest, East Carolina, Charlotte, App State, Coastal Carolina

Southeast | 13 | South Carolina, Georgia Tech, Georgia State, Georgia Southern, Kennesaw State, Florida, UCF, USF, FAU, FIU, Auburn, Troy, South Alabama

Mid-South | 14 | Kentucky, Western Kentucky, Vanderbilt, Memphis, Middle Tennessee, UAB, Jacksonville State, Mississippi State, Southern Miss, Arkansas, Arkansas State, Louisiana, UL Monroe, Louisiana Tech

Great Lakes | 13 | Michigan State, Central Michigan, Eastern Michigan, Western Michigan, Purdue, Ball State, Cincinnati, Ohio, Miami (OH), Toledo, Bowling Green, Kent State, Akron

Plains & Rockies | 13 | Illinois, Northwestern, Northern Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota State, Kansas, Missouri State, Colorado, Colorado State, Air Force, Wyoming

Southwest | 13 | Baylor, TCU, Houston, Rice, North Texas, UTSA, Texas State, Sam Houston, UTEP, Oklahoma State, Tulsa, New Mexico, New Mexico State

Pacific | 14 | UCLA, Stanford, California, Oregon State, Washington State, Fresno State, San José State, Sacramento State, San Diego State, UNLV, Nevada, Utah State, Arizona, Hawaii

Weakest geographic fits: Hawaii is isolated in any arrangement, Plains & Rockies stretches from Fargo to Colorado Springs, and Kentucky and Western Kentucky could move to the Great Lakes League.

Membership is based on the 2026 FBS lineup of 138 teams (ESPN, Legion Report).

Promotion and relegation

Three teams move in each direction between every pair of tiers each year.

Movement | How it's decided

Tier 1 → Tier 2 | Bottom 3 in the Tier 1 overall table

Tier 2 → Tier 1 | Top 2 automatically, plus the winner of a 4-team playoff (3rd–6th place)

Tier 2 → Tier 3 | Bottom 3 in the Tier 2 overall table

Tier 3 → Tier 2 | The 8 league champions play a knockout bracket. Both semifinal winners are promoted; the two semifinal losers play for the third spot.

Rebalancing

  • Teams coming into Tier 1 or Tier 2 fill the division of the teams that left, as long as the split stays 8–8.

  • If the incoming teams do not match geographically, move the westernmost East team or easternmost West team to keep the divisions balanced.

  • Teams relegated to Tier 3 join the nearest regional league. League boundaries are redrawn each offseason to keep leagues at 12–14 teams.

Scheduling rules

These rules stop Tier 1 and Tier 2 teams from padding their schedules with games against much weaker opponents.

  • Only tier games count. The standings and playoff seeding use only the 11 tier games, so a blowout win in the open-date game does nothing for a team's position.

  • Limits on the open date. The 12th game must be against a team in the same tier or one tier above or below. Opponents two or more tiers apart (for example, Tier 1 vs. Tier 3) are allowed only for a historically established rivalry.

  • No FCS opponents. A Tier 1 or Tier 2 team that schedules an FCS team loses a standings point or the right to host a playoff game. FCS sits outside the pyramid on purpose: the separation protects smaller schools from mismatches and from being pushed into a level they are not resourced for. Any move between FCS and Tier 3 would be a deliberate, multi-year transition like today's FCS-to-FBS process, not annual promotion and relegation.

Open issues

  • Money. Relegated teams need parachute payments (a share of Tier 1 TV money for a few years), and Tier 1 broadcast revenue should be shared to offset lost home games.

  • Home games. Tier 1 teams get 5–6 home tier games, short of the 7 many programs budget for.

  • Conferences. Decide whether conferences dissolve for football or remain only for other sports and revenue sharing.

  • Recruiting death spiral. Consider protecting relegated teams' revenue-share caps for a season or limiting transfers out after relegation.

  • Rivalries split by tier. The open date protects one rivalry; Tier 3 13-team leagues have no open date unless the league schedule drops to 11 games.

  • Scheduling lead time. Fixtures would be set each spring from the new tier tables, replacing today's decade-ahead non-conference contracts.