2025 NCAA Division I FBS football season

For the 2025 FCS season, see 2025 NCAA Division I FCS football season.

2025 NCAA Division I FBS season
Number of teams	136
Duration	August 23, 2025 – December 13, 2025
Postseason
Duration	December 13, 2025 – January 19, 2026
Bowl games	41 [a]
College Football Playoff
2026 College Football Playoff National Championship
Site	Hard Rock Stadium (Miami Gardens, Florida)
NCAA Division I FBS football seasons
←  2024

The 2025 NCAA Division I FBS football season will be the 156th season of college football in the United States, the 120th season organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), and the 50th of the highest level of competition, the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS). The regular season will begin on August 23 and is scheduled to end on December 13. The postseason will begin on December 19, and, aside from any all-star games that are scheduled, end on January 19, 2026, with the College Football Playoff National Championship at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida. This will be the second season of the 12-team College Football Playoff (CFP) system.

Conference realignment

Main article: 2021–2026 NCAA conference realignment

Two schools are playing their first FBS seasons in 2025; Delaware (from the Coastal Athletic Association) and Missouri State (from the Missouri Valley conference) began their transitions from Division I FCS in 2024 and will join Conference USA (CUSA) in July 2025. ^{[1] [2]} One formerly independent school, UMass, will rejoin the Mid-American Conference (MAC) in 2025. ^{[3] [4]}

Team	Conference in 2024	Conference in 2025
Delaware	CAA Football (FCS)	CUSA
Missouri State	Missouri Valley (FCS)	CUSA
UMass	Independent (FBS)	MAC

The 2025 season will be the last for seven FBS teams in their current conferences. ^{[5] [6] [7] [8] [9]}

School	Current conference	Future conference
Boise State	Mountain West	Pac-12
Colorado State	Mountain West	Pac-12
Fresno State	Mountain West	Pac-12
Northern Illinois	MAC	Mountain West
San Diego State	Mountain West	Pac-12
Utah State	Mountain West	Pac-12
UTEP	CUSA	Mountain West

Rule Changes

The following playing rule changes were recommended by the Football Rules Committee on February 28, 2025: ^[10]

• In an effort to reduce feigned injuries, if medical personnel have to enter the field to tend to an injured player after the ball is spotted by officials ready for play, that team will be charged a timeout (or a five-yard delay of game penalty if out of timeouts). If this occurs after the two-minute timeout (and the injury is the only reason for the clock to stop), a 10-second runoff applies if the team is out of timeouts.
• Starting with the third overtime period, teams will only be permitted one timeout to use until the game is concluded. Previously teams received a timeout for each overtime period, including the two-point attempts that begin with the third overtime.
• Updating the terminology used on instant replay announcements to "Overturned" and "Upheld" instead of "Confirmed" or "Stands".
• On punt formations, no player can be directly in line of the snap to a potential kicker, no player can be inside of the frame of the snapper, not having enough players on the line is an illegal formation penalty (five yards) and if the snapper is on the end of a line, he loses the scrimmage kick protection and the defense can line up a player over the snapper.
• If a player on the kickoff return team gives a "T" signal, the play will be whistled dead.
• Enhance rules regarding words or signals used to distract opponents trying to put the ball in play. The terms "stem" and "move" would only be permitted for defenses, and defenses cannot used cadence or sounds that simulate offensive team signals.
• Codifying the rule change from 2024's Ohio State-Oregon game, after the two-minute time-out, teams called for having 12 or more players participating in a down will be penalized five yards, and the offense would have the option to reset the game clock to the time at the start of the play. If the 12th or more player(s) were not participating in the down (ex. running off the field at the snap), the yardage penalty would apply but no clock reset option would be available.
• Proposed the Coach to Player (green dot) communication technology currently used in FBS be made available to the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS).

Kickoff games

Week 0

The regular season will begin on Saturday, August 23 with four games in Week 0.

• Aer Lingus College Football Classic :
  • Iowa State vs. Kansas State (at Aviva Stadium, Dublin, Ireland)
• Fresno State at Kansas
• Sam Houston at Western Kentucky
• Stanford at Hawaii

Week 1

• Aflac Kickoff Game (at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, Georgia):
  • Tennessee vs. Syracuse
  • South Carolina vs. Virginia Tech

Conference standings

2025 American Athletic Conference football standings v t e Conf. Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Army   0 – 0     0 – 0   Charlotte   0 – 0     0 – 0   East Carolina   0 – 0     0 – 0   Florida Atlantic   0 – 0     0 – 0   Memphis   0 – 0     0 – 0   Navy   0 – 0     0 – 0   North Texas   0 – 0     0 – 0   Rice   0 – 0     0 – 0   South Florida   0 – 0     0 – 0   Temple   0 – 0     0 – 0   Tulane   0 – 0     0 – 0   Tulsa   0 – 0     0 – 0   UAB   0 – 0     0 – 0   UTSA   0 – 0     0 – 0   Championship: December 5, 2025 As of March 1, 2025 Rankings from AP Poll	2025 Atlantic Coast Conference football standings v t e Conf. Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Boston College   0 – 0     0 – 0   California   0 – 0     0 – 0   Clemson   0 – 0     0 – 0   Duke   0 – 0     0 – 0   Florida State   0 – 0     0 – 0   Georgia Tech   0 – 0     0 – 0   Louisville   0 – 0     0 – 0   Miami (FL)   0 – 0     0 – 0   North Carolina   0 – 0     0 – 0   NC State   0 – 0     0 – 0   Pittsburgh   0 – 0     0 – 0   SMU   0 – 0     0 – 0   Stanford   0 – 0     0 – 0   Syracuse   0 – 0     0 – 0   Virginia   0 – 0     0 – 0   Virginia Tech   0 – 0     0 – 0   Wake Forest   0 – 0     0 – 0   Championship: December 6, 2025 As of March 1, 2025 Rankings from AP Poll	2025 Big Ten Conference football standings v t e Conf. Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Illinois   0 – 0     0 – 0   Indiana   0 – 0     0 – 0   Iowa   0 – 0     0 – 0   Maryland   0 – 0     0 – 0   Michigan   0 – 0     0 – 0   Michigan State   0 – 0     0 – 0   Minnesota   0 – 0     0 – 0   Nebraska   0 – 0     0 – 0   Northwestern   0 – 0     0 – 0   Ohio State   0 – 0     0 – 0   Oregon   0 – 0     0 – 0   Penn State   0 – 0     0 – 0   Purdue   0 – 0     0 – 0   Rutgers   0 – 0     0 – 0   UCLA   0 – 0     0 – 0   USC   0 – 0     0 – 0   Washington   0 – 0     0 – 0   Wisconsin   0 – 0     0 – 0   Championship: December 6, 2025 $ – Conference champion y – Championship game participant As of March 1, 2025 Rankings from CFP Rankings
2025 Big 12 Conference football standings v t e Conf. Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Arizona   0 – 0     0 – 0   Arizona State   0 – 0     0 – 0   Baylor   0 – 0     0 – 0   BYU   0 – 0     0 – 0   Cincinnati   0 – 0     0 – 0   Colorado   0 – 0     0 – 0   Houston   0 – 0     0 – 0   Iowa State   0 – 0     0 – 0   Kansas   0 – 0     0 – 0   Kansas State   0 – 0     0 – 0   Oklahoma State   0 – 0     0 – 0   TCU   0 – 0     0 – 0   Texas Tech   0 – 0     0 – 0   UCF   0 – 0     0 – 0   Utah   0 – 0     0 – 0   West Virginia   0 – 0     0 – 0   Championship: December 6, 2025 ^ – College Football Playoff participant $ – Conference champion y – Championship game participant As of March 1, 2025 Rankings from CFP Rankings	2025 Conference USA football standings v t e Conf. Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Delaware*   0 – 0     0 – 0   FIU   0 – 0     0 – 0   Jacksonville State   0 – 0     0 – 0   Kennesaw State   0 – 0     0 – 0   Liberty   0 – 0     0 – 0   Louisiana Tech   0 – 0     0 – 0   Middle Tennessee   0 – 0     0 – 0   Missouri State*   0 – 0     0 – 0   New Mexico State   0 – 0     0 – 0   Sam Houston   0 – 0     0 – 0   UTEP   0 – 0     0 – 0   Western Kentucky   0 – 0     0 – 0   Championship: December 5, 2025 * – Ineligible for postseason play due to FCS-to-FBS transition rules As of March 1, 2025	2025 Mid-American Conference football standings v t e Conf. Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Akron   0 – 0     0 – 0   Ball State   0 – 0     0 – 0   Bowling Green   0 – 0     0 – 0   Buffalo   0 – 0     0 – 0   Central Michigan   0 – 0     0 – 0   Eastern Michigan   0 – 0     0 – 0   Kent State   0 – 0     0 – 0   Miami (OH)   0 – 0     0 – 0   Northern Illinois   0 – 0     0 – 0   Ohio   0 – 0     0 – 0   Toledo   0 – 0     0 – 0   UMass   0 – 0     0 – 0   Western Michigan   0 – 0     0 – 0   Championship: December 6, 2025 As of March 1, 2025
2025 Mountain West Conference football standings v t e Conf. Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Air Force   0 – 0     0 – 0   Boise State   0 – 0     0 – 0   Colorado State   0 – 0     0 – 0   Fresno State   0 – 0     0 – 0   Hawaii   0 – 0     0 – 0   Nevada   0 – 0     0 – 0   New Mexico   0 – 0     0 – 0   San Diego State   0 – 0     0 – 0   San Jose State   0 – 0     0 – 0   UNLV   0 – 0     0 – 0   Utah State   0 – 0     0 – 0   Wyoming   0 – 0     0 – 0   Championship: December 5, 2025 As of March 1, 2025 Rankings from AP Poll	2025 Pac-12 Conference football standings v t e Conf. Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Oregon State   0 – 0     0 – 0   Washington State   0 – 0     0 – 0   As of March 1, 2025 Rankings from AP Poll	2025 Southeastern Conference football standings v t e Conf. Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Alabama   0 – 0     0 – 0   Arkansas   0 – 0     0 – 0   Auburn   0 – 0     0 – 0   Florida   0 – 0     0 – 0   Georgia   0 – 0     0 – 0   Kentucky   0 – 0     0 – 0   LSU   0 – 0     0 – 0   Mississippi State   0 – 0     0 – 0   Missouri   0 – 0     0 – 0   Oklahoma   0 – 0     0 – 0   Ole Miss   0 – 0     0 – 0   South Carolina   0 – 0     0 – 0   Tennessee   0 – 0     0 – 0   Texas   0 – 0     0 – 0   Texas A&M   0 – 0     0 – 0   Vanderbilt   0 – 0     0 – 0   Championship: December 6, 2025 $ – Conference champion y – Championship game participant As of March 1, 2025 Rankings from AP Poll
2025 Sun Belt Conference football standings v t e Conf. Overall Team   W   L     W   L   East Division Appalachian State   0 – 0     0 – 0   Coastal Carolina   0 – 0     0 – 0   Georgia Southern   0 – 0     0 – 0   Georgia State   0 – 0     0 – 0   James Madison   0 – 0     0 – 0   Marshall   0 – 0     0 – 0   Old Dominion   0 – 0     0 – 0   West Division Arkansas State   0 – 0     0 – 0   Louisiana   0 – 0     0 – 0   Louisiana–Monroe   0 – 0     0 – 0   South Alabama   0 – 0     0 – 0   Southern Miss   0 – 0     0 – 0   Texas State   0 – 0     0 – 0   Troy   0 – 0     0 – 0   Championship: December 6, 2025 As of March 1, 2025 Rankings from AP Poll	2025 NCAA Division I FBS independents football records v t e Conf. Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Notre Dame   –     0 – 0   UConn   –     0 – 0   As of March 1, 2025 Rankings from AP Poll

Playoff qualifiers

College Football Playoff bracket

Main article: 2025–26 College Football Playoff

This is the second year under the expanded College Football Playoff format. Under this format, the five highest-ranked conference champions will receive automatic bids, while the next seven highest-ranked teams will receive at-large bids. The four highest-ranked conference champions will receive a first-round bye in the playoff. ^[11]

Postseason

Main article: 2025–26 NCAA football bowl games

Normally, a team is required to have a .500 minimum winning percentage during the regular season to become bowl-eligible (six wins for an 11- or 12-game schedule, and seven wins for a 13-game schedule). If there are not enough winning teams to fulfill all open bowl slots, teams with losing records may be chosen to fill available bowl slots. Additionally, on the rare occasion in which a conference champion does not meet eligibility requirements, they are usually still chosen for bowl games via tie-ins for their conference.

See also

• 2025 NCAA Division I FCS football season
• 2025 U Sports football season

Notes

1. 41 FBS bowl games plus the College Football Playoff National Championship Game.

References

1. "CUSA Adds Delaware, Blue Hens to Join in 2025". Conference USA (Press release). November 28, 2023. Retrieved December 10, 2023.
2. "CUSA Adds Missouri State" (Press release). Conference USA. May 10, 2024. Retrieved May 10, 2024.
3. Withers, Tom (February 27, 2024). "UMass will join Mid-American Conference as a full sports member in 2025, MAC commissioner says". Associated Press . Retrieved February 27, 2024.
4. Hernandez, Victoria (February 26, 2024). "UMass to join MAC conference, including previously independent football, per reports". USA Today . Retrieved February 27, 2024.
5. "Ushering in a new era, the Pac-12 Conference strengthens its legacy by welcoming four respected academic and athletic universities" (Press release). Pac-12 Conference. September 12, 2024. Retrieved September 14, 2024.
6. Bonagura, Kyle (September 12, 2024). "Explaining Pac-12 expansion: How it started, what are the financial ramifications, what's next?". ESPN.com. Retrieved September 14, 2024.
7. "Pac-12 Conference and Utah State University Unite to Advance the New Era of the 100-Year-Old Legacy" (Press release). Pac-12 Conference. September 24, 2024. Retrieved September 25, 2024.
8. "Mountain West Officially Welcomes UTEP Into The Conference" (Press release). Mountain West Conference. October 1, 2024. Retrieved October 1, 2024.
9. "Mountain West Adds Northern Illinois As A Football-Only Member" (Press release). January 7, 2025. Retrieved January 7, 2025.
10. "Changes to Injury Timeouts Proposed by Football RUles Committee" (Press release). NCAA. February 28, 2025. Retrieved February 28, 2025.
11. "How the 12-team College Football Playoff will work: Teams, schedule, bids". www.ncaa.com. Retrieved July 3, 2024.