2025 NCAA Division I FBS football season

Last updated

2025 NCAA Division I FBS season
NCAA logo.svg
Number of teams136
DurationAugust 23, 2025 – December 13, 2025
Preseason AP No. 1 Texas
Postseason
DurationDecember 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 is 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 began on August 23 and is scheduled to end on December 13. The postseason will begin on December 13, 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.

Contents

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 joined Conference USA (CUSA) in July 2025. [1] [2] One formerly independent school, UMass, rejoined the Mid-American Conference (MAC) in 2025, but this time as a full member instead of football-only. [3] [4]

TeamConference in 2024Conference 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 eight FBS teams in their current conferences. [5] [6] [7] [8] [9]

SchoolCurrent conferenceFuture 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
Texas State Sun Belt Pac-12
Utah State Mountain West Pac-12
UTEP CUSA Mountain West

Rule changes

The following playing rule changes were approved by the NCAA Playing Rules Oversight Committee on April 17, 2025: [10]

Points of emphasis

Headlines

Stadiums

Kickoff games

Week 0

The regular season began on Saturday, August 23 with five games in Week 0.

Week 1

Top 10 matchups

Rankings through Week 8 reflect the AP poll. Rankings for Week 9 and beyond list College Football Playoff Rankings first and AP poll rankings second; teams that were not ranked in the top 10 of both polls are noted.

Regular season

FCS team wins over FBS teams

DateTimeVisiting teamHome teamSiteTVResultAttendanceRef.
August 296:00 p.m.No. 10 (FCS) Tarleton State Army Michie StadiumWest Point, New York CBSSN  30–27 2OT 23,032 [23]
August 306:00 p.m. Austin Peay Middle Tennessee Johnny "Red" Floyd StadiumMurfreesboro, Tennessee ESPN+  34–14  18,505 [24]
September 65:30 p.m. Bryant UMass McGuirk Alumni StadiumAmherst, Massachusetts ESPN+ 27–26  3,714 [25]
September 67:00 p.m. LIU Eastern Michigan Rynearson StadiumYpsilanti, Michigan ESPN+ 28–23  15,313 [26]
#Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game.

Upsets

This section lists unranked teams defeating AP Poll-ranked teams during the season.

Regular season

Conference standings

2025 American Conference football standings
Conf.Overall
Team W L  W L 
Navy  4 0   6 0  
No. 18 South Florida  3 0   6 1  
Tulane  3 0   6 1  
Memphis  2 1   6 1  
North Texas  2 1   6 1  
East Carolina  2 1   4 3  
Temple  2 1   4 3  
Florida Atlantic  2 2   3 4  
Army  2 3   3 4  
UTSA  1 2   3 4  
Rice  1 3   3 4  
UAB  1 3   3 4  
Tulsa  0 4   2 5  
Charlotte  0 4   1 6  
Championship: December 5, 2025
As of October 23, 2025
Rankings from AP Poll
2025 Atlantic Coast Conference football standings
Conf.Overall
Team W L  W L 
No. 7 Georgia Tech  4 0   7 0  
No. 16 Virginia  3 0   6 1  
SMU  3 0   5 2  
Pittsburgh  3 1   5 2  
Duke  3 1   4 3  
No. 19 Louisville  2 1   5 1  
California  2 1   5 2  
Stanford  2 2   3 4  
No. 9 Miami (FL)  1 1   5 1  
Clemson  2 3   3 4  
Wake Forest  1 2   4 2  
NC State  1 2   4 3  
Virginia Tech  1 2   2 5  
Syracuse  1 3   3 4  
North Carolina  0 2   2 4  
Florida State  0 4   3 4  
Boston College  0 4   1 6  
Championship: December 6, 2025
As of October 23, 2025
Rankings from AP Poll
2025 Big Ten Conference football standings
Conf.Overall
Team W L  W L 
No. 2 Indiana  4 0   7 0  
No. 1 Ohio State  4 0   7 0  
No. 6 Oregon  3 1   6 1  
Northwestern  3 1   5 2  
USC  3 1   5 2  
Iowa  3 1   5 2  
No. 25 Michigan  3 1   5 2  
Minnesota  3 1   5 2  
UCLA  3 1   3 4  
No. 23 Illinois  2 2   5 2  
Nebraska  2 2   5 2  
Washington  2 2   5 2  
Maryland  1 3   4 3  
Michigan State  0 4   3 4  
Penn State  0 4   3 4  
Rutgers  0 4   3 4  
Purdue  0 4   2 5  
Wisconsin  0 4   2 5  
Championship: December 6, 2025
  • $ Conference champion
  • y Championship game participant
As of October 23, 2025
Rankings from AP Poll
2025 Big 12 Conference football standings
Conf.Overall
Team W L  W L 
No. 11 BYU  4 0   7 0  
No. 21 Cincinnati  4 0   6 1  
No. 24 Arizona State  3 1   5 2  
No. 14 Texas Tech  3 1   6 1  
Houston  3 1   6 1  
Iowa State  2 2   5 2  
TCU  2 2   5 2  
Utah  2 2   5 2  
Baylor  2 2   4 3  
Kansas  2 2   4 3  
Kansas State  2 2   3 4  
Arizona  1 3   4 3  
UCF  1 3   4 3  
Colorado  1 3   3 4  
West Virginia  0 4   2 5  
Oklahoma State  0 4   1 6  
Championship: December 6, 2025
  • ^ College Football Playoff participant
  • $ Conference champion
  • y Championship game participant
As of October 23, 2025
Rankings from AP Poll
2025 Conference USA football standings
Conf.Overall
Team W L  W L 
Kennesaw State  3 0   5 2  
Jacksonville State  3 0   4 3  
Western Kentucky  4 1   6 2  
Missouri State*  2 1   4 3  
Liberty  2 1   3 4  
Delaware*  2 2   4 3  
Louisiana Tech  2 2   4 3  
FIU  1 2   3 4  
UTEP  1 2   2 5  
New Mexico State  1 3   3 4  
Middle Tennessee  0 3   1 6  
Sam Houston  0 4   0 7  
Championship: December 5, 2025
  • * – Ineligible for postseason play due to FCS-to-FBS transition rules
As of October 23, 2025
2025 Mid-American Conference football standings
Conf.Overall
Team W L  W L 
Buffalo  3 0   4 3  
Miami (OH)  3 0   4 3  
Western Michigan  3 0   4 3  
Ball State  2 1   3 4  
Central Michigan  2 1   4 3  
Ohio  2 1   4 3  
Toledo  2 2   4 3  
Bowling Green  1 2   3 4  
Kent State  1 2   2 5  
Akron*  1 3   2 6  
Eastern Michigan  1 3   2 6  
Northern Illinois  0 3   1 6  
UMass  0 3   0 7  
Championship: December 6, 2025
  • * Ineligible for postseason play due to low APR score
As of October 23, 2025
2025 Mountain West Conference football standings
Conf.Overall
Team W L  W L 
Boise State  3 0   5 2  
San Diego State  2 0   5 1  
Hawaii  3 1   6 2  
UNLV  2 1   6 1  
Fresno State  2 1   5 2  
Utah State  2 1   4 3  
New Mexico  1 2   4 3  
Wyoming  1 2   3 4  
Colorado State  1 2   2 5  
San Jose State  1 2   2 5  
Air Force  1 4   2 5  
Nevada  0 3   1 6  
Championship: December 5, 2025
As of October 23, 2025
Rankings from AP Poll
2025 Pac-12 Conference football standings
Conf.Overall
Team W L  W L 
Washington State  0 0   3 4  
Oregon State  0 0   1 7  
As of October 23, 2025
Rankings from AP Poll
2025 Southeastern Conference football standings
Conf.Overall
Team W L  W L 
No. 3 Texas A&M  4 0   7 0  
No. 4 Alabama  4 0   6 1  
No. 5 Georgia  4 1   6 1  
No. 8 Ole Miss  3 1   6 1  
No. 15 Missouri  2 1   6 1  
No. 13 Oklahoma  2 1   6 1  
No. 10 Vanderbilt  2 1   6 1  
No. 22 Texas  2 1   5 2  
No. 20 LSU  2 2   5 2  
No. 17 Tennessee  2 2   5 2  
Florida  2 2   3 4  
South Carolina  1 4   3 4  
Mississippi State  0 3   4 3  
Arkansas  0 3   2 5  
Auburn  0 4   3 4  
Kentucky  0 4   2 4  
Championship: December 6, 2025
  • $ Conference champion
  • y Championship game participant
As of October 23, 2025
Rankings from AP Poll
2025 Sun Belt Conference football standings
Conf.Overall
Team W L  W L 
East Division
James Madison  4 0   6 1  
Coastal Carolina  3 1   4 3  
Marshall  2 1   4 3  
Appalachian State  1 2   4 3  
Old Dominion  1 2   4 3  
Georgia Southern  1 2   3 4  
Georgia State  0 3   1 6  
West Division
Southern Miss  3 0   5 2  
Troy  3 0   5 2  
Arkansas State  2 1   3 4  
Louisiana–Monroe  1 2   3 4  
Louisiana  1 2   2 5  
Texas State  0 3   3 4  
South Alabama  0 3   1 6  
Championship: December 5, 2025
As of October 23, 2025
Rankings from AP Poll
2025 NCAA Division I FBS independents football records
Conf.Overall
Team W L  W L 
No. 12 Notre Dame    5 2  
UConn    5 2  
As of October 23, 2025
Rankings from AP Poll

Rankings

The Top 25 from the AP and USA Today Coaches Polls

Preseason polls

AP
RankingTeam
1 Texas (25)
2 Penn State (23)
3 Ohio State (11)
4 Clemson (4)
5 Georgia (1)
6 Notre Dame
7 Oregon (1)
8 Alabama
9 LSU
10 Miami (FL)
11 Arizona State
12 Illinois
13 South Carolina
14 Michigan
15 Florida
16 SMU
17 Kansas State
18 Oklahoma
19 Texas A&M
20 Indiana
21 Ole Miss
22 Iowa State
23 Texas Tech
24 Tennessee
25 Boise State
USA Today Coaches
RankingTeam
1 Texas (28)
2 Ohio State (20)
3 Penn State (14)
4 Georgia (3)
5 Notre Dame
6 Clemson (2)
7 Oregon
8 Alabama
9 LSU
10 Miami (FL)
11 Arizona State
12 Illinois
13 South Carolina
14 Michigan
15 Ole Miss
16 SMU
17 Florida
18 Tennessee
19 Indiana
20 Kansas State
21т Texas A&M
Iowa State
23 BYU
24 Texas Tech
25 Boise State

Playoff qualifiers

College Football Playoff bracket

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. In a change starting this season, the top four seeds receive first-round byes, even if they are not conference champions. [27]

Postseason

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.

Bowl eligibility

The below lists of teams are based on team records as published by the NCAA, and bowl eligibility criteria.

Bowl-eligible teams

Number of postseason berths available: 82

Number of bowl-eligible teams: 25

Bowl-ineligible teams

Number of bowl-ineligible teams: 6

Coaching changes

Preseason and in-season

This is restricted to coaching changes taking place on or after May 1, 2025, and will include any changes announced after a team's last regularly scheduled game before its bowl game. For coaching changes that occurred earlier in 2025, see 2024 NCAA Division I FBS end-of-season coaching changes.

SchoolOutgoing CoachDateReasonReplacement
Virginia Tech Brent Pry September 14, 2025Fired [29] Philip Montgomery (interim)
UCLA DeShaun Foster September 14, 2025Fired [30] Tim Skipper (interim)
Oklahoma State Mike Gundy September 23, 2025Fired [31] Doug Meacham (interim)
Arkansas Sam Pittman September 28, 2025Fired [32] Bobby Petrino (interim)
Oregon State Trent Bray October 12, 2025Fired [33] Robb Akey (interim)
Penn State James Franklin October 12, 2025Fired [34] Terry Smith (interim)
UAB Trent Dilfer October 12, 2025Fired [35] Alex Mortensen (interim)
Florida Billy Napier October 19, 2025Fired [36] Billy Gonzales (interim)
Colorado State Jay Norvell October 19, 2025Fired [37] Tyson Summers (interim)

Television viewers and ratings

Top 10 most watched regular season games

All times Eastern.Rankings are from the AP Poll (before 11/4) and CFP Rankings (thereafter).

RankDateTimeMatchupNetworkViewers (millions) [38] [39] LocationSignificance
1August 30, 202512:00 p.m.No. 1 Texas 7No. 3 Ohio State 14 Fox 16.6 Ohio Stadium
Columbus, OH
College GameDay , Big Noon Kickoff
2September 13, 20253:30 p.m.No. 6 Georgia 44No. 15 Tennessee 41 ABC 12.6 Neyland Stadium
Knoxville, TN
Rivalry, College GameDay
3August 31, 20257:30 p.m.No. 6 Notre Dame 24No. 10 Miami 2710.8 Hard Rock Stadium
Miami, FL
Rivalry
4August 30, 20253:30 p.m.No. 8 Alabama 17 Florida State 3110.7 Doak Campbell Stadium
Tallahassee, FL
5August 30, 20257:30 p.m.No. 9 LSU 17No. 4 Clemson 1010.4 Memorial Stadium
Clemson, SC
6September 27, 20257:30 p.m.No. 17 Alabama 24No. 5 Georgia 2110.4 Sanford Stadium
Athens, GA
Rivalry
7October 18, 20253:30 p.m.No. 5 Ole Miss 35No. 9 Georgia 439.8 Sanford Stadium
Athens, GA
College GameDay
8September 6, 20257:30 p.m.No. 15 Michigan 13No. 18 Oklahoma 249.7 Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium
Norman, OK
College GameDay
9October 11, 20253:30 p.m.No. 6 Oklahoma 6 Texas 238.7 Cotton Bowl
Dallas, TX
Rivalry
10September 27, 20257:30 p.m.No. 6 Oregon 30No. 3 Penn State 24 NBC 8.5 Beaver Stadium
University Park, PA
College GameDay

Television changes

This is the first season of a new television contract for the Big 12 Conference with ESPN, Fox Sports and TNT Sports. ESPN hold the rights to the top four college football games per season, and twelve of the top twenty games, along with the Big 12 Championship Game. TNT Sports sublicense thirteen games from ESPN. [40] [41]

The Pac-12 Conference renewed their media partnership with The CW for the 2025 season, while also agreeing to two-game deals with ESPN and CBS Sports. While The CW will continue to carry majority of the home games for Oregon State and Washington State, ESPN will carry two Oregon State home games and CBS will carry one home game from each school in primetime. [42]

This is the final year of the Mountain West Conference's broadcast agreement with Fox Sports and CBS Sports. The conference has not yet announced a new agreement. [43] Despite being announced as a multi-year deal, the Mountain West did not continue an agreement with TNT Sports from 2024 to air 14 games on TruTV. [44]

Attendances

The top 30 NCAA Division I FBS football teams by average home attendance:

See also

Notes

  1. 41 FBS bowl games plus the College Football Playoff National Championship Game.
  2. Delaware is ineligible due to FCS transition.
  3. Missouri State is ineligible due to FCS transition.
  4. Akron is ineligible due to low APR scores. [28]

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 Approved in Football" (Press release). NCAA. April 16, 2025. Retrieved April 17, 2025.
  11. "2025 Official Football Rules". NCAA. June 19, 2025. Retrieved August 22, 2025.
  12. "New model represents innovative approach to future of college athletics" (Press release). University of Kentucky. April 24, 2025. Retrieved April 27, 2025.
  13. Backus, Will (April 25, 2025). "Kentucky board of trustees approves shifting university's athletics department into limited liability company". CBSSports.com. Retrieved April 27, 2025.
  14. Titus, Payton (April 27, 2025). "University of Kentucky, ahead of House settlement, approves board to help navigate change". Courier Journal . Retrieved April 27, 2025.
  15. "American Conference Launches Modernized Brand Identity Ahead of Football Media Days" (Press release). American Conference. July 21, 2025. Retrieved July 21, 2025.
  16. "FBS Oversight Committee proposes changes to notification-of-transfer window" (Press release). NCAA. September 4, 2025. Retrieved September 5, 2025.
  17. Olson, Max (September 17, 2025). "NCAA eliminates spring transfer portal window for football". ESPN.com. Retrieved September 18, 2025.
  18. "DI FBS Oversight Committee modifies notification-of-transfer period recommendation" (Press release). NCAA. September 29, 2025. Retrieved October 2, 2025.
  19. "DI Administrative Committee introduces proposal for commercial logos on uniforms, apparel and equipment" (Press release). NCAA. October 9, 2025. Retrieved October 9, 2025.
  20. "Bearkats to host 2025 season at Shell Energy Stadium" (Press release). Sam Houston Bearkats. April 7, 2025. Retrieved July 16, 2025.
  21. "UCF Announces Renaming of Football Stadium to Acrisure Bounce House" (Press release). UCF Knights. June 12, 2025.
  22. "Larry Gies Makes Transformational $100 Million Gift to Illinois Athletics" (Press release). Illinois Fighting Illini. September 9, 2025. Retrieved September 19, 2025.
  23. "Brad Larson makes game-winning FG and Tarleton State beats Army for second-ever win over an FBS team". ESPN.com. Retrieved August 30, 2025.
  24. "FCS Austin Peay defeats Middle Tennessee for its first win over FBS team since 1987". ESPN.com.
  25. "Bryant Defeats UMass, 27-26, for First Win Over FBS in Program History". Bryant University Athletics.
  26. "Greenwood, Stanzani power FCS-member LIU to 28-23 victory over Eastern Michigan". ESPN. Retrieved September 7, 2025.
  27. "How the 12-team College Football Playoff will work: Teams, schedule, bids". www.ncaa.com. Retrieved July 3, 2024.
  28. Beaven, Michael (May 7, 2025). "Akron Zips Football Is Not Bowl Eligible Before 2025 NCAA Season Even Begins. Here's Why". Akron Beacon Journal. Retrieved May 14, 2025.
  29. "Hokies fire coach Brent Pry after starting 0-3". ESPN.com. September 14, 2025. Retrieved September 14, 2025.
  30. UCLA fires coach DeShaun Foster after Bruins start 0-3, ESPN , retrieved September 14, 2025
  31. Nagel, Cody (September 23, 2025). "Oklahoma State fires Mike Gundy: Cowboys oust longtime football coach amid 1-2 start to 2025 season". cbssports.com. Retrieved September 23, 2025.
  32. "Arkansas fires coach Sam Pittman, names Bobby Petrino interim". ESPN.com. September 28, 2025. Retrieved September 28, 2025.
  33. Kosko, Nick (October 12, 2025). "Oregon State fires head coach Trent Bray". On3. Retrieved October 12, 2025.
  34. "Penn State fires head coach James Franklin after 12 seasons". ESPN.com. October 12, 2025. Retrieved October 12, 2025.
  35. Vannini, Chris (October 12, 2025). "UAB fires head coach Trent Dilfer midway through third season". nytimes.com. The Athletic . Retrieved October 12, 2025.
  36. "Florida fires coach Billy Napier after 3-4 start in 2025". espn.com. ESPN. October 19, 2025. Retrieved October 19, 2025.
  37. Kosko, Nick (October 19, 2025). "Colorado State head coach Jay Norvell fired". on3.com. On3 Media. Retrieved October 19, 2025.
  38. "2025 College Football TV Ratings". Sports Media Watch. Retrieved September 15, 2025.
  39. Lewis, Jon. "College football has milestone opening weekend as "Big Data" era begins". Sports Media Watch. Retrieved September 4, 2025.
  40. Thamel, Pete (October 30, 2022). "Big 12 nears six-year, $2.28B TV extension deal with ESPN, Fox". ESPN.com. Retrieved March 5, 2025.
  41. Axelrod, Ben (November 18, 2024). "TNT lands Big 12 games from ESPN as part of WBD-NBA settlement". Awful Announcing. Retrieved March 5, 2025.
  42. "2025 Pac-12 football to be featured nationally across CBS, The CW and ESPN". Pac-12 Conference. April 29, 2025. Retrieved April 29, 2025.
  43. Murray, Chris (January 9, 2020). "Mountain West announces media rights deal with CBS, Fox. Here are the details". Nevada Sports Net. Retrieved April 30, 2025.
  44. Huddleston, Ben (May 30, 2025). "News: March Madness, softball, CW, and more". Sports Media Watch. Retrieved May 31, 2025.

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