NCAA 25 Football Teams: A Comprehensive Overview

The 2025 NCAA Division I FBS football season marks 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 is scheduled to run from August 23 to December 13, 2025, with the postseason commencing on December 13 and concluding on January 19, 2026, at the College Football Playoff National Championship held at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida.

Key Rule Changes for the 2025 Season

Several rule adjustments have been implemented for the 2025 season to enhance player safety and game flow:

Injury Timeouts: To discourage feigned injuries, if medical personnel enter the field to attend to an injured player after the ball is spotted by officials ready for play, the team will be charged a timeout or a five-yard delay of game penalty if they are out of timeouts.
Overtime Procedures: Beginning with the third overtime period, teams are limited to one timeout until the game concludes.
Instant Replay: Referees will use only "Overturned" and "Upheld" to communicate decisions on instant replay reviews.
Punt Formations: Restrictions have been placed on punt formations, requiring that no player be directly in line of the snap to a potential kicker and no player be inside the frame of the snapper to qualify as a legal scrimmage kick formation. If these requirements are not met, five players numbered 50-79 must be on the line of scrimmage.
Distracting Signals: Rules have been enhanced regarding words or signals used to distract opponents trying to put the ball in play.
Roughing the Passer: Contact to an offensive player in a passing posture is now explicitly considered "Roughing the Passer."
12 Players on the Field: Codifying a rule change from the 2024 Ohio State-Oregon game, teams with 12 or more players participating in a down after the two-minute timeout will be penalized five yards, and the offense has the option to reset the game clock to the time at the start of the play. If the extra player(s) were running off the field and had no influence on the play, the yardage penalty will apply, but the clock reset option will not be available.
Coach to Player Communication: The Coach to Player (C2P green dot) communication technology currently used in FBS will be a permissible option for the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS).

Conference Realignment and Membership Changes

The landscape of college football conferences continues to evolve, with several notable changes in membership:

Conference USA (CUSA): Added Delaware and Missouri State to its membership. The addition of Delaware, the Blue Hens, was announced on November 28, 2023, while Missouri State's inclusion was revealed on May 10, 2024.
Mid-American Conference (MAC): UMass will join the Mid-American Conference as a full sports member in 2025, including its previously independent football program. This move was reported by the Associated Press on February 27, 2024, and further detailed by USA Today on February 26, 2024.
Pac-12 Conference: Welcomed four new universities, strengthening its legacy. The Pac-12 Conference also united with Utah State University to advance the new era of the 100-Year-Old Legacy.
Mountain West Conference: Officially welcomed UTEP into the conference on October 1, 2024, and added Northern Illinois as a football-only member on January 7, 2025.

Organizational and Administrative Developments

Several significant administrative changes have occurred within the NCAA and its member institutions:

University of Kentucky (UK): On April 25, 2025, the University of Kentucky's board of trustees approved a proposal to transfer the UK athletic program to a separate, though related, non-profit company known as Champions Blue, LLC. This move was characterized as a reaction to the then-impending settlement of the House v. NCAA case.
American Athletic Conference: On July 21, the American Athletic Conference announced a name change to the American Conference as part of a comprehensive rebranding strategy.
Transfer Portal: The NCAA FBS Oversight Committee has been actively revising the transfer portal rules. On September 4, 2025, the committee voted on major changes, proposing to replace the current 30-day period with a single 10-day window from January 2-11 for both undergraduate and graduate transfers. On September 17, the NCAA Division I Administrative Committee approved the proposed single January transfer portal but chose not to adopt the proposed January 2-11 dates. Feedback from FBS and FCS players led to further discussions, and on September 29, the FBS Oversight Committee recommended a 15-day window from January 2-16. A 5-day window was also created for players involved in postseason contests on or after January 12, opening the day after the team's last game. The Administrative Committee approved these changes, including a modification for players undergoing a head coaching change, providing a 15-day window after the hiring or public announcement of a new head coach.
Logo Expansion: The Division I Administrative Committee introduced a proposal to expand allowed logos on student-athletes' uniforms and equipment beyond those of the manufacturer.

Facility and Stadium Updates

Several institutions have made significant investments in their athletic facilities:

Illinois Fighting Illini: Following a $100 million donation by businessman and Illinois alumnus Larry Gies, the Fighting Illini's stadium was renamed Gies Memorial Stadium in memory of his late father, Larry Sr.
Sam Houston Bearkats: Will host the 2025 season at Shell Energy Stadium.
UCF Knights: Announced the renaming of their football stadium to Acrisure Bounce House.

Coaching Changes

Several coaching changes occurred during the 2025 season:

Brent Pry was fired by Virginia Tech after starting 0-3.
Oklahoma State fired Mike Gundy amid a 1-2 start to the 2025 season.
Arkansas fired Sam Pittman, naming Bobby Petrino interim coach.
Oregon State fired head coach Trent Bray.
Penn State fired head coach James Franklin after 12 seasons.
UAB fired head coach Trent Dilfer midway through his third season.

Media Coverage

The 2025 season marks the beginning of a new television contract for the Big 12 Conference with ESPN, Fox Sports, and TNT Sports. ESPN holds 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. 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. This is the final year of the Mountain West Conference's broadcast agreement with Fox Sports and CBS Sports.

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.

Bowl Eligibility

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. 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.

Early Season Rankings and Highlights

Rankings through Week 8 reflect the AP poll. Several notable games and upsets occurred early in the season:

Read also: Big 12 Teams: In-Depth Review

Missouri Tigers vs. Auburn Tigers: Full Highlights
Florida shocks Mississippi State, steals win on late interception. The Gators' sideline erupts as defensive lineman Michai Boireau's interception of a pass by Bulldogs QB Blake Shapen with 21 seconds left seals a 23-21 win in Gainesville.
Sacramento St. holds off Northern Colorado 40-35 behind Hammond Jr., Smith and 4 Meadors field goals. Rodney Hammond Jr. and JaQuail Smith each ran for more than 100 yards, Grant Meadors kicked a pair of fourth-quarter field goals and Sacramento State beat Northern Colorado 40-35 on Saturday night.
Brad Larson makes game-winning FG and Tarleton State beats Army for second-ever win over an FBS team.
FCS Austin Peay defeats Middle Tennessee for its first win over FBS team since 1987.
Bryant Defeats UMass, 27-26, for First Win Over FBS in Program History.
Greenwood, Stanzani power FCS-member LIU to 28-23 victory over Eastern Michigan.
No. 3 Ohio State defeated No.
No. 6 Oregon defeated No.
No. 7 Indiana defeated No.
No. 9 Georgia defeated No.
No. 9 LSU defeated No.
No. 10 Miami (FL) defeated No.
No. 22 Iowa State 24, No.
#Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. South Florida 34, No. Florida State 31, No. Mississippi State 24, No. South Florida 18, No. Baylor 48, No. Vanderbilt 31, No. Georgia Tech 24, No. Virginia 46, No. Arizona State 27, No. UCLA 42, No. Florida 29, No. Cincinnati 38, No. Texas 23, No. USC 31, No. Utah 42, No. Colorado 24, No. Pittsburgh 34, No. Louisville 24, No. Minnesota 24, No. Arizona State 26, No. UAB 31, No.

NCAA Football Teams List

The release of College Football 25 includes over 100 FBS schools, ranging from the ACC, AAC, Big 10, Big 12, C-USA, Independents, MAC, Mountain West, SEC, Sun Belt, and what’s left of the Pac-12.

Tiers are a mechanism in College Football 25 that sorts teams by power, primarily determined by their overall and conference. During the early lifecycle stage of College Football 25, only three tiers existed. The Tier function is important for online ranked Road to the National Championship mode. In that mode, players can be matched up by tiers, meaning one can pick to choose what Tier team to play. However, be mindful that matching up a team in a higher Tier and winning will yield more progress.

Others receiving votes: Illinois 113, Michigan 73, Washington 36, UNLV 30, Navy 11, Mississippi State 8, Tulane 2, San Diego State 2. Dropped from rankings: Michigan 15, Illinois 17, Arizona State 21, Iowa State 22, Florida State 25. Others receiving votes: Michigan 119, Nebraska 90, Washington 85, UNLV 43, Navy 43, Louisville 18, Tulane 17, Arizona State 17, Duke 11, Iowa 9, Iowa State 7, Clemson 6, Houston 4, TCU 1, Pittsburgh 1, San Diego State 1. Dropped from rankings: Michigan 15, Iowa State 21, Penn State 22, Arizona State 23. Others receiving votes: Gardner-Webb 37, Stephen F. Austin 34, South Dakota 34, Lafayette 28, Western Carolina 19, North Carolina Central 14, UT Rio Grande Valley 10, Idaho 10, Sacramento State 10, Brown 8, Pennsylvania 7, Dartmouth 7, Alabama State 5, Central Arkansas 4, Elon 3, Furman 3, Eastern Kentucky 1, East Tennessee State 1. Dropped from rankings: Idaho 13. Others receiving votes: Emory & Henry College 36, California (PA) 27, Southern Arkansas 26, Henderson State 25, Frostburg State 21, Indiana-Pennsylvania 15, Nebraska-Kearney 13, University Of Charleston (WV) 9, Chadron State 7, Albany State 2, Michigan Tech 1, Assumption 1. Dropped from rankings: California (PA) 16, Frostburg State 21. Others receiving votes: Wisconsin-Stout 103, Linfield 101, Wabash College 30, Baldwin Wallace 29, Lewis & Clark 24, Hampden-Sydney 24, Muhlenberg 15, Adrian 14, Ursinus 13, Mary Hardin-Baylor 11, Washington University-St.

Read also: Sweet Sixteen SEC Representation

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