How many college football teams are there?

There is a constantly growing number of college football programs fielding teams at the FBS level.

Despite there only being four teams allowed to take part in the College Football Playoff, the sport we love so much keeps adding more and more members to the FBS level with each passing season.

There are a lot of reasons for this. While dominating at the FCS level can be appealing to the likes of North Dakota State and South Dakota State, schools like James Madison and Sam Houston wanted to increase their national profile this way. James Madison transitioned last year upon joining the Sun Belt. Sam Houston and Jacksonville State are joining Conference USA this season.

Kennesaw State will be making the jump up in competition in 2024 when it joins Conference USA.

So how many teams compete at the FBS level anyhow, as we head into the 2023 college season?

College football: How many teams will compete at the FBS level in 2023?

With Jacksonville State and Sam Houston joining the ranks, the number of teams competing at the FBS level in 2023 will be … 133! That number will kick up to 134 with Kennesaw State moving on up in 2024.

Of these 133 teams, most play in one of 10 conferences. Five are deemed the Power Five, while the smaller conferences are known as the Group of Five. There are also independents…

Most independent programs identify as Group of Five, while Notre Dame is obviously seen as Power Five. BYU had been independent for years and kind of operated in a weird not quite Power 5 existence, but that is no more. The Cougars will be joining the Big 12 this season, alongside three former AAC members in the Cincinnati, Houston and UCF. It should be a good time anyway.

What is very interesting in all this is why so many teams are willing to go from being utterly dominant at the FCS level to a higher jump up in competition where they don’t have any shot at winning national titles. I think it is a combination of national exposure and the changing landscape of the College Football Playoff. The six best conference champions all get in, no matter the league.

If we had the 12-team format in 2020, two Group of Five teams would have made the playoff field: The AAC/Group of Five champion Cincinnati Bearcats and the Sun Belt champion Coastal Carolina Chanticleers. At least one team of their 2020 stature will be getting into the dance annually beginning in 2024. You cannot possibly put a price on what that means for them…

Ultimately, it is all about securing a stadium to hold a certain number of people, as well as having a certain number of athletic scholarships available. This is why there is a transitional period from FCS to FBS. Even if a program is humming like James Madison is, not having a certain number of scholarships available is what keeps strong teams like the Dukes transitioning from going bowling.

With more and more teams wanting to make the move up, you can say college football is thriving.