With so much movement in recent college football conference realignment chatter, it can be challenging to keep up with everything happening! To help you better understand the landscape, we will talk about the Power 5 and unravel the intricacies of the incoming and outgoing teams this season. It should provide valuable insight into the primary motivations driving these decisions. From who is coming in, who is leaving and more, let’s break down the 2024 college football conference realignment.
ACC (Atlantic Coast Conference)
Incoming Teams:
Cal, Stanford, SMU
Outgoing Teams:
N/A
2024 ACC Teams:
- Cal
- Stanford
- SMU
- Boston College
- Duke
- Clemson
- Florida State
- Georgia Tech
- Miami
- Louisville
- North Carolina
- Notre Dame (non-football)
- NC State
- Syracuse
- Pittsburgh
- Virginia
- Virginia Tech
- Wake Forest
Insight: The recent college football conference changes showcase concerns among ACC members regarding revenue generation in current market conditions. In response, the ACC has added teams to help boost income from ESPN, aiming to quell discontent. Stanford and Cal seek an escape from the disintegrating Pac-12, while SMU aspires to join the Power Five, focusing on prestige over immediate financial gains. The ACC’s moves extend beyond basic strategy, tapping into media-rich markets in San Francisco and the Metroplex by including Cal, SMU, and Stanford.
Big 12
Incoming Teams: Arizona State, Arizona, Colorado, Utah
Outgoing Teams: Oklahoma and Texas
2024 Big 12 Teams:
- Houston
- BYU
- Cincinnati
- Oklahoma State
- TCU
- UCF
- Kansas
- Kansas State
- Utah
- Colorado
- West Virginia
- Iowa State
- Baylor
- Arizona
- Arizona State
Insight: In response to the departure of Oklahoma and Texas to the SEC for the upcoming 2024 college football season, the Big 12 has taken an assertive stance. The conference added three former AAC programs and BYU initially. This offseason, the Big 12 extended their reach by recruiting four pac-12 brands, expanding their presence strategically across all four time zones. These moves are a response to the significant loss of marquee teams, positioning the Big 12 for a geographically diverse future in college football.
Big 10
Incoming Teams:
UCLA, USC, Washington, Oregon
Outgoing Teams:
N/A
2024 Big 10 Teams:
- Ohio State
- Michigan
- Penn State
- Michigan State
- Indiana
- Purdue
- Wisconsin
- Iowa
- Nebraska
- Minnesota
- Rutgers
- USC
- UCLA
- Oregon
- Rutgers
- Maryland
- Washington
- Illinois
- Northwestern
Insight: The Big 10 is also a significant player in realignment for the upcoming college football season. They are welcoming four brand new teams to their conference, making one of the most powerful moves in the history of realignment in 2024, pushing the total size of their conference to 18 teams. More announcements are expected to come in future divisions.
Pac-12
Incoming Teams:
N/A
Outgoing Teams:
USC, Oregon, UCLA, Washington, Arizona State, Cal, Arizona, Colorado, Stanford, Utah.
2024 Pac-12 Teams:
- Washington State
- Oregon State
Insight: The most significant reason Pac-12 is witnessing a historic exodus this season is serious mismanagement at the conference’s top. In addition to the conference failing to hold everything together, most of its present members also got a competitive media deal in 2024. This massive shift has destroyed the Conference of Champions.
SEC
Incoming Teams:
Oklahoma and Texas
Outgoing Teams:
N/A
2024 SEC Teams:
- Oklahoma
- Texas
- Alabama
- Arkansas
- Florida
- Georgia
- LSU
- Kentucky
- Auburn
- Miss. State,
- Ole Miss
- Missouri
- South Carolina
- Tennessee,
- Vanderbilt
- Texas A&M
Insight: After welcoming two new teams from the Big 12 in 2012, the SEC is calling in Texas and Oklahoma in the upcoming season. This inclusion offers the Big 12 a new drive for revenue, access to Longhorn Network, a marquee rivalry game, new media markets, etc.
These shifts reflect the evolving dynamics of college football, with conferences strategically positioning themselves for a competitive and diverse future. With all of the realignment and condensing of conferences, we are soon sure to see the conferences now referred to as the “Power 4”. As the top teams transition and new rivalries emerge, the upcoming 2024 season promises to be an exciting change in the history of college football. Visit www.biggameusa.com to buy your teams official authentic game football.