(11-02-2021 06:20 PM)Fighting Muskie Wrote:  I think we are more likely to see the FBS aspirational WAC schools join C-USA, as opposed to moving up as a group under the WAC name.

Looks like it and looks like it might be a slow roll out of FCS upgrades for CUSA until they get back to 10.

It would be nice to see a Stonybrook, Delaware, Maine, or Villanova move up. The Northeast needs more FBS schools.

It may be useful to recap the history of NCAA divisions:

"From 1906 to 1955, the NCAA had no divisional structure for member schools."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NCAA_Divis...ubdivision

I. 1957: University/College Divisions (basketball)

"The University Division began for purposes of college basketball....the NCAA would hold separate basketball tournaments for major schools and smaller colleges."

"156 major schools would compete for 24 spots in the "NCAA University Division tournament," while 285 smaller schools in the "College Division" would compete for 32 spots in the "NCAA College Division Tournament."

II. 1962: University/College Divisions (football)

"140 major college football teams were recognized as being part of the "University Division" for purposes of football. Another 370 schools were placed in the "College Division." "

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NCAA_University_Division

III. 1973 restructured to NCAA Divisions I, II, and III

"The University Division was renamed Division I, while the College Division was split in two; the College Division members that offered scholarships or wanted to compete against those who did became Division II, while those who did not want to offer scholarships became Division III."

The College Division tournaments were split into Division II and III tournaments, and these have continued to the present day.

IV: 1978 (football)- DI divided into D1-A (now "FBS") and D1-AA (now "FCS")

For football only, Division I was further subdivided in 1978 into Division I-A (the principal football schools), Division I-AA (the other schools with football teams), and Division I (those schools not sponsoring football)."

"In 2006, Division I-A and I-AA were renamed "Football Bowl Subdivision" (FBS) and "Football Championship Subdivision" (FCS), respectively."

1998-2013 - FBS Bowl Championship Series

2013-present - FBS College Football Playoff

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NCAA_Divis...BS_and_FCS


.......


Eight original Division I-A conferences (in 1978):

ACC, Big10, Big(8-12), MAC, PAC(10-12), SEC, SWC (to '96), & WAC (to '98)

Four newer FBS conferences:

Big East/AAC (1991), CUSA (1995), MWC (1999), SBC (2013)

Current number of FBS schools: 130

Schools that started playing in the FBS in/after 1978: 30

UNLV
Akron^
Louisiana Tech
Nevada*
Arkansas State^
Louisiana–Monroe^
North Texas^
Boise State*
UCF*^
Marshall*^
Buffalo*^
Middle Tennessee^
UAB^
UConn^
South Florida*
Troy^
Florida Atlantic^
FIU^
Western Kentucky*^
UMass
Texas State
South Alabama
UTSA (#15, AP)
Georgia State
Georgia Southern^
Appalachian State*^
Old Dominion
Charlotte
Coastal Carolina*^
Liberty*

*Has had at least one FB team in the final AP top 25

^Has won at least one conference championship

(11-02-2021 06:25 PM)shizzle787 Wrote:  

(11-02-2021 05:19 PM)Milwaukee Wrote:  

(11-02-2021 02:23 PM)shizzle787 Wrote:  The sweet spot for FBS is probably 80-100 teams. 140+ is too many.

According to you, "the sweet spot for FBS is probably 80-100 teams."

According to you, "140+ is too many."

However, there's no inherent reason that 140 or 145 or 150 would be considered "too many."

There has been a strong, ongoing trend for more and more FCS schools to move up to FBS. You seem to be saying that this trend should be stopped - - in other words, that no longer should FCS schools be able to make the move to FBS.

That may be the view of most P5 schools, but it is not likely to be the view of most D1 schools, and there are hundreds of D1 schools, but only 65 FBS schools at present, so the P5 schools could propose such a change, but they would lose a vote on the matter.

.

The P5 + 20-30 more schools could very likely create new rules at the upcoming convention that create a new D1-A. The collective national attention span flounders after 80 schools. We know this because that is about how many make it on to cable and OTA channels a week. Nobody watches ESPN+ compared to cable broadcasts.

Schools want to be associated with peer schools. Pretty soon, Alabama is not going to want to be in the same tier as Sam Houston St. Remember, history repeats itself. We already saw this in the 1980's.

Do not be surprised in 2 weeks if the big schools coerce the NCAA to enact rules changes that signify what it means to be FBS.

Things like budgets, attendance, total number of sports offered, stipends, NIL requirements, etc.

I would not be surprised to see the following form the new D1-A:
SEC
ACC
B1G
Pac-12
Big 12
Notre Dame
Army
UConn
Liberty
MW
Navy
SMU
Memphis
USF
Temple
ECU
Tulane

The rest of the American, UMass, MAC, and Sun Belt would form the upper crust of D1-AA. The 80's all over again.

There doesn't seem to be a wave of sentiment to make those kinds of changes.

Beyond scattered statements (e.g., from WVU MBB's HC), there hasn't been much in the way of suggestions that anything like that is likely to happen.

If something like that was likely to happen, we certainly would have been reading reports of that from the likes of Dodd, McMurphy, and Thamel, if not in the pages of The Athletic, Sports Illustrated, etc.

What kind of power or control do the P5 have that would enable them to "coerce the NCAA to enact rules changes that signify what it means to be FBS" ?

.

It's not that the P5 schools have no influence, but that the NCAA schools aren't easily "coerced," especially on matters of such major importance, and they would have to vote for it in order to make it happen.

Another problem with the idea is that it would leave a bunch of CUSA, SBC, MAC, and prospective FBS schools in limbo. They wouldn't be FCS schools and they wouldn't be FBS schools.

Further, the proposal would end up splitting the AAC in two, and the NCAA is extremely unlikely to split any conferences up.

Army, Navy, and Air Force have shown no interest in playing in power conferences, and would probably end up being left in limbo with MAC, CUSA, and SBC, neither FCS nor FBS.

Top 25 teams like Coastal, App. State, & Louisiana, would be left behind in the "limbo" division, while schools like ECU and Tulane would move up?

It just doesn't make sense.

If anything, it may be more likely that the FBS will continue expanding for decades to come, especially if the power five conferences are on the verge of becoming 16-team (and eventually, 20-team) conferences, as the Big-12 commissioner has predicted.

They will among those that will benefit the most if there is a steady stream of new FBS schools replenishing the G5.

.

(11-02-2021 07:29 PM)Milwaukee Wrote:  

(11-02-2021 06:25 PM)shizzle787 Wrote:  

(11-02-2021 05:19 PM)Milwaukee Wrote:  

(11-02-2021 02:23 PM)shizzle787 Wrote:  The sweet spot for FBS is probably 80-100 teams. 140+ is too many.

According to you, "the sweet spot for FBS is probably 80-100 teams."

According to you, "140+ is too many."

However, there's no inherent reason that 140 or 145 or 150 would be considered "too many."

There has been a strong, ongoing trend for more and more FCS schools to move up to FBS. You seem to be saying that this trend should be stopped - - in other words, that no longer should FCS schools be able to make the move to FBS.

That may be the view of most P5 schools, but it is not likely to be the view of most D1 schools, and there are hundreds of D1 schools, but only 65 FBS schools at present, so the P5 schools could propose such a change, but they would lose a vote on the matter.

.

The P5 + 20-30 more schools could very likely create new rules at the upcoming convention that create a new D1-A. The collective national attention span flounders after 80 schools. We know this because that is about how many make it on to cable and OTA channels a week. Nobody watches ESPN+ compared to cable broadcasts.

Schools want to be associated with peer schools. Pretty soon, Alabama is not going to want to be in the same tier as Sam Houston St. Remember, history repeats itself. We already saw this in the 1980's.

Do not be surprised in 2 weeks if the big schools coerce the NCAA to enact rules changes that signify what it means to be FBS.

Things like budgets, attendance, total number of sports offered, stipends, NIL requirements, etc.

I would not be surprised to see the following form the new D1-A:
SEC
ACC
B1G
Pac-12
Big 12
Notre Dame
Army
UConn
Liberty
MW
Navy
SMU
Memphis
USF
Temple
ECU
Tulane

The rest of the American, UMass, MAC, and Sun Belt would form the upper crust of D1-AA. The 80's all over again.

There doesn't seem to be a wave of sentiment to make those kinds of changes.

Beyond scattered statements (e.g., from WVU MBB's HC), there hasn't been much in the way of suggestions that anything like that is likely to happen.

If something like that was likely to happen, we certainly would have been reading reports of that from the likes of Dodd, McMurphy, and Thamel, if not in the pages of The Athletic, Sports Illustrated, etc.

What kind of power or control do the P5 have that would enable them to "coerce the NCAA to enact rules changes that signify what it means to be FBS" ?

.

It's not that the P5 schools have no influence, but that the NCAA schools aren't easily "coerced," especially on matters of such major importance, and they would have to vote for it in order to make it happen.

Another problem with the idea is that it would leave a bunch of CUSA, SBC, MAC, and prospective FBS schools in limbo. They wouldn't be FCS schools and they wouldn't be FBS schools.

Further, the proposal would end up splitting the AAC in two, and the NCAA is extremely unlikely to split any conferences up.

Army, Navy, and Air Force have shown no interest in playing in power conferences, and would probably end up being left in limbo with MAC, CUSA, and SBC, neither FCS nor FBS.

Top 25 teams like Coastal, App. State, & Louisiana, would be left behind in the "limbo" division, while schools like ECU and Tulane would move up?

It just doesn't make sense.

If anything, it may be more likely that the FBS will continue expanding for decades to come, especially if the power five conferences are on the verge of becoming 16-team (and eventually, 20-team) conferences, as the Big-12 commissioner has predicted.

They will among those that will benefit the most if there is a steady stream of new FBS schools replenishing the G5.

.

Last time around, the big schools threatened the NCAA over TV money and the NCAA acquiesced and demoted about 35 schools. The MVC continued to be a conference but half the schools were considered 1-A and the other half 1-AA. The Ivy was split as well but they all ultimately decided to move down.

At the end of the day, the big schools will want to be on linear cable. When Arkansas State and Louisiana are playing on Thursday night on ESPN2 and Oklahoma State and Kansas State are playing Saturday on ESPN+, you know something is going to give. The reality is that those two games and networks should be switched. Far more people care about the latter game than the former.

(11-02-2021 06:59 PM)Milwaukee Wrote:  It may be useful to recap the history of NCAA divisions:

"From 1906 to 1955, the NCAA had no divisional structure for member schools."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NCAA_Divis...ubdivision

I. 1957: University/College Divisions (basketball)

"The University Division began for purposes of college basketball....the NCAA would hold separate basketball tournaments for major schools and smaller colleges."

"156 major schools would compete for 24 spots in the "NCAA University Division tournament," while 285 smaller schools in the "College Division" would compete for 32 spots in the "NCAA College Division Tournament."

II. 1962: University/College Divisions (football)

"140 major college football teams were recognized as being part of the "University Division" for purposes of football. Another 370 schools were placed in the "College Division." "

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NCAA_University_Division

III. 1973 restructured to NCAA Divisions I, II, and III

"The University Division was renamed Division I, while the College Division was split in two; the College Division members that offered scholarships or wanted to compete against those who did became Division II, while those who did not want to offer scholarships became Division III."

The College Division tournaments were split into Division II and III tournaments, and these have continued to the present day.

IV: 1978 (football)- DI divided into D1-A (now "FBS") and D1-AA (now "FCS")

For football only, Division I was further subdivided in 1978 into Division I-A (the principal football schools), Division I-AA (the other schools with football teams), and Division I (those schools not sponsoring football)."

"In 2006, Division I-A and I-AA were renamed "Football Bowl Subdivision" (FBS) and "Football Championship Subdivision" (FCS), respectively."

1998-2013 - FBS Bowl Championship Series

2013-present - FBS College Football Playoff

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NCAA_Divis...BS_and_FCS


.......


Eight original Division I-A conferences (in 1978):

ACC, Big10, Big(8-12), MAC, PAC(10-12), SEC, SWC (to '96), & WAC (to '98)

Four newer FBS conferences:

Big East/AAC (1991), CUSA (1995), MWC (1999), SBC (2013)

Current number of FBS schools: 130

Schools that started playing in the FBS in/after 1978: 30

UNLV
Akron^
Louisiana Tech
Nevada*
Arkansas State^
Louisiana–Monroe^
North Texas^
Boise State*
UCF*^
Marshall*^
Buffalo*^
Middle Tennessee^
UAB^
UConn^
South Florida*
Troy^
Florida Atlantic^
FIU^
Western Kentucky*^
UMass
Texas State
South Alabama
UTSA (#15, AP)
Georgia State
Georgia Southern^
Appalachian State*^
Old Dominion
Charlotte
Coastal Carolina*^
Liberty*

*Has had at least one FB team in the final AP top 25

^Has won at least one conference championship

Conferences-You left out the PCAA/Big West. It was a football conference from 1969-2000. Not sure when it became Division I/FBS, but it definitely was in the late 80s. Several other conferences were I-A before the 1982 move-down. Ivy, Missouri Valley, Southern and Southland were.

Haven't verified how accurate Wiki is on this, but it looks about right with a quick glance.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1982_NCAA_...all_season

"...Conference changes and new programs
Before the 1982 season, a total of 41 NCAA Division I-A teams, including three conferences and all of their members, were shifted from Division I-A to Division I-AA:[4]

Ivy League — Brown, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, Harvard, Pennsylvania, Princeton, and Yale
Southern Conference — Appalachian State, Chattanooga, East Tennessee State, Furman, Marshall, The Citadel, VMI, and Western Carolina
Southland Conference — Arkansas State, Lamar, Louisiana Tech, McNeese State, and Texas–Arlington
Southwestern Louisiana, who had been a member of the Southland during the 1981 season, remained in Division I-A as an Independent.
Most of the Missouri Valley Conference football schools were also reclassified. This began the few years where the MVC hosted both 1-A and 1-AA teams. Drake, Illinois State, Indiana State, Southern Illinois, and West Texas State did not meet 1-A standards and were reclassified to 1-AA. New Mexico State, Tulsa, and Wichita State remained in 1-A.

School 1981 Conference 1982 Conference
Alabama State D-II Independent SWAC (I-AA)
Colgate I-A Independent I-AA Independent
Georgia Southern Revived Program I-AA Independent
Holy Cross I-A Independent I-AA Independent
Northeast Louisiana I-A Independent Southland
North Texas State I-A Independent 1-AA Independent
Richmond I-A Independent I-AA Independent
Western Kentucky Ohio Valley I-AA Independent
William & Mary I-A Independent I-AA Independent
Independent Cincinnati and MAC schools Ball State, Bowling Green, Eastern Michigan, Kent State, Miami (OH), Northern Illinois, Ohio, and Western Michigan were all reclassified as well.

The University of Cincinnati filed an injunction against the NCAA to postpone their demotion until after the 1982 season, and was successful in remaining in 1-A.[5]

Of the ten schools in the MAC, initially only Central Michigan and Toledo maintained 1-A status. Bowling Green, Northern Illinois, Miami, and Western Michigan all made appeals and the conference as a whole was granted the ability to remain at the 1-A level.[6]..."

(11-02-2021 06:59 PM)Milwaukee Wrote:  It may be useful to recap the history of NCAA divisions:

"From 1906 to 1955, the NCAA had no divisional structure for member schools."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NCAA_Divis...ubdivision

I. 1957: University/College Divisions (basketball)

"The University Division began for purposes of college basketball....the NCAA would hold separate basketball tournaments for major schools and smaller colleges."

"156 major schools would compete for 24 spots in the "NCAA University Division tournament," while 285 smaller schools in the "College Division" would compete for 32 spots in the "NCAA College Division Tournament."

II. 1962: University/College Divisions (football)

"140 major college football teams were recognized as being part of the "University Division" for purposes of football. Another 370 schools were placed in the "College Division." "

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NCAA_University_Division

III. 1973 restructured to NCAA Divisions I, II, and III

"The University Division was renamed Division I, while the College Division was split in two; the College Division members that offered scholarships or wanted to compete against those who did became Division II, while those who did not want to offer scholarships became Division III."

The College Division tournaments were split into Division II and III tournaments, and these have continued to the present day.

IV: 1978 (football)- DI divided into D1-A (now "FBS") and D1-AA (now "FCS")

For football only, Division I was further subdivided in 1978 into Division I-A (the principal football schools), Division I-AA (the other schools with football teams), and Division I (those schools not sponsoring football)."

"In 2006, Division I-A and I-AA were renamed "Football Bowl Subdivision" (FBS) and "Football Championship Subdivision" (FCS), respectively."

1998-2013 - FBS Bowl Championship Series

2013-present - FBS College Football Playoff

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NCAA_Divis...BS_and_FCS


.......


Eight original Division I-A conferences (in 1978):

ACC, Big10, Big(8-12), MAC, PAC(10-12), SEC, SWC (to '96), & WAC (to '98)

Four newer FBS conferences:

Big East/AAC (1991), CUSA (1995), MWC (1999), SBC (2013)

Current number of FBS schools: 130

Schools that started playing in the FBS in/after 1978: 30

UNLV
Akron^
Louisiana Tech
Nevada*
Arkansas State^
Louisiana–Monroe^
North Texas^
Boise State*
UCF*^
Marshall*^
Buffalo*^
Middle Tennessee^
UAB^
UConn^
South Florida*
Troy^
Florida Atlantic^
FIU^
Western Kentucky*^
UMass
Texas State
South Alabama
UTSA (#15, AP)
Georgia State
Georgia Southern^
Appalachian State*^
Old Dominion
Charlotte
Coastal Carolina*^
Liberty*

*Has had at least one FB team in the final AP top 25

^Has won at least one conference championship

Well done. I enjoyed reading.

(11-02-2021 07:57 PM)bullet Wrote:  

(11-02-2021 06:59 PM)Milwaukee Wrote:  It may be useful to recap the history of NCAA divisions:

"From 1906 to 1955, the NCAA had no divisional structure for member schools."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NCAA_Divis...ubdivision

I. 1957: University/College Divisions (basketball)

"The University Division began for purposes of college basketball....the NCAA would hold separate basketball tournaments for major schools and smaller colleges."

"156 major schools would compete for 24 spots in the "NCAA University Division tournament," while 285 smaller schools in the "College Division" would compete for 32 spots in the "NCAA College Division Tournament."

II. 1962: University/College Divisions (football)

"140 major college football teams were recognized as being part of the "University Division" for purposes of football. Another 370 schools were placed in the "College Division." "

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NCAA_University_Division

III. 1973 restructured to NCAA Divisions I, II, and III

"The University Division was renamed Division I, while the College Division was split in two; the College Division members that offered scholarships or wanted to compete against those who did became Division II, while those who did not want to offer scholarships became Division III."

The College Division tournaments were split into Division II and III tournaments, and these have continued to the present day.

IV: 1978 (football)- DI divided into D1-A (now "FBS") and D1-AA (now "FCS")

For football only, Division I was further subdivided in 1978 into Division I-A (the principal football schools), Division I-AA (the other schools with football teams), and Division I (those schools not sponsoring football)."

"In 2006, Division I-A and I-AA were renamed "Football Bowl Subdivision" (FBS) and "Football Championship Subdivision" (FCS), respectively."

1998-2013 - FBS Bowl Championship Series

2013-present - FBS College Football Playoff

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NCAA_Divis...BS_and_FCS


.......


Eight original Division I-A conferences (in 1978):

ACC, Big10, Big(8-12), MAC, PAC(10-12), SEC, SWC (to '96), & WAC (to '98)

Four newer FBS conferences:

Big East/AAC (1991), CUSA (1995), MWC (1999), SBC (2013)

Current number of FBS schools: 130

Schools that started playing in the FBS in/after 1978: 30

UNLV
Akron^
Louisiana Tech
Nevada*
Arkansas State^
Louisiana–Monroe^
North Texas^
Boise State*
UCF*^
Marshall*^
Buffalo*^
Middle Tennessee^
UAB^
UConn^
South Florida*
Troy^
Florida Atlantic^
FIU^
Western Kentucky*^
UMass
Texas State
South Alabama
UTSA (#15, AP)
Georgia State
Georgia Southern^
Appalachian State*^
Old Dominion
Charlotte
Coastal Carolina*^
Liberty*

*Has had at least one FB team in the final AP top 25

^Has won at least one conference championship

Conferences-You left out the PCAA/Big West. It was a football conference from 1969-2000. Not sure when it became Division I/FBS, but it definitely was in the late 80s. Several other conferences were I-A before the 1982 move-down. Ivy, Missouri Valley, Southern and Southland were.

Haven't verified how accurate Wiki is on this, but it looks about right with a quick glance.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1982_NCAA_...all_season

"...Conference changes and new programs
Before the 1982 season, a total of 41 NCAA Division I-A teams, including three conferences and all of their members, were shifted from Division I-A to Division I-AA:[4]

Ivy League — Brown, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, Harvard, Pennsylvania, Princeton, and Yale
Southern Conference — Appalachian State, Chattanooga, East Tennessee State, Furman, Marshall, The Citadel, VMI, and Western Carolina
Southland Conference — Arkansas State, Lamar, Louisiana Tech, McNeese State, and Texas–Arlington
Southwestern Louisiana, who had been a member of the Southland during the 1981 season, remained in Division I-A as an Independent.
Most of the Missouri Valley Conference football schools were also reclassified. This began the few years where the MVC hosted both 1-A and 1-AA teams. Drake, Illinois State, Indiana State, Southern Illinois, and West Texas State did not meet 1-A standards and were reclassified to 1-AA. New Mexico State, Tulsa, and Wichita State remained in 1-A.

School 1981 Conference 1982 Conference
Alabama State D-II Independent SWAC (I-AA)
Colgate I-A Independent I-AA Independent
Georgia Southern Revived Program I-AA Independent
Holy Cross I-A Independent I-AA Independent
Northeast Louisiana I-A Independent Southland
North Texas State I-A Independent 1-AA Independent
Richmond I-A Independent I-AA Independent
Western Kentucky Ohio Valley I-AA Independent
William & Mary I-A Independent I-AA Independent
Independent Cincinnati and MAC schools Ball State, Bowling Green, Eastern Michigan, Kent State, Miami (OH), Northern Illinois, Ohio, and Western Michigan were all reclassified as well.

The University of Cincinnati filed an injunction against the NCAA to postpone their demotion until after the 1982 season, and was successful in remaining in 1-A.[5]

Of the ten schools in the MAC, initially only Central Michigan and Toledo maintained 1-A status. Bowling Green, Northern Illinois, Miami, and Western Michigan all made appeals and the conference as a whole was granted the ability to remain at the 1-A level.[6]..."

Very interesting!

You have filled in a lot of important gaps in the historical summary.

(11-02-2021 07:57 PM)bullet Wrote:  

(11-02-2021 06:59 PM)Milwaukee Wrote:  It may be useful to recap the history of NCAA divisions:

"From 1906 to 1955, the NCAA had no divisional structure for member schools."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NCAA_Divis...ubdivision

I. 1957: University/College Divisions (basketball)

"The University Division began for purposes of college basketball....the NCAA would hold separate basketball tournaments for major schools and smaller colleges."

"156 major schools would compete for 24 spots in the "NCAA University Division tournament," while 285 smaller schools in the "College Division" would compete for 32 spots in the "NCAA College Division Tournament."

II. 1962: University/College Divisions (football)

"140 major college football teams were recognized as being part of the "University Division" for purposes of football. Another 370 schools were placed in the "College Division." "

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NCAA_University_Division

III. 1973 restructured to NCAA Divisions I, II, and III

"The University Division was renamed Division I, while the College Division was split in two; the College Division members that offered scholarships or wanted to compete against those who did became Division II, while those who did not want to offer scholarships became Division III."

The College Division tournaments were split into Division II and III tournaments, and these have continued to the present day.

IV: 1978 (football)- DI divided into D1-A (now "FBS") and D1-AA (now "FCS")

For football only, Division I was further subdivided in 1978 into Division I-A (the principal football schools), Division I-AA (the other schools with football teams), and Division I (those schools not sponsoring football)."

"In 2006, Division I-A and I-AA were renamed "Football Bowl Subdivision" (FBS) and "Football Championship Subdivision" (FCS), respectively."

1998-2013 - FBS Bowl Championship Series

2013-present - FBS College Football Playoff

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NCAA_Divis...BS_and_FCS


.......


Eight original Division I-A conferences (in 1978):

ACC, Big10, Big(8-12), MAC, PAC(10-12), SEC, SWC (to '96), & WAC (to '98)

Four newer FBS conferences:

Big East/AAC (1991), CUSA (1995), MWC (1999), SBC (2013)

Current number of FBS schools: 130

Schools that started playing in the FBS in/after 1978: 30

UNLV
Akron^
Louisiana Tech
Nevada*
Arkansas State^
Louisiana–Monroe^
North Texas^
Boise State*
UCF*^
Marshall*^
Buffalo*^
Middle Tennessee^
UAB^
UConn^
South Florida*
Troy^
Florida Atlantic^
FIU^
Western Kentucky*^
UMass
Texas State
South Alabama
UTSA (#15, AP)
Georgia State
Georgia Southern^
Appalachian State*^
Old Dominion
Charlotte
Coastal Carolina*^
Liberty*

*Has had at least one FB team in the final AP top 25

^Has won at least one conference championship

Conferences-You left out the PCAA/Big West. It was a football conference from 1969-2000. Not sure when it became Division I/FBS, but it definitely was in the late 80s. Several other conferences were I-A before the 1982 move-down. Ivy, Missouri Valley, Southern and Southland were.

Haven't verified how accurate Wiki is on this, but it looks about right with a quick glance.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1982_NCAA_...all_season

"...Conference changes and new programs
Before the 1982 season, a total of 41 NCAA Division I-A teams, including three conferences and all of their members, were shifted from Division I-A to Division I-AA:[4]

Ivy League — Brown, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, Harvard, Pennsylvania, Princeton, and Yale
Southern Conference — Appalachian State, Chattanooga, East Tennessee State, Furman, Marshall, The Citadel, VMI, and Western Carolina
Southland Conference — Arkansas State, Lamar, Louisiana Tech, McNeese State, and Texas–Arlington
Southwestern Louisiana, who had been a member of the Southland during the 1981 season, remained in Division I-A as an Independent.
Most of the Missouri Valley Conference football schools were also reclassified. This began the few years where the MVC hosted both 1-A and 1-AA teams. Drake, Illinois State, Indiana State, Southern Illinois, and West Texas State did not meet 1-A standards and were reclassified to 1-AA. New Mexico State, Tulsa, and Wichita State remained in 1-A.

School 1981 Conference 1982 Conference
Alabama State D-II Independent SWAC (I-AA)
Colgate I-A Independent I-AA Independent
Georgia Southern Revived Program I-AA Independent
Holy Cross I-A Independent I-AA Independent
Northeast Louisiana I-A Independent Southland
North Texas State I-A Independent 1-AA Independent
Richmond I-A Independent I-AA Independent
Western Kentucky Ohio Valley I-AA Independent
William & Mary I-A Independent I-AA Independent
Independent Cincinnati and MAC schools Ball State, Bowling Green, Eastern Michigan, Kent State, Miami (OH), Northern Illinois, Ohio, and Western Michigan were all reclassified as well.

The University of Cincinnati filed an injunction against the NCAA to postpone their demotion until after the 1982 season, and was successful in remaining in 1-A.[5]

Of the ten schools in the MAC, initially only Central Michigan and Toledo maintained 1-A status. Bowling Green, Northern Illinois, Miami, and Western Michigan all made appeals and the conference as a whole was granted the ability to remain at the 1-A level.[6]..."

Some historical sites said West Texas A&M was 1A up until 1985 when they dropped down. They were MVC for all sports, but were Independent in football as they were one of the few handful of schools that met the standards like McNeese State was.

A few things to add to that summary.

When the three-division structure was adopted in 1973, members were allowed to choose which division to be in – except in football, where only the major college teams were allowed to be in Division I, and all others had to choose between D2 and D3 even if they were D1 for everything else. (Once the structure was in place, a procedure for reclassification was created.)

The creation of I-AA wasn't exactly a split of Division I, as most of the I-AA teams had been playing football in Division II. The greater change to I-A happened in 1982, as described in another post.

The final major change was in 1993, when the "Dayton rule" was implemented, forbidding Division I schools from playing football in D2 or D3. All those schools had to move football to I-AA.