D1 Football Schools: Find the Right Fit for Your Goals

In this comprehensive list of D1 football schools, families can explore Division 1 football colleges by state, conference, city and more. Use this information below to familiarize yourself with the wealth of schools available and read on for more information about D1 football programs.

See where you fit among D1 football programs

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Breakdown of D1 football: FBS vs FCS

At the Division 1 level, you’ll find the best football programs in the country. Division 1 football teams are classified in one of two subdivisions: FBS and FCS.

• FBS (Football Bowl Subdivision): 136 teams
• FCS (Football Championship Subdivision): 129 teams (note: NCAA.com also notes 123 are championship-eligible)

The most elite teams are found in the FBS subdivision. These schools are allowed to give out 85 full-ride scholarships, and usually attract five-star and four-star recruits at the top of their game.

FBS, or the Football Bowl Subdivision, consists of 11 different conferences: the ACC, American, Big 12, Big Ten, C-USA, Independent, MAC, Mountain West, PAC-12, SEC and Sun Belt conferences. FBS football teams compete in a four-team tournament culminating in the National Championship Game to determine the national champion. 

FCS football teams are extremely competitive in their own right, with their fair share of five-star and four-star athletes, as well.

FCS, or the Football Championship Subdivision, comprises 14 conferences: the Big Sky, Big South, CAA, Independent, Ivy, MEAC, Missouri Valley, Northeast, Ohio Valley, Patriot, Pioneer, Southern, Southland and SWAC conferences. FCS football teams compete in a 24-team playoff for the NCAA Division 1 Football Championship. 

D1 football schools are characterized by their rigorous schedules, and football is almost full-time job on top of the student-athlete’s academics. Student-athletes who play on these teams have to be prepared to put in a lot of work and potentially not see playing time until junior or senior year—or not at all. If an athlete has the talent and love of the game, D1 FBS or FCS may be a good fit. 

Division 1 football rankings  

With 250+ four-year institutions offering college football, researching what program is right for you can be time-consuming and stressful. To reduce the stress and help student-athletes more easily research prospective schools, NCSA has developed Power Rankings that analyze data such as cost, academics, size and location, to rank the top D1 football schools.

View the best division 1 football colleges for student-athletes.

You can also visit the NCAA website for Division 1 FBS football rankings and Division 1 FCS football rankings.