Power Five conferences

The Power Five conferences are the Atlantic Coast Conference, Big Ten, Big 12 Conference, Pac-12 Conference, and Southeastern Conference. The other FBS conferences are informally known as the Group of Five, Conference USA, Mid-American Conference, Mountain West Conference, and the Sun Belt Conference. With the split of the old Big East in 2013, there are now five power conferences. The term is also occasionally used in other college sports, although in many non-football sports, most notably basketball, anywhere from six to eight conferences may be considered ‘high-major’

About Power Five conferences in brief

Summary Power Five conferencesThe Power Five conferences are the Atlantic Coast Conference, Big Ten Conference, Big 12 Conference, Pac-12 Conference, and Southeastern Conference. The other FBS conferences are informally known as the Group of Five, Conference USA, Mid-American Conference, Mountain West Conference, and the Sun Belt Conference. With the split of the old Big East in 2013, there are now five power conferences. Notre Dame is a full voting member of the ACC, and although its football team does not participate in ACC football and competes as a football independent, it is obligated to play an average of five football games a year against ACC opponents. All Power Five leagues that require their members to play at least one Power Five team in non-conference games also consider Notre Dame to be a Power Five for such purposes. Many coaches have argued that Power Five schools should be allowed to schedule against other Power Five teams, and the Big Ten and SEC count as Power Five as well as Army, BYU, Liberty, New Mexico State, UConn, and UMass. The term is also occasionally used in other college sports, although in many non-football sports, most notably basketball, anywhere from six to eight conferences may be considered ‘high-major’ The conferences that comprise the Power Five are designated by the NCAA, individually by name, as ‘autonomy conferences’ Section 5. 2. 1 of the NCAA Constitution grants such conferences autonomy to permit the use of resources to advance the legitimate educational or athletics-related needs of student-athletes and for legislative changes that will otherwise enhanceStudent-athlete well-being.

The Power Five make up five of the ten conferences in FBS. The FBS also has seven independent schools as of the current 2020 season: Notre Dame, Army, Liberty,. New Mexico state, and others. The American, as well. as Conference USA, the Mid- American Conference, the Mountain West conference, and theSun Belt Conference are known as ‘Group of Five’. The American has its own contract and its own national television arrangement for access to CFP-affiliated bowl games. The Big Ten, SEC, and BYU also count as a Power five for scheduling purposes, and the Big 10 and SEC Army count as well for scheduling reasons, and the Big Ten and SEC Army count as Power Five teams from the Big 12 and SEC for scheduling  purposes. In 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Notre Dame entered into a full ACC football schedule and was eligible for the conference’s championship. The sixth AQ conference, the Big East, was split up during the 2010–2014 NCAA conference realignment, with five members joining P5 conferences, with Notre Dame establishing a relationship with the ACC. The final college football season for which the BCS was in effect was the 2013 season. The term ‘automatic qualifying conference’ is no longer in use, as the Bowl Championship Series has been discontinued. However, five of the six former AQ conferences are now known as the \”Power Five conferences\”:  The Big Ten conference, The Big 12 , the Atlantic Coast Conference, the Big 12 Conference , thePac-12  and the Southeastern Conference.