2024 NCAA Division I FBS football season

One school played its first FBS season in 2024. Kennesaw State (from FCS independents) began its transition from Division I FCS in 2023 and joined Conference USA (CUSA) in July 2024.^[2] One formerly independent school, Army, joined the American Athletic Conference (AAC) in 2024.^[3] SMU left the AAC and joined the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) in 2024.^[4]

Overall, 10 schools from the Pac-12 left for another conference in 2024. The 10 teams and their new conferences are:

• Big 12: Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado, and Utah^[5]
• ACC: California and Stanford^[4]
• Big Ten: Oregon, UCLA, USC, and Washington^[6]

The remaining two schools in the Pac-12, Oregon State and Washington State, made an agreement with the Mountain West Conference (MW) such that each remaining Pac-12 team will play six MW teams in 2024.^[7]

The 2024 season was the last for one team as an FBS independent.^[8][9]

Two FCS schools, Delaware and Missouri State, started transitioning their programs to FBS in the 2024 season. The two schools respectively played that season in CAA Football and the Missouri Valley Football Conference, but were not eligible for the FCS playoffs due to NCAA transition rules. Both joined CUSA in 2025.^[10][11]

On September 12, 2024, the Pac-12 announced that MW members Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, and San Diego State would join the Pac-12 in 2026.^[12][13] On September 24, 2024, the Pac-12 announced that another MW member, Utah State, would also join alongside the four aforementioned schools in 2026.^[14] This will bring the Pac-12 to seven members, one short of the number needed to preserve its status as an FBS conference.^[c] On October 1, 2024, UTEP announced that it would join the Mountain West from Conference USA starting in 2026.^[17] This gave the MW seven full football-sponsoring members in the 2026 season; it had to add at least one more such member no later than 2028–29 to preserve its FBS status. The needed eighth member proved to be current football-only member Hawaii. On October 14, Hawaii athletic director Craig Angelos confirmed outside reports that the school would upgrade to full MW membership in 2026.^[18] The MW officially announced this move the next day.^[19] On January 7, 2025, the Mountain West got a ninth member in Mid-American Conference member Northern Illinois joining as a football-only affiliate.^[20]

The following rule changes were approved by the NCAA Playing Rules Oversight Panel for the 2024 season:^[21]

• Implementing a timeout at the first dead ball on or after the two-minute mark of the second and fourth quarters (similar to the NFL's two-minute warning). The following timing rules were synchronized to start after the two-minute timeout:
  • Stopping the game clock when the offense gains a first down inbounds, then restarting after the chains are set.
  • Situations where a 10-second runoff is required will now begin after the two-minute timeout instead of in the final minute of each half, mirroring an NFL rule change since 2017.
  • If the defense commits an illegal substitution foul where 12 or more players participated in the down, in addition to the yardage penalty, the offense has the option to have the game clock reset to the time remaining before the snap. If the 12th player was in the process of leaving the field and not participating when the ball was snapped, the penalty enforcement will not include the clock reset option. This in-season change was a result of the Oregon Ducks using this tactic in the final 10 seconds of their game with the Ohio State Buckeyes on October 12.
• Allowing use of coach-to-player communications via the helmet for one player (indicated by a green dot on the helmet), which would be turned off either with 15 seconds on the play clock or when the ball is snapped, whichever occurs first.
• The use of up to 18 tablets per team on the sidelines for in-game video only is now permitted.
• Team personnel (player/coach/assistant/etc.) who enter the field to engage officials with a tablet to review video of a play(s) are assessed an automatic unsportsmanlike conduct (15 yards) penalty which counts toward their limit of two before ejection.
• Division III adopted the first down timing rules that were implemented for FBS, FCS, and Division II in the 2023 season.
• Allowing conferences to use a collaborative instant replay system as a regular (instead of an experimental) rule.
• Horse-collar tackles within the tackle box are now penalized as a personal foul (15 yards). Previously this action was not penalized within the tackle box.
• Head coaches are permitted to be interviewed by the media at the end of the first and third quarters, making permanent an experimental rule.
• Once the referee declares the first half ended, no replay reviews for that half are permitted.
• Commercial sponsor logos are permitted on three areas of the playing field.
• Any "hide-out" play, with or without a substitution, is considered a team unsportsmanlike conduct penalty (15 yards).

Points of emphasis for the 2024 season include:^[22]

• Continued emphasis on targeting, taunting, concussions, feigning injuries, and low hits to the quarterback.
• Pre-snap actions (false start on offense, and disconcerting signals/causing the offense to false start) continue to be a point of emphasis, including editorial changes that if a defensive player is lined up within one yard of the line of scrimmage, he may not rush the line with the intent of causing a false start, and that any movement by the offense that simulates action will be a false start.
• Offensive alignment, including attention to eligible receivers being covered up by another player and other "gadget plays", will be strictly enforced.

• January 25, 2024 – The Mid-American Conference announced that it would eliminate its football divisions, effective immediately. The championship game will instead involve the top two teams in the conference standings.^[23]
• April 22 – The NCAA Division I Board of Directors announced the following:^[24]
  • Effective immediately, all student-athletes who meet certain academic requirements will be immediately eligible when transferring to a new school, regardless of whether they had transferred before. Previously, all transfers after the first, except for graduate transfers, required that the student-athlete receive an NCAA waiver in order to be immediately eligible.
  • Also effective immediately, schools will be allowed to directly assist their athletes in reaching name, image, and likeness deals.
  • After the end of the Pac-12 Conference's operating year on August 1, the conference was officially removed from autonomy status, effectively turning the Power Five conferences into a Power Four.
• June 25 – The NCAA Division I Council announced the following:
  • Effective immediately, all members of a team's staff can provide coaching services. While this effectively lifts most limits on the size of coaching staffs, it does not change limits on the number of coaches who can recruit off-campus, graduate assistants, or strength and conditioning coaches.^[25]
  • Also effective immediately, cannabinoids were removed from the list of banned drugs in football. Penalties being served by student-athletes who had tested positive for cannabinoids were ended.^[26]
  • The Council voted to introduce a proposal that would reduce the duration of the transfer portal in football and basketball from 45 days to 30. A final vote was expected in October.^[26]
• August 27:^[27]
  • The oversight committees for FBS and FCS recommended that the transfer portal be open only for a 30-day period, starting on the Monday after conference championship games. This will not affect the existing exceptions for participants in postseason games, which allows players to enter the portal within a 5-day window after their team's final game, or players undergoing a coaching change. The Division I Council voted on the change in October.
  • Both oversight committees also approved a change to redshirt rules. Effective immediately, the participation limit of four games for redshirting players no longer includes postseason games — conference championship games, bowls, FCS playoff games, and College Football Playoff games.
• October 9:^[28]
  • The Division I Council approved the recommended reduction of the FBS and FCS transfer portal to 30 days, though with a different schedule than recommended. The fall window, which opens on the Monday after the FBS conference championship games, will be open only for 20 days. A 10-day spring portal will open in mid-April.
  • The council also abolished the National Letter of Intent program effective immediately. Written offers of athletics aid will replace the NLI.

• Due to stadium renovations at David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium, the Kansas Jayhawks played two home games at Children's Mercy Park in Kansas City, Kansas, and four home games at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri.^[29]
• Due to the demolition of Ryan Field, with a new stadium of the same name set to open on the site in 2026, the Northwestern Wildcats played five home games at temporary constructed Martin Stadium in Evanston, Illinois, and two home games at Wrigley Field in Chicago.^[29][30]
• July 16 – Jacksonville State announced that Birmingham-based credit union AmFirst had purchased the naming rights to JSU's stadium, now known as AmFirst Stadium, for a five-year deal.^[31]
• August 6 – FIU announced that Miami-based rapper Pitbull had purchased the naming rights to the Panthers' stadium, now known as Pitbull Stadium.^[32] The $6 million contract runs for 5 years, with Pitbull having an option to renew for an additional 5 years.^[33]
• September 7 – During halftime of the Week 2 game between the Alabama Crimson Tide and the South Florida Bulls, the playing field inside Bryant–Denny Stadium – home of the Crimson Tide – was renamed Saban Field at Bryant–Denny Stadium in honor of Nick Saban, who coached Alabama for the past 17 seasons.^[34]

Rankings through Week 10 reflect the AP poll. Rankings for Week 11 and beyond list College Football Playoff Rankings first and AP poll rankings second; teams that were not ranked in the top 10 of both polls are noted.

Italics denotes FCS teams.

This section lists unranked teams defeating AP Poll-ranked during the season.

The Top 25 from the AP and USA Today Coaches Polls

Normally, a team is required to have a .500 minimum winning percentage during the regular season to become bowl-eligible (six wins for an 11- or 12-game schedule, and seven wins for a 13-game schedule). If there are not enough winning teams to fulfill all open bowl slots, teams with losing records may be chosen to fill available bowl slots. Additionally, on the rare occasion in which a conference champion does not meet eligibility requirements, they are usually still chosen for bowl games via tie-ins for their conference.