Only 13 Of 138 FBS Teams Will Not Play An FCS Team In 2026
Key takeaways
- Sports Money Only 13 Of 138 FBS Teams Will Not Play An FCS Team In 2026By Tom Layberger,
- Only one FBS team beginning with the 1978 season has yet to play against an FCS program.
- The Trojans ultimately scheduled San Jose State as their 2021 season-opening opponent (30-7 win) and UC-Davis was able to schedule another FBS team.
Sports Money Only 13 Of 138 FBS Teams Will Not Play An FCS Team In 2026By Tom Layberger,
Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. I write about college football and sports in the Tampa Bay region.Follow Author Jun 14, 2026, 10:30pm EDTCOLUMBUS, OHIO - Arch Manning of the Texas Longhorns throws a fourth quarter pass at Ohio Stadium on August 30, 2025 in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)Getty Images The 2026 college football season will be the 49th since Division I split into I-A and I-AA. The subdivisions were given some semblance of branding in 2006 when they became known, respectively, as the Football Bowl Subdivision and Football Championship Subdivision.
Only one FBS team beginning with the 1978 season has yet to play against an FCS program. Not that USC’s exclusivity was entirely by design. After all, in 2019 it was announced that Clay Helton’s Trojans were scheduled to open the 2021 season at the Coliseum against Dan Hawkins’ UC-Davis Aggies. The USC faithful was not too thrilled by that announcement and made it known. The result was a cancellation 18 months before kickoff and at a cost of $725,000.