The NCAA Conferences are groups of colleges and universities that compete in various sports under the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States. The NCAA consists of three divisions: Division I, Division II, and Division III. Each division also has its conference system, which provides a framework for scheduling regular-season games, organizing postseason tournaments, and distributing revenue among members. Conferences also foster rivalries and traditions among schools that share a common history or identity. The number and composition of conferences vary by division and sport.
The NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) is the governing body of college sports in the United States. It was founded in 1906 as the Intercollegiate Athletic Association of the United States (IAAUS) and adopted its current name in 1910. The NCAA’s mission is to “govern competition in a fair, safe, equitable and sportsmanlike manner, and to integrate intercollegiate athletics into higher education so that the educational experience of the student-athlete is paramount”.
This article will explore how many and what kind of conferences are there in the NCAA.
Divisions in the NCAA Conferences
It oversees the academic and athletic standards of more than 1,100 member institutions across three divisions: Division I, Division II, and Division III. Each division has its own set of rules and regulations regarding scholarship allocation, eligibility, and competition. Let’s explore each division.
Division I: The NCAA Conferences
Division I is the highest level of college sports, featuring the most competitive and prestigious programs in the country.
These schools offer the most scholarships and generate the most revenue from media rights, sponsorships, and merchandise.
This athletes are expected to dedicate a significant amount of time and effort to their sport, often at the expense of their academic and social life.
Division I is divided into two subdivisions for football: the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) and the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS). The FBS consists of 10 conferences and 4 independent schools that compete for a spot in the College Football Playoff, a four-team tournament that determines the national champion. The FCS consists of 13 conferences and two independent schools that compete for a spot in the NCAA Division I Football Championship, a 24-team tournament that determines the national champion.
The FBS conferences are:
- American Athletic Conference (The American)
- Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC)
- Big Ten Conference (Big Ten or B1G)
- Big 12 Conference (Big 12)
- Conference USA (C-USA)
- Mid-American Conference (MAC)
- Mountain West Conference (MW or MWC)
- Pac-12 Conference (Pac-12)
- Southeastern Conference (SEC)
- Sun Belt Conference (Sun Belt)
The FCS conferences are:
- ASUN-WAC Challenge
- Big Sky Conference (Big Sky)
- Big South Conference (Big South)
- Colonial Athletic Association (CAA)
- Ivy League
- Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC)
- Missouri Valley Football Conference (MVFC)
- Northeast Conference (NEC)
- Ohio Valley Conference (OVC)
- Patriot League
- Pioneer Football League (PFL)
- Southern Conference (SoCon)
- Southland Conference (Southland)
For other sports, Division I consists of 32 multisport conferences that sponsor both men’s and women’s basketball, as well as at least 12 other sports. These conferences are:
- America East Conference
- American Athletic Conference
- ASUN Conference
- Atlantic 10 Conference
- Atlantic Coast Conference
- Big East Conference
- Big Sky Conference
- Big South Conference
- Big Ten Conference
- Big 12 Conference
- Big West Conference
- Colonial Athletic Association
- Conference USA
- Horizon League
- Ivy League
- Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC)
- Mid-American Conference
- Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference
- Missouri Valley Conference (MVC)
- Mountain West Conference
- Northeast Conference
- Ohio Valley Conference
- Pac-12 Conference
- Patriot League
- Southeastern Conference
- Southern Conference
- Southland Conference
- Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC)
- Summit League
- Sun Belt Conference
- West Coast Conference (WCC)
- Western Athletic Conference (WAC)
In addition, 18 single-sport conferences sponsor only one sport in Division I. These conferences are:
| Sport | Conferences |
|---|---|
| Baseball | America East, Atlantic 10, Big East, MAAC, MVC |
| Field hockey | America East, Atlantic 10, Big East |
| Ice hockey | Atlantic Hockey, Big Ten, ECAC Hockey, Hockey East, NCHC, WCHA |
| Lacrosse | America East, Atlantic Sun, Big East, CAA, MAAC |
| Soccer | America East, Atlantic Sun |
| Volleyball | America East |
Division II: The NCAA Conferences
Division II is the middle level of college sports, featuring programs that balance athletic excellence with academic achievement and community engagement. Division II schools offer fewer scholarships and generate less revenue than Division I schools, but more than Division III schools. Division II athletes are expected to maintain a high academic standard and participate in campus life and community service.
Division II consists of 23 multisport conferences that sponsor both men’s and women’s basketball, as well as at least 10 other sports. These conferences are:
- California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA)
- Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC)
- Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA)
- Conference Carolinas
- East Coast Conference (ECC)
- Great American Conference (GAC)
- Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC)
- Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC)
- Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC)
- Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC)
- Gulf South Conference (GSC)
- Lone Star Conference (LSC)
- Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA)
- Mountain East Conference (MEC)
- Northeast-10 Conference (NE10)
- Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC)
- Pacific West Conference (PacWest)
- Peach Belt Conference (PBC)
- Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC)
- Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC)
- South Atlantic Conference (SAC)
- Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC)
- Sunshine State Conference (SSC)
In addition, four single-sport conferences sponsor only one sport in Division II. These conferences are:
| Sport | Conferences |
|---|---|
| Football | Great Lakes Football Conference, Mid-South Football Alliance, Northeast Football Alliance, South Atlantic Football Alliance |
| Lacrosse | ECAC Lacrosse League, Great Lakes Valley Lacrosse League, South Atlantic Lacrosse League |
| Soccer | East Coast Soccer Association, West Coast Soccer Association |
Division III: The NCAA Conferences
Division III is the lowest level of college sports, featuring programs that emphasize the educational value and personal growth of athletic participation. Division III schools do not offer athletic scholarships and generate minimal revenue from sports. Division III athletes are expected to prioritize their academic pursuits and extracurricular activities over their sports.
Division III consists of 44 multisport conferences that sponsor both men’s and women’s basketball, as well as at least seven other sports. These conferences are:
- Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference (AMCC)
- American Rivers Conference
- American Southwest Conference (ASC)
- Atlantic East Conference
- Capital Athletic Conference (CAC)
- Centennial Conference
- City University of New York Athletic Conference (CUNYAC)
- College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW)
- Colonial States Athletic Conference (CSAC)
- Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC)
- Commonwealth Coast Football (CCC Football)
- Empire 8
- Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC)
- Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference (HCAC)
- Landmark Conference
- Liberty League
- Little East Conference (LEC)
- Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC)
- Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA)
- Middle Atlantic Conferences (MAC)
- Midwest Conference (MWC)
- Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC)
- New England Collegiate Conference (NECC)
- New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC)
- New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference (NEWMAC)
- New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC)
- North Atlantic Conference (NAC)
- North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC)
- North Eastern Athletic Conference (NEAC)
- Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference (NACC)
- Northwest Conference (NWC)
- Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC)
- Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC)
- Presidents’ Athletic Conference (PAC)
- Skyline Conference
- Southern Athletic Association (SAA)
- Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC)
- Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC)
- St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SLIAC)
- State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC)
- University Athletic Association (UAA)
- Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC)
- USA South Athletic Conference
- Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC)
In addition, 11 single-sport conferences sponsor only one sport in Division III. These conferences are:
| Sport | Conferences |
|---|---|
| Baseball | Midwest Collegiate Baseball League, New England Collegiate Baseball Association |
| Field hockey | Empire 8, Little East, MAC Freedom, MAC Commonwealth, NECC |
| Football | Eastern Collegiate Football Conference, Midwest Conference, New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Football, Northern Athletics Collegiate Football |
| Ice hockey | Commonwealth Coast Hockey, New England Hockey, Northern Collegiate Hockey Association, United Collegiate Hockey |
| Lacrosse | Midwest Lacrosse, Ohio River Lacrosse |
| Soccer | Allegheny Mountain Soccer, Commonwealth Coast Soccer |
The NCAA conferences landscape is dynamic and constantly evolving, as schools may change their division or conference affiliation based on various factors, such as academic reputation, athletic performance, financial resources, or geographic alignment. The NCAA also periodically reviews and revises its rules and regulations to ensure fair and equitable competition among its members. Therefore, it is important to keep updated on the latest developments and changes in the college sports world.
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