Scheduling an FCS opponent is still the norm in college football — 125 of 138 FBS programs will do it this season. But a small, mostly blue-blood group of FBS teams not playing an FCS opponent in 2026 keeps growing. Thirteen programs skip the lower-division tune-up entirely this year, up three from the 10 who did the same in 2025.
By the Numbers: Conference Breakdown
Nine of the 13 FBS teams not playing an FCS opponent in 2026 come from power conferences, Notre Dame included as an independent. The Big Ten leads every league with six programs on the list — Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State, Penn State, UCLA, and USC. The SEC and Mountain West tie for second with two apiece: Texas and Oklahoma represent the SEC, while Hawaii and UNLV — both realigned into the Mountain West for 2026 — cover the Group of Six side. The American (Tulane), Pac-12 (Fresno State, now a Pac-12 member after this year’s realignment), and Independents (Notre Dame) each contribute one. The ACC, Big 12, Conference USA, MAC, and Sun Belt aren’t represented at all — every one of their members plays an FCS team this season.
The Group of Six Programs
Fresno State — at USC (Sept. 4), Sacramento State (Sept. 12), at San Jose State (Sept. 19), Rice (Sept. 26), San Diego State (Nov. 28, flex game). Fresno State’s Sacramento State game was locked in before Sacramento State itself jumped from FCS to FBS this season — a scheduling quirk, not a change in philosophy. The Bulldogs do have FCS games on the books for the future: Utah Tech in 2027, Cal Poly in 2028.
Hawaii — at Stanford (Aug. 29), New Mexico State (Sept. 12), at Arizona State (Oct. 10), Sacramento State (Nov. 28). Hawaii last played an FCS opponent in 2025, beating Portland State 23-3 in Honolulu, and already has Northwestern State (2027) and Fordham (2028) booked.
Tulane — at Duke (Sept. 5), South Alabama (Sept. 12), at Kansas State (Sept. 19), Southern Miss (Sept. 26). The Green Wave’s last FCS opponent was Southeastern Louisiana in 2024, and Nicholls is already on the calendar for 2027.
UNLV — Memphis (Aug. 29), at North Texas (Sept. 12), at Akron (Sept. 26), California (Oct. 3). UNLV hosted FCS Idaho State last season and won 38-31, but has nothing lined up against an FCS program going forward.
The Power Conference Programs
Michigan hasn’t played an FCS team since beating UMass 42-37 in 2010 — UMass’s final season before its own move up to FBS — and has nothing scheduled. Michigan State, by contrast, played Youngstown State just last year and has Duquesne booked for next season, the only future FCS date among this group. Ohio State beat Grambling State 70-0 in 2025 and already has New Hampshire (2027) and Youngstown State (2029) on deck. Penn State returns to FCS scheduling after a one-year gap, hosting Maine in 2027 following a 2025 win over Villanova.
Oklahoma beat Illinois State last season but has no future FCS games currently scheduled. Texas hasn’t played an FCS opponent since a 2006 win over Sam Houston State — the longest active gap on this list outside of USC. UCLA last played an FCS team in 2023 (a win over North Carolina Central) and has UC Davis scheduled for both 2027 and 2029.
Notre Dame rarely bothers with FCS matchups at all — its last one came in 2023, a 56-3 win over Tennessee State — and its 2026 slate is loaded regardless: Wisconsin in Green Bay, Michigan State, at North Carolina, at BYU, Navy in Foxborough, Miami, Boston College, SMU, and at Syracuse.
USC’s Untouched Streak
No program on this list has a cleaner track record than USC. The Trojans have never played an FCS opponent in program history — the only FBS team to hold that distinction since the division split in 1978. Their 2026 slate (San Jose State, Fresno State, Louisiana) keeps that streak alive without so much as a scheduling scare.
FAQ
Q: How many FBS teams aren’t playing an FCS opponent in 2026?
A: Thirteen of 138 FBS teams — about nine percent — aren’t playing an FCS opponent in 2026, up from 10 last season.
Q: Which conference has the most FBS teams not playing an FCS opponent in 2026?
A: The Big Ten leads with six: Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State, Penn State, UCLA, and USC.
Q: Has USC ever played an FCS opponent?
A: No. USC has never scheduled or played a lower-division opponent since the FBS/FCS split in 1978, the only program in the division with that distinction.
Q: When did Texas and Michigan last play an FCS team?
A: Texas last played an FCS opponent in 2006 (a win over Sam Houston State), and Michigan last did so in 2010 (a win over UMass).
