FCS Football: Power Ranking FCS Conferences Ahead of 2026 Season
FCS Conference Conference Power Rating
1. MVFC. 37.3
2. Big Sky 34.9
3. UAC 32.8
4. Ivy League 28.8
5. SoCon 28.3
6. Patriot League. 28.1
7. Southland 25.1
8. CAA 24.6
9. OVC-Big South. 24.3
10. MEAC 19.4
11. SWAC 16.5
12. NEC 16.2
13. Pioneer League. 11.5
UAC Becoming A Powerhouse?
It’s been a two-team race between the MVFC and Big Sky, but could the UAC enter the race over the next few seasons? If we just take a look at 2025 measures, the UAC was a better conference top-to-bottom on average than the Big Sky. Now, the Big Sky did take one of the better UAC teams in Southern Utah, but also added Utah Tech, which has been historically one of the worst teams in the UAC.
The UAC has the best “floor” in the FCS. No conference has better teams at the bottom of their league. The best example would be North Alabama, which took Illinois State to overtime last season on the road. It helps that West Georgia became a true contender last year, dominating in non-conference play.
The addition of West Florida doesn’t hurt the conference either. The Argos were ranked around the 30th-best FCS team, according to SP+ last season, which is comparable to Western Carolina and West Georgia.
The UAC really needs 1-2 legitimate national title contenders to emerge, which will push them into the conversation with the Big Sky and MVFC. The pressure is officially on Abilene Christian and Tarleton State to take that next step.
