The entire landscape of Division IA college football remains in a state of flux, as the six major and five mid-major conferences continue to jockey for position in order to prosper in the future, or in some cases merely survive. With the start of the 2012 regular season a little more than two months away, it is a good time to get up to speed on the planned realignment of teams not just for this season, but for 2013 as well.

Major Conferences

ACC

2012- No changes
2013- Pittsburgh and Syracuse are in.

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The key to the longtime survival of the ACC as a football power is keeping schools such Florida State, Clemson, and Virginia Tech in the fold. These programs will never admit to actively courting the SEC or even Big 12, but the rumblings persist.

Big East

2012- Temple is in and West Virginia is out.
2013- Boise State, Central Florida, Houston, Memphis, San Diego State, and SMU are in and Pittsburgh and Syracuse are out.

It is hard to think of the Big East as a major conference for football with the loss of the Mountaineers this year and the Panthers next. It is more like a beefed-up Conference USA that will be able to compete as a high-profile mid-major conference.

Big Ten

2012- No changes
2013- No planned changes

The Big Ten seems content to remain at 12 teams but will continue to court Notre Dame should the Irish finally decide that remaining independent for football is no longer a viable option. Remember, this is the same conference that is pushing for the ‘status quo’ when it comes to determining a National Champion.

Big 12

2012- West Virginia and TCU are in and Missouri and Texas A&M are out.
2013- No planned changes

The Big 12 was able to stay at 10 teams for the 2012 season but remains one of the biggest players in the realignment game. Not only have Florida State and Clemson been mentioned as possible additions, but look for schools such BYU, Cincinnati, and Louisville as other potential targets. Whichever teams the Big 12 decides to go after; it has all intentions of being that fourth power conference when all the smoke finally clears.

PAC-12

2012- No changes
2013- No planned changes

This conference added Colorado and Utah last season, and given its geographic location and current size it will probably hold tight on any further expansion as it already sees itself has one of the four future power conferences in college football.

SEC

2012- Missouri and Texas A&M are in
2013- No planned changes

The SEC is another possible landing spot for Florida State, Clemson, and even Virginia Tech should the ACC eventually implode as a major football conference. The SEC does not need to worry about raising the level of competition as it has already defined itself as a power conference. It has won six-straight BCS titles and has two of the top three favorites in LSU and Alabama to make it seven straight this year.

Mid-Major Conferences

Conference USA

2012- No changes
2013- Charlotte, FIU, North Texas, Old Dominion, and UT-San Antonio are in and Central Florida, Houston, Memphis, and SMU are out
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This is one of the conferences that could become a revolving door over the next few seasons as it tries to maintain its overall numbers in order to maintain its presence as one of the better mid-major conferences.

Mid American

2012- Massachusetts is in and Temple is out
2013- No planned changes

This could be a possible landing spot for Villanova if the Wildcats choose to make the move up from Division IAA.

Mountain West

2012- Fresno State, Hawaii, and Nevada are in and TCU is out.
2013- Utah State and San Jose State are in and Boise State and San Diego State are out.

The MWC is no stranger to constant realignment with a number of changes since the 2011 season. It has done a good job at fighting for survival over the past few years and is now in a position to expand to possibly as many as 12 or 14 teams down the road with the possible demise of the WAC.

Sun Belt

2012- South Alabama is in.
2013- Georgia State and Texas State are in and FIU and North Texas are out.

This is another strong regional conference that will continue to be cherry-picked for its better programs. This could be another solid landing spot for a few high-profile IAA programs such as Georgia Southern and Jacksonville State.

Western Athletic

2012- Texas State and UT-San Antonio are in and Fresno State, Hawaii, and Nevada are out.
2013- Louisiana Tech, San Jose State, Texas State, UT-San Antonio, and Utah State are out.

The WAC has been whacked over the past few years and will cease to exist as a mid-major conference for football after this season unless it can add some quality IAA schools to its ranks.