Average Age of Every College Football Team, Ranked (2026)

There is a quiet dividing line running through the 2026 college football season, and it has nothing to do with recruiting rankings or preseason polls. It is age. 

Across all 138 FBS programs, the average roster checks in at just over 20.3 years old -- but the gap between the oldest and youngest teams is wider than a full calendar year, and it says a great deal about how each program is built.

At the top sits UTSA, whose roster averages 21.02 years old -- the oldest in the country. At the other end, national contender Georgia fields the youngest roster in the sport at 19.81. Neither is an accident. In the transfer-portal era, veteran-heavy rosters and blue-chip youth movements are two different blueprints for winning -- and the numbers below show exactly who is leaning which way.

The interactive widget below lets you sort all 138 teams and filter by conference; the rankings and takeaways that follow pull out what stands out most.

Data Study

2026 College Football Roster Age, Ranked: Every FBS Team

Average roster age for all 138 FBS programs entering 2026, filterable by tier and conference. Age is modeled from each player's eligibility class on a redshirt-aware scale, using real ages where published.

138

FBS Teams

20.32

FBS Avg Age

21.02

Oldest · UTSA

19.81

Youngest · Georgia

View by tier

All FBS (138) Power 4 (67) Group of Five (69) Independents (2)

View by conference

SEC (16) Big Ten (18) Big 12 (16) ACC (17) American (14) Conference USA (10) MAC (13) Mountain West (10) Pac-12 (8) Sun Belt (14)

All FBS Teams · 138 teams · average age 20.32 · oldest UTSA (21.02) · youngest Georgia (19.81)

Power 4 · 67 teams · average age 20.31 · oldest Oklahoma State (20.74) · youngest Georgia (19.81)

Group of Five · 69 teams · average age 20.33 · oldest UTSA (21.02) · youngest Northern Illinois (19.85)

Independents · 2 teams · average age 19.90 · oldest Notre Dame (19.97) · youngest UConn (19.83)

SEC · 16 teams · average age 20.17 · oldest Arkansas (20.50) · youngest Georgia (19.81)

Big Ten · 18 teams · average age 20.29 · oldest Michigan State (20.64) · youngest USC (19.87)

Big 12 · 16 teams · average age 20.46 · oldest Oklahoma State (20.74) · youngest West Virginia (20.19)

ACC · 17 teams · average age 20.32 · oldest California (20.70) · youngest North Carolina (19.96)

American · 14 teams · average age 20.59 · oldest UTSA (21.02) · youngest Army (19.92)

Conference USA · 10 teams · average age 20.27 · oldest New Mexico State (20.54) · youngest FIU (20.08)

MAC · 13 teams · average age 20.18 · oldest Eastern Michigan (20.42) · youngest Buffalo (19.86)

Mountain West · 10 teams · average age 20.20 · oldest Air Force (20.74) · youngest Northern Illinois (19.85)

Pac-12 · 8 teams · average age 20.57 · oldest Utah State (20.89) · youngest Texas State (20.20)

Sun Belt · 14 teams · average age 20.23 · oldest Louisiana-Monroe (20.59) · youngest Louisiana (19.91)

Independent · 2 teams · average age 19.90 · oldest Notre Dame (19.97) · youngest UConn (19.83)

Rank	Team	Avg Age	Nat'l
111	UTSAAmerican	21.02	1
222	North TexasAmerican	21.01	2
331	Utah StatePac-12	20.89	3
T-4T-4T-3	Florida AtlanticAmerican	20.81	T-4
T-4T-4T-3	NavyAmerican	20.81	T-4
T-6T-62	Oregon StatePac-12	20.80	T-6
T-6T-65	UABAmerican	20.80	T-6
883	Washington StatePac-12	20.75	8
T-991	Air ForceMountain West	20.74	T-9
T-911	Oklahoma StateBig 12	20.74	T-9
11104	San Diego StatePac-12	20.71	11
1221	CaliforniaACC	20.70	12
1332	UCFBig 12	20.68	13
14115	Fresno StatePac-12	20.66	14
1541	Michigan StateBig Ten	20.64	15
T-16T-5T-3	ColoradoBig 12	20.63	T-16
T-16T-5T-3	KansasBig 12	20.63	T-16
T-16T-52	VirginiaACC	20.63	T-16
1985	BaylorBig 12	20.62	19
20126	South FloridaAmerican	20.60	20
T-21131	Louisiana-MonroeSun Belt	20.59	T-21
T-2193	StanfordACC	20.59	T-21
23147	East CarolinaAmerican	20.57	23
24152	MarshallSun Belt	20.55	24
25161	New Mexico StateConference USA	20.54	25
26178	MemphisAmerican	20.53	26
27102	UCLABig Ten	20.52	27
T-28T-18T-9	CharlotteAmerican	20.51	T-28
T-28113	NebraskaBig Ten	20.51	T-28
T-28T-18T-9	TempleAmerican	20.51	T-28
T-31T-121	ArkansasSEC	20.50	T-31
T-31T-126	Texas TechBig 12	20.50	T-31
T-33147	ArizonaBig 12	20.49	T-33
T-33203	Coastal CarolinaSun Belt	20.49	T-33
T-35T-154	NorthwesternBig Ten	20.48	T-35
T-35T-152	VanderbiltSEC	20.48	T-35
T-37T-212	Kennesaw StateConference USA	20.46	T-37
T-37T-2111	TulsaAmerican	20.46	T-37
T-39T-178	Iowa StateBig 12	20.45	T-39
T-39T-175	Penn StateBig Ten	20.45	T-39
41196	RutgersBig Ten	20.44	41
42233	DelawareConference USA	20.43	42
T-43T-209	BYUBig 12	20.42	T-43
T-43T-241	Eastern MichiganMAC	20.42	T-43
T-43T-244	Southern MissSun Belt	20.42	T-43
T-43T-207	WisconsinBig Ten	20.42	T-43
T-47228	PurdueBig Ten	20.41	T-47
T-47262	ToledoMAC	20.41	T-47
T-49275	Arkansas StateSun Belt	20.40	T-49
T-49234	ClemsonACC	20.40	T-49
T-51T-28T-3	AkronMAC	20.39	T-51
T-51T-245	Boston CollegeACC	20.39	T-51
T-51T-2410	Kansas StateBig 12	20.39	T-51
T-51T-2812	TulaneAmerican	20.39	T-51
T-51T-28T-3	Western MichiganMAC	20.39	T-51
T-56T-266	DukeACC	20.38	T-56
T-56T-2611	UtahBig 12	20.38	T-56
T-58T-2812	Arizona StateBig 12	20.37	T-58
T-58T-283	KentuckySEC	20.37	T-58
T-60312	HawaiiMountain West	20.36	T-60
T-60307	LouisvilleACC	20.36	T-60
T-62T-314	Ole MissSEC	20.35	T-62
T-62T-31T-8	PittsburghACC	20.35	T-62
T-62T-31T-8	Virginia TechACC	20.35	T-62
T-62T-31T-8	Wake ForestACC	20.35	T-62
T-66326	Boise StatePac-12	20.34	T-66
T-66T-3513	HoustonBig 12	20.34	T-66
T-66T-359	MarylandBig Ten	20.34	T-66
T-69335	Miami (OH)MAC	20.33	T-69
T-693711	SMUACC	20.33	T-69
T-71T-3814	CincinnatiBig 12	20.32	T-71
T-71T-385	South CarolinaSEC	20.32	T-71
T-71T-346	UMassMAC	20.32	T-71
T-71T-344	Western KentuckyConference USA	20.32	T-71
754010	MinnesotaBig Ten	20.31	75
76363	San Jose StateMountain West	20.30	76
773713	RiceAmerican	20.29	77
78385	LibertyConference USA	20.26	78
T-79T-39T-6	Georgia SouthernSun Belt	20.25	T-79
T-79416	Mississippi StateSEC	20.25	T-79
T-79T-39T-6	TroySun Belt	20.25	T-79
T-82417	Colorado StatePac-12	20.24	T-82
T-82T-4211	MichiganBig Ten	20.24	T-82
T-82T-4215	TCUBig 12	20.24	T-82
T-854412	Georgia TechACC	20.23	T-85
T-85424	New MexicoMountain West	20.23	T-85
87457	AuburnSEC	20.22	87
T-88T-437	Sacramento StateMAC	20.21	T-88
T-88T-436	Sam HoustonConference USA	20.21	T-88
90458	Texas StatePac-12	20.20	90
T-91T-4613	SyracuseACC	20.19	T-91
T-91T-4616	West VirginiaBig 12	20.19	T-91
T-93T-467	Missouri StateConference USA	20.18	T-93
T-934812	OregonBig Ten	20.18	T-93
T-93T-465	UNLVMountain West	20.18	T-93
T-96T-4913	IllinoisBig Ten	20.17	T-96
T-96T-498	MissouriSEC	20.17	T-96
T-98T-519	FloridaSEC	20.16	T-98
T-98T-5114	IowaBig Ten	20.16	T-98
1005310	OklahomaSEC	20.14	100
T-101T-488	Appalachian StateSun Belt	20.13	T-101
T-101T-486	NevadaMountain West	20.13	T-101
T-1035411	LSUSEC	20.12	T-103
T-103508	Middle TennesseeConference USA	20.12	T-103
T-105T-5514	Florida StateACC	20.11	T-105
T-105T-5515	IndianaBig Ten	20.11	T-105
T-105517	WyomingMountain West	20.11	T-105
108529	Jacksonville StateConference USA	20.10	108
T-109T-538	Central MichiganMAC	20.09	T-109
T-109T-539	Georgia StateSun Belt	20.09	T-109
T-111T-5510	FIUConference USA	20.08	T-111
T-111T-55T-10	James MadisonSun Belt	20.08	T-111
T-111T-55T-10	Old DominionSun Belt	20.08	T-111
1145715	MiamiACC	20.06	114
T-1155816	NC StateACC	20.05	T-115
T-115589	OhioMAC	20.05	T-115
T-117T-5912	AlabamaSEC	20.04	T-117
T-117598	UTEPMountain West	20.04	T-117
T-117T-5916	WashingtonBig Ten	20.04	T-117
T-120T-6010	Bowling GreenMAC	20.03	T-120
T-120T-609	North Dakota StateMountain West	20.03	T-120
T-1226211	Ball StateMAC	20.01	T-122
T-1226113	Texas A&MSEC	20.01	T-122
T-124T-63T-12	Louisiana TechSun Belt	19.98	T-124
T-124T-63T-12	South AlabamaSun Belt	19.98	T-124
12611	Notre DameIndependent	19.97	126
1276217	North CarolinaACC	19.96	127
1286317	Ohio StateBig Ten	19.95	128
T-1296514	Army†American	19.92	T-129
T-1296414	TennesseeSEC	19.92	T-129
1316614	LouisianaSun Belt	19.91	131
T-1326712	Kent StateMAC	19.87	T-132
T-1326518	USCBig Ten	19.87	T-132
T-1346813	BuffaloMAC	19.86	T-134
T-1346615	TexasSEC	19.86	T-134
1366910	Northern IllinoisMountain West	19.85	136
13722	UConnIndependent	19.83	137
1386716	GeorgiaSEC	19.81	138

Data: On3, ESPN, CBS Sports, Yahoo Sports & official team rosters. Age modeled by eligibility class on a redshirt-aware scale (real ages used where published). FCS-to-FBS newcomers North Dakota State (Mountain West) & Sacramento State (MAC) added via CBS & official rosters. † Army is medium-confidence — academies carry no redshirts and prep-school backgrounds may push true ages slightly higher. 2026 conference alignment. Updated July 2026.

Oldest College Football Teams In 2026

Experience is concentrated at the Group of Five level and in the rebuilt Pac-12. Of the ten oldest rosters in the country, only one -- Oklahoma State -- comes from a Power Four conference. The American Athletic Conference places four teams in the top seven, led by UTSA (21.02) and North Texas (21.01). The service academies also skew old, with Navy and Air Force both inside the top nine -- a product of prep-school pipelines and rosters with almost no true freshmen.

The common thread: programs that win with development and transfers -- not five-star high schoolers -- carry older rosters. The rebuilt Pac-12 (Utah State, Oregon State, Washington State, San Diego State) is essentially a veterans' league in year one.

Stay up to date with all the latest college football betting promos and bonuses to get the most out of your NCAAF betting experience at the best-rated college football betting sites.

Youngest College Football Teams In 2026

The youngest rosters read like a list of recruiting powers. Georgia (19.81), Texas (19.86), USC (19.87), Tennessee (19.92) and Ohio State (19.95) all rank among the dozen youngest teams in the country. When a program reloads with blue-chip high-school talent every cycle, its average age stays low even as it competes for championships.

Two of the youngest figures come with context: UConn (19.83), an independent that leans on underclassmen, and Northern Illinois (19.85), which enters the Mountain West with a young core after roster turnover.

Average Age Of College Football Teams By Conference

The most surprising finding is at the league level: the American is the oldest conference in the country at 20.59, with the rebuilt Pac-12 right behind at 20.57. The SEC, by contrast, is among the youngest Power Four leagues at 20.17 — dragged down by Georgia, Texas and Tennessee reloading with elite recruits.

Zoom out and the tiers are nearly identical: Group of Five rosters average 20.33 and Power Four rosters 20.31. In the portal era, the old assumption that big programs are simply older no longer holds. Group of Five teams win with transfers and fifth-year veterans; the Power Four blue bloods stay young by out-recruiting everyone. The two paths meet in the middle.

How We Calculated Each Team's Average Age

Every player on each 2026 roster was assigned an age from their listed eligibility class on a redshirt-aware scale (for example, a redshirt junior is modeled older than a true junior), using published ages where available. Class and eligibility data were sourced from On3, ESPN, CBS Sports, Yahoo Sports and official team rosters, then cross-checked across sources. Each team's figure is the average across its full listed roster.

The dataset covers all 138 FBS programs under 2026 conference alignment, including the two FCS-to-FBS newcomers — North Dakota State (Mountain West, 20.03) and Sacramento State (MAC, 20.21). One figure carries a caveat: Army is listed at 19.92, but the academies carry no redshirts and many players arrive via a prep year, so their true ages may run slightly higher than the class model suggests.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the average age of a college football team?

The average FBS roster in 2026 is about 20.3 years old. Individual teams range from roughly 19.8 (Georgia) to 21.0 (UTSA). Most players fall between 18 and 23, depending on their year of eligibility and whether they have redshirted.

Is there an age limit in college football?

There is no maximum age to play college football — a player cannot be ruled ineligible simply for being too old. What caps a career is the eligibility clock. In June 2026 the NCAA adopted a new age-based model: athletes get five seasons within a five-year window that starts when they first enroll full-time or the academic year after their 19th birthday, whichever comes first. Effective in the 2026 season, it largely eliminates the redshirt year and injury waivers and replaces the long-standing "five years to play four seasons" standard. Players already on campus with eligibility remaining can use the old or new rules during a transition period, and several lawsuits challenging the change are ongoing.

Which college football team is the oldest in 2026?

UTSA, at an average of 21.02 years old, followed closely by North Texas (21.01) and Utah State (20.89).

Which team has the youngest roster?

Georgia, at 19.81, has the youngest average roster in the FBS, just ahead of UConn (19.83) and Northern Illinois (19.85).

Data: On3, ESPN, CBS Sports, Yahoo Sports and official team rosters. Roster age modeled by eligibility class on a redshirt-aware scale, using real ages where published. 2026 conference alignment; all 138 FBS teams. Updated July 2026.