FBS Independents, at a glance.
Top 10 by power rating — 2026 season, through the latest games.
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The weekly grind · 2026
FBS Independents
The Last Independent
Notre Dame holds the FBS Independents lead heading into this week's games.
FBS Independents is a very small affiliation group this season, so its strength is shown with extra regression instead of being treated like a full league ecosystem.
#3Overall
#3In FBS
+21.7Conference strength
+27.9Upper strength
2Teams
1Top-25 teams
Power snapshot
Projected 2026 standing
The Last Independent
Notre Dame is the reason independent football still exists at FBS level. The Irish have refused conference membership for 135+ years, hold a media partnership with the ACC, and reached the national championship game as the #3 seed in the 2025 CFP — beating a conference champion in the semifinals while playing zero conference games. BYU, Army, and most other long-time independents eventually joined conferences. Notre Dame remains the exception that defines the category, and every structural pressure on the format is ultimately a pressure on one program.
1 top-25 team.
The depth argument for this conference rests on how many credible opponents are clustered behind the leader. The gap between the top and bottom is narrow — a sign of genuine parity.
Where things stand right now.
Notre Dame holds the FBS Independents lead heading into this week's games.
The Only Program That Matters HereNotre Dame Went to the Title Game. Again.
Notre Dame reached the CFP national championship game in January 2026 as a #3 seed without playing a single conference game. They beat a Power Four conference champion in the semifinals. The argument that independence is structurally disadvantaged broke against the reality that Notre Dame keeps making the bracket. Marcus Freeman enters 2026 with the most talented roster in South Bend since the 2012 title run.
Why it matters →The Schedule Question
Can They Build the Same Case in 2026?
Notre Dame’s 2026 schedule includes three games against Power Four opponents in the first five weeks. The committee has shown it will reward the Irish for strength of schedule when the record is clean. But one loss in September — to a team ranked 15th, not 5th — ends the top-4 conversation. The margin for error in the independent model is zero.
The Tradition
135 Years of Saying No
Every major independent since 1990 has eventually joined a conference. Penn State in 1993. Florida State in 1992. Miami in 2004. Arkansas went back to the SEC. BYU joined the Big 12. Army joined the AAC. Notre Dame has refused every time, for 135 years, and keeps succeeding. The structural pressure is real. The program’s identity is built on resisting it. That tension is college football’s longest-running story.
Active arcs
Active5mo ago
Notre Dame adds Nebraska to future football schedules
How will Notre Dame fare against its upcoming high-profile opponents?
Notre Dame
Developing5wk ago
Fourth-quarter failure: Takeaways from UConn football’s 24-21 loss at Miami of O
Can UConn recover from another late-game collapse against mid-major opponents?
UConn
Developing5wk ago
UConn, James Madison and Miami (Ohio) pursue American Conference membership
Will the American Conference accept any of these schools?
UConn
Developing2mo ago
UConn Dominates Lafayette in Jason Candle's Debut
Can Jason Candle sustain this level of performance throughout the season?
UConn
Developing6wk ago
Notre Dame and Purdue Battle for the Shillelagh Trophy in 90th Rivalry Game
Will Notre Dame maintain its dominance in the 90th meeting with Purdue?
Notre Dame
Fan pulse
16% positive
44% neutral
40% negative
Notre Dame
7,029
↓ negative
UConn
128
↓ negative
Wichita State
10
↓ negative
Tampa
1
→ neutral
Standings
2026 season, in progress — sorted by power rating. The tag beside a team is its long-run program standing.
| # | Team | Record | Power | Resume |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Notre DamePower Program I#7
|
7-1 | +33.5 | +95.7 |
| 2 |
UConnRegional Program IV#107
|
4-4 | +17.6 | +83.8 |
Win projection
Projection will be available when the 2026 schedule is released.
How they play
Six advanced-stat dimensions per team, ranked against all 134 FBS programs, 2026 season. Every column reads higher-is-better. Click a column to sort.
ScoringConvertsBig playsDefensePacePass rate
| Team | Scoring | Converts | Defense | Identity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Notre Dame | +0.36 | 51.5% | +0.03 | Efficient offense |
| UConn | +0.23 | 44.8% | −0.08 | Big-play offense |
Identity is the single dimension where a team is most above or below the FBS average (pace, defense, big plays, or converting drives) — "Balanced" means nothing stands out either way. CFBD 2026 advanced stats, excludes garbage time.
Top players
FBS Independents's highest CFB Zeitgeist Scores, 2026 season so far.
| # | Player | Team | National |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Boubacar TraoreEDGE | Notre Dame | #31 of 405 |
| 2 | K'Von ShermanLB | UConn | #48 of 567 |
| 3 | Luke TalichS | Notre Dame | #41 of 537 |
| 4 | Anas LuqmanEDGE | UConn | #70 of 405 |
| 5 | Nolan James Jr.RB | Notre Dame | #27 of 330 |
| 6 | Jayden SandersCB | Notre Dame | #70 of 344 |
| 7 | Hayden PeggLB | UConn | #116 of 567 |
| 8 | Cyncir BowersRB | UConn | #34 of 330 |
| 9 | Jordan FaisonWR | Notre Dame | #68 of 465 |
| 10 | Kalieb OsborneQB | UConn | #29 of 145 |
Where FBS Independents stands nationally
Conference strength, as a round-robin adjusted power rating.
1
SEC
SEC
+24.4
2
B10
Big Ten
+23.3
3
IND
FBS Independents
+21.7
4
B12
Big 12
+21.5
5
P12
Pac-12
+20.8
6
ACC
ACC
+20.5
7
AAC
American Athletic
+18.3
8
SB
Sun Belt
+17.3
9
MW
Mountain West
+16.5
10
CUSA
Conference USA
+16.4