THE RFC MYC: FBS Independents (Plus Kennesaw State)

FBS Independents (FBS Group Of Five)

Overview: Say goodbye to BYU, Liberty, and New Mexico State, and hello to soon-to-be former FCS power Kennesaw State as an FBS independent that's not named Notre Dame. Well, sort of.

As of July 1, 2023, BYU will officially become a member of the Big 12 Conference, while Liberty and New Mexico State, respectively, will relinquish their independent status to join Conference USA on that same date.

That leaves only three teams, all in the northeastern United States, to play as independents at the FBS level in Army (6-6 overall in 2022), UConn (6-7), and UMass (1-11). Out of that trio, only UConn qualified for postseason play, as the Huskies finished their season with a 28-14 to Marshall in the Myrtle Beach Bowl on December 20.

Meanwhile, Army found itself on the outside looking in when bowl season arrived, despite finishing the 2022 season with six wins. That was mainly because two of those wins came against FCS opponents in Villanova (49-10 on September 17) and Colgate (42-17 on October 15), respectively.

Finally, as for Kennesaw State (5-6 in 2022), the eight-year old Georgia-based program will play an independent schedule in 2023, ahead of an anticipated move to Conference USA in 2024. The Owls will be ineligible for postseason play for both of those aforementioned seasons.

By the article is posted and read multiple times on this site, there is a likely possibility that there may be no independent football programs competing at either the FBS or FCS levels in the seasons to come. In fact, various media reports said that UConn, among other institutions, could join BYU in the Big 12 Conference in the coming years.

In the meantime, however, expect Army, UConn, and UMass to try and more forward on the football field this fall.

2023 Schedules (Teams listed in alphabetical order, click the links below to access to find the schedules)


NOTE: If the link to the team's schedule is not highlighted, it means that the team has not submitted its schedule for the 2023 season. When the team's schedule is submitted, the link (s) will appear in each blog post. Also, please visit the RFC blog at realfootballcentral.blogspot.com for schedules, schedule updates, preseason previews, and much more.

Army 

Kennesaw State*

UConn

UMass

*-Kennesaw State is making the transition from the FCS to the FBS level, and is ineligible for postseason play during the following seasons, 2023 and 2024.

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