For non-conference regular season games , FBS teams are free to schedule match-ups against any other FBS team , regardless of conference . A small number of FBS teams are independent , and have total control over their own schedule . Non-conference games are scheduled by mutual agreement and often involve " home and homes " ( where teams alternate as hosts ) and long-established rivalries . A 2014 study found that teams from the stronger conferences frequently play non-conference games against teams from the weaker conferences or , occasionally , against FCS teams . FBS teams are free to schedule up to forty percent of their games against FCS teams , but FBS teams can only use one win per season against an FCS team for the purposes of bowl eligibility . Additionally , the FCS opponent must have averaged at least 90 % of the FCS limit of 63 scholarship equivalents over a rolling two-year period . An FBS team must schedule a total of five home games per year ; for the purposes of scheduling , a " home game " must take place at a venue in which the team plays 50 % of its " home games " , although a team is allowed to count one neutral-site game against an FBS team toward the " home game " requirement . FBS-FCS games , known as " money games , " are often home games for the FBS team , and victories by FCS teams are usually considered to be upsets . FCS teams receive hundreds of thousands of dollars for their participation in these games
independent
NCAA Division I FBS independent schools
NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision