Villanova Wildcats

Villanova Wildcats football is a storied FCS program based near Philadelphia, with a history dating to the 1890s and a national championship pedigree at the Division I FCS level. The Wildcats carry a proud identity as one of the few schools to have won both an FCS football title and an NCAA men's basketball championship. Villanova is set to move to the Patriot League as an associate football member in 2026.

Villanova first played football in 1894 and, after the program was discontinued from 1981-1984 for financial reasons and reinstated in 1985, won the 2009 NCAA Division I FCS national championship under coach Andy Talley, upsetting Montana 23-21 as the lowest-seeded champion in FCS history at the time. The Wildcats have remained a consistent FCS independent/CAA-affiliated program since.