NCAA Division I-A independent schools are four-year institutions whose football programs are not part of an NCAA-affiliated conference. This means that I-A independents do not schedule each other for competition like conference schools do. There are considerably fewer independent schools than in years past; many independent schools later join (or attempt to join) established conferences.

NCAA Division I-A independent schools for 2006

• United States Military Academy (Army) (left Conference USA after the 2004 season)
• United States Naval Academy (Navy)
• University of Notre Dame (member of Big East Conference for all other sports sponsored by that league)
• Temple University (left Big East Conference after the 2004 season. Joining Mid-American Conference in 2007.)

Of these schools, only Notre Dame is a Bowl Championship Series school, which can be chosen for an at-large bid to a BCS Bowl game.

Independents Stadia

See also

• NCAA Division I-AA Independent Schools
• NCAA Division I independents (women's hockey)
• NCAA Division II independent schools
• NCAA Division III independent schools
• NAIA independent schools

College athletics conferences