Topic summary
Mid-major

Classification of schools in U.S. college sports Mid-major conferences in American college sports at the NCAA Division I level are athletic conferences that are not among the power conferences. The grouping is most commonly used in men's college basketball to describe conferences outside of the Big Ten, Big 12, SEC, ACC and Big East which have also been referred to as "high majors". The term "mid-major" was coined in 1977 by Jack Kvancz, the head coach of men's basketball team at Catholic University of America. The NCAA neither acknowledges nor uses the terms "major" or "mid-major" to differentiate between Division I athletic conferences. Some schools and fans consider it offensive and derogatory, while others embrace the term. Typically, the title of "mid-major" is not used when discussing College Football. Instead, Division I football conferences and teams are grouped into the FCS, the Group of Six, or the Power Four. Basketball In college basketball, the term "mid-major" is used to refer to teams that are members of a conference other than the "power conferences" of the Big Ten, Big 12, Big East, SEC, and ACC. The Big East Conference does not sponsor football and thus is not con