2026 National Leaders First Downs - Games vs. FBS non-Power 5 Conference Teams Only through 09/19/2026
| Name | G | Rush | Pass | Penalty | Total | Total/G | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Penn State | 3 | 29 | 38 | 6 | 73 | 24.3 |
| 2 | FIU | 3 | 16 | 41 | 5 | 62 | 20.7 |
| 3 | Michigan State | 3 | 27 | 30 | 4 | 61 | 20.3 |
| 4 | UNLV | 3 | 28 | 26 | 5 | 59 | 19.7 |
| 5 | Texas State | 2 | 29 | 24 | 4 | 57 | 28.5 |
| 5 | Ohio State | 2 | 18 | 37 | 2 | 57 | 28.5 |
| 7 | Nebraska | 2 | 26 | 26 | 4 | 56 | 28.0 |
| 8 | North Dakota State | 3 | 23 | 25 | 7 | 55 | 18.3 |
| 9 | USC | 2 | 22 | 30 | 2 | 54 | 27.0 |
| 10 | Jacksonville State | 3 | 26 | 20 | 7 | 53 | 17.7 |
| 11 | South Alabama | 2 | 25 | 18 | 3 | 46 | 23.0 |
| 12 | Memphis | 2 | 23 | 16 | 5 | 44 | 22.0 |
| 12 | Marshall | 2 | 23 | 15 | 6 | 44 | 22.0 |
| 12 | Florida Atlantic | 2 | 17 | 22 | 5 | 44 | 22.0 |
| 15 | Appalachian State | 2 | 13 | 25 | 5 | 43 | 21.5 |
| 16 | Indiana | 2 | 16 | 24 | 2 | 42 | 21.0 |
| 16 | Fresno State | 2 | 16 | 23 | 3 | 42 | 21.0 |
| 16 | Liberty | 2 | 16 | 21 | 5 | 42 | 21.0 |
| 19 | Middle Tennessee State | 2 | 12 | 27 | 2 | 41 | 20.5 |
| 19 | Sam Houston State | 2 | 11 | 25 | 5 | 41 | 20.5 |
| 19 | Hawaii | 2 | 10 | 28 | 3 | 41 | 20.5 |
| 22 | Ohio | 2 | 19 | 15 | 5 | 39 | 19.5 |
| 22 | East Carolina | 2 | 19 | 14 | 6 | 39 | 19.5 |
| 22 | Michigan | 2 | 15 | 21 | 3 | 39 | 19.5 |
| 22 | Wisconsin | 2 | 13 | 24 | 2 | 39 | 19.5 |
| 26 | Texas A&M | 1 | 17 | 16 | 2 | 35 | 35.0 |
| 26 | Mississippi State | 1 | 14 | 21 | 0 | 35 | 35.0 |
| 26 | South Carolina | 1 | 14 | 20 | 1 | 35 | 35.0 |
| 26 | Nevada | 2 | 18 | 13 | 4 | 35 | 17.5 |
| 26 | USF | 2 | 15 | 18 | 2 | 35 | 17.5 |
| 31 | UAB | 2 | 20 | 13 | 1 | 34 | 17.0 |
| 31 | Eastern Michigan | 2 | 11 | 19 | 4 | 34 | 17.0 |
| 33 | Pittsburgh | 1 | 9 | 21 | 3 | 33 | 33.0 |
| 33 | Sacramento State | 2 | 9 | 22 | 2 | 33 | 16.5 |
| 35 | Oklahoma | 2 | 12 | 19 | 1 | 32 | 16.0 |
| 36 | Auburn | 1 | 18 | 11 | 2 | 31 | 31.0 |
| 37 | Florida | 1 | 11 | 14 | 5 | 30 | 30.0 |
| 38 | Central Michigan | 2 | 25 | 3 | 1 | 29 | 14.5 |
| 39 | Boise State | 1 | 16 | 10 | 2 | 28 | 28.0 |
| 39 | Alabama | 1 | 15 | 9 | 4 | 28 | 28.0 |
| 39 | New Mexico | 1 | 12 | 9 | 7 | 28 | 28.0 |
| 42 | Texas | 1 | 14 | 10 | 3 | 27 | 27.0 |
| 42 | Oklahoma State | 1 | 10 | 13 | 4 | 27 | 27.0 |
| 42 | Maryland | 1 | 7 | 16 | 4 | 27 | 27.0 |
| 42 | Toledo | 1 | 6 | 19 | 2 | 27 | 27.0 |
| 42 | Rice | 2 | 14 | 11 | 2 | 27 | 13.5 |
| 47 | Tennessee | 1 | 14 | 8 | 4 | 26 | 26.0 |
| 47 | Iowa | 1 | 13 | 11 | 2 | 26 | 26.0 |
| 47 | LSU | 1 | 9 | 16 | 1 | 26 | 26.0 |
| 47 | Virginia Tech | 1 | 8 | 15 | 3 | 26 | 26.0 |
| 51 | Iowa State | 1 | 16 | 8 | 1 | 25 | 25.0 |
| 51 | Ole Miss | 1 | 10 | 14 | 1 | 25 | 25.0 |
| 51 | Cincinnati | 1 | 9 | 15 | 1 | 25 | 25.0 |
| 54 | Connecticut | 1 | 11 | 11 | 2 | 24 | 24.0 |
| 54 | Missouri State | 1 | 9 | 12 | 3 | 24 | 24.0 |
| 54 | Notre Dame | 1 | 7 | 16 | 1 | 24 | 24.0 |
| 57 | Georgia State | 1 | 12 | 11 | 0 | 23 | 23.0 |
| 57 | Western Kentucky | 1 | 11 | 10 | 2 | 23 | 23.0 |
| 57 | New Mexico State | 1 | 10 | 10 | 3 | 23 | 23.0 |
| 60 | Georgia Southern | 1 | 10 | 10 | 2 | 22 | 22.0 |
| 60 | Baylor | 1 | 10 | 8 | 4 | 22 | 22.0 |
| 60 | North Texas | 1 | 9 | 11 | 2 | 22 | 22.0 |
| 60 | Clemson | 1 | 8 | 10 | 4 | 22 | 22.0 |
| 60 | Arizona | 1 | 7 | 15 | 0 | 22 | 22.0 |
| 60 | Arkansas State | 1 | 7 | 13 | 2 | 22 | 22.0 |
| 60 | Delaware | 1 | 5 | 16 | 1 | 22 | 22.0 |
| 67 | Army | 1 | 17 | 4 | 0 | 21 | 21.0 |
| 67 | Temple | 1 | 12 | 8 | 1 | 21 | 21.0 |
| 67 | San Diego State | 1 | 11 | 9 | 1 | 21 | 21.0 |
| 67 | Louisiana | 1 | 11 | 7 | 3 | 21 | 21.0 |
| 67 | Air Force | 1 | 10 | 9 | 2 | 21 | 21.0 |
| 67 | TCU | 1 | 9 | 12 | 0 | 21 | 21.0 |
| 67 | Coastal Carolina | 1 | 9 | 11 | 1 | 21 | 21.0 |
| 67 | Stanford | 1 | 9 | 11 | 1 | 21 | 21.0 |
| 67 | Southern Miss | 1 | 7 | 12 | 2 | 21 | 21.0 |
| 76 | Duke | 1 | 11 | 7 | 2 | 20 | 20.0 |
| 76 | Florida State | 1 | 10 | 8 | 2 | 20 | 20.0 |
| 76 | Minnesota | 1 | 9 | 9 | 2 | 20 | 20.0 |
| 76 | Kansas State | 1 | 8 | 11 | 1 | 20 | 20.0 |
| 76 | Wake Forest | 1 | 8 | 10 | 2 | 20 | 20.0 |
| 81 | Louisiana-Monroe | 1 | 12 | 4 | 3 | 19 | 19.0 |
| 81 | San Jose State | 1 | 6 | 12 | 1 | 19 | 19.0 |
| 83 | West Virginia | 1 | 11 | 6 | 1 | 18 | 18.0 |
| 83 | Navy | 1 | 10 | 6 | 2 | 18 | 18.0 |
| 83 | Troy | 1 | 9 | 8 | 1 | 18 | 18.0 |
| 83 | Colorado State | 1 | 8 | 9 | 1 | 18 | 18.0 |
| 83 | Georgia | 1 | 8 | 9 | 1 | 18 | 18.0 |
| 83 | Tulsa | 1 | 7 | 7 | 4 | 18 | 18.0 |
| 83 | Rutgers | 1 | 5 | 12 | 1 | 18 | 18.0 |
| 90 | UCF | 1 | 12 | 3 | 2 | 17 | 17.0 |
| 90 | Ball State | 1 | 11 | 5 | 1 | 17 | 17.0 |
| 90 | Western Michigan | 1 | 9 | 6 | 2 | 17 | 17.0 |
| 90 | Wyoming | 1 | 8 | 7 | 2 | 17 | 17.0 |
| 90 | Vanderbilt | 1 | 6 | 11 | 0 | 17 | 17.0 |
| 90 | Illinois | 1 | 6 | 9 | 2 | 17 | 17.0 |
| 90 | Kennesaw State | 1 | 5 | 12 | 0 | 17 | 17.0 |
| 97 | James Madison | 1 | 7 | 5 | 3 | 15 | 15.0 |
| 97 | Charlotte | 1 | 3 | 7 | 5 | 15 | 15.0 |
| 99 | Old Dominion | 1 | 9 | 3 | 2 | 14 | 14.0 |
| 100 | Missouri | 1 | 7 | 4 | 2 | 13 | 13.0 |
| 100 | Tulane | 1 | 4 | 9 | 0 | 13 | 13.0 |
| 100 | Buffalo | 1 | 1 | 11 | 1 | 13 | 13.0 |