Big South–OVC Football Association

The Big South–OVC Football Association is an association of football members of the Big South Conference and Ohio Valley Conference (OVC). The Big South–OVC will cover the midwestern, southern, and Northeast U.S. with member institutions located in Illinois, Missouri, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, and Tennessee.

Big South–OVC Football Association
AssociationNCAA
Founded2023 (2023)
Sports fielded
  • 1
    • men's: 1
    • women's: 0
DivisionDivision I
SubdivisionFCS
No. of teams10
RegionMidwestern United States
Southern United States
Northeast United States
Official websitehttps://bigsouthovcfootball.com/
Locations
Location of teams in {{{title}}}

History

Big South Conference

In the 2021–22 season, the Big South Conference was made up of nine football-playing members including full members Campbell University, Charleston Southern University, Gardner-Webb University, Hampton University, and North Carolina A&T State University, and associate members Kennesaw State University, Monmouth University, University of North Alabama, and Robert Morris University. The following changes occurred dwindling the football membership from nine members in 2021 to four members by 2023, dropping below the minimum of six members required for an automatic bid for the NCAA Division I FCS Playoffs.

Ohio Valley Conference

The Ohio Valley Conference also dropped below the number of eligible teams required for an automatic bid for the NCAA Division I FCS Playoffs between the 2021 and 2023 seasons. In the 2021 season, the OVC included Austin Peay University, Eastern Illinois University, Murray State University, Southeast Missouri State University, University of Tennessee, Martin, Tennessee State University, and Tennessee Tech University. The following changes occurred to lower eligible football-playing members from seven to five by 2023.

  • On September 17, 2021, Austin Peay State University left for the ASUN Conference, which ultimately launched its own football league in 2022.[6]
  • On January 7, 2022, Murray State University announced its intent to leave the OVC, left for the Missouri Valley Conference and Missouri Valley Football Conference.[7] In a separate statement, Murray State's president indicated that the football team would remain in the OVC in the 2022 season, ensuring that the OVC would retain its automatic bid to the FCS playoffs in that season and giving the league more time to add new football members.[8] Murray State would eventually be accepted by the MVFC effective in 2023.[9]
  • On February 23, 2022, the OVC added Lindenwood University, transitioning from D-II. Lindenwood will not be eligible for the postseason until the 2026–27 season, therefore it will not count towards the football membership for the automatic qualifying bid for the FCS playoffs until them.[10]
  • On May 12, 2023, the OVC added Western Illinois University from the Summit League. Western Illinois houses its football program in the Missouri Valley Football Conference, and it was announced that the Leathernecks would play out the 2023 season in the MVFC before joining its other sports and competing under the Big South-OVC banner for 2024 and beyond.[11]

Merger

On February 22, the conference announced its intent to combine its football membership with the Ohio Valley Conference beginning in 2023.[12] With the release of the 2023 joint football schedule, it was announced that the partnership between the two conferences would exist through the 2026–27 season.[13]

The members of the merger will include Bryant University, Charleston Southern University, Eastern Illinois University, Gardner-Webb University, Lindenwood University, Robert Morris University, Southeast Missouri State University, University of Tennessee, Martin, Tennessee State University, and Tennessee Tech University, with Western Illinois University joining in 2024.[13]

On August 10, 2023, prior to the start of the association's inaugural season, Bryant announced it would depart from the association to join CAA Football in 2024.[14]

Big South-OVC Football
🌍
Location of Big South OVC members:
– inaugural member
– future member

Member schools

Inaugural members
TeamLocationNicknameStadiumCapacityJoinedCurrent
primary
conference
Bryant University Smithfield, Rhode Island Bulldogs Beirne Stadium 5,500 2023 AmEast[lower-alpha 1]
Charleston Southern University North Charleston, South Carolina Buccaneers Buccaneer Field 4,000 2023 Big South
Eastern Illinois University Charleston, Illinois Panthers O'Brien Field 10,000 2023 OVC
Gardner–Webb University Boiling Springs, North Carolina Runnin' Bulldogs Ernest W. Spangler Stadium 7,800 2023 Big South
Lindenwood University[lower-alpha 2] St. Charles, Missouri Lions Hunter Stadium 7,450 2023 OVC
Robert Morris University Moon Township, Pennsylvania Colonials Joe Walton Stadium 3,000 2023 Horizon[lower-alpha 1]
Southeast Missouri State University Cape Girardeau, Missouri Redhawks Houck Stadium 11,015 2023 OVC
Tennessee State University Nashville, Tennessee Tigers Nissan Stadium
Hale Stadium		 68,000
10,000		 2023 OVC
Tennessee Technological University Cookeville, Tennessee Golden Eagles Tucker Stadium 16,500 2023 OVC
University of Tennessee at Martin Martin, Tennessee Skyhawks Graham Stadium 7,500 2023 OVC

Future members
TeamLocationNicknameStadiumCapacityJoiningCurrent
primary
conference		Current
football
conference
Western Illinois University Macomb, Illinois Leathernecks Hanson Field 16,368 2024 OVC MVFC
Notes
  1. Bryant and Robert Morris were football-only members of the Big South prior to the merger.
  2. Lindenwood is transitioning from Division II and will not be eligible for postseason play until 2026.

Membership timeline
Western Illinois UniversityMissouri Valley Football ConferenceUniversity of Tennessee, MartinOhio Valley ConferenceTennessee Tech UniversityOhio Valley ConferenceTennessee State UniversityOhio Valley ConferenceSoutheast Missouri State UniversityOhio Valley ConferenceRobert Morris UniversityBig South ConferenceLindenwood UniversityOhio Valley ConferenceGardner-Webb UniversityBig South ConferenceEastern Illinois UniversityOhio Valley ConferenceCharleston Southern UniversityBig South ConferenceCoastal Athletic Association Football ConferenceBryant UniversityBig South Conference

Full members Other conference Other conference

References
  1. "ASUN Conference Announces Three New Institutions; Adds Football as 20th Sport" (Press release). ASUN Conference. January 29, 2021. Archived from the original on January 29, 2021. Retrieved January 29, 2021.
  2. ""CAA Welcomes Hampton University, Monmouth University and Stony Brook University as New Members"". Colonial Athletic Association. Jan 25, 2022. Retrieved Feb 23, 2022.
  3. "CAA Welcomes North Carolina A&T as Newest Member of the Conference". Colonial Athletic Association. Feb 22, 2022. Retrieved Feb 23, 2022.
  4. "Big South Adds Bryant University as Associate Football Member" (Press release). Big South Conference. March 29, 2022. Retrieved March 30, 2022.
  5. "Campbell University Accepts Invitation To Join The CAA In 2023" (Press release). Colonial Athletic Association. August 3, 2022. Retrieved August 4, 2022.
  6. "ASUN Conference Welcomes Austin Peay State University as its Newest Member" (Press release). ASUN Conference. September 17, 2021. Archived from the original on November 15, 2022. Retrieved December 31, 2022.
  7. "Murray State University Joins The Missouri Valley Conference" (Press release). Murray State Racers. January 7, 2022. Retrieved January 7, 2022.
  8. Wright, John (January 10, 2022). "Murray State accepts MVC invitation". Murray Ledger & Times. Murray, KY. Retrieved January 11, 2022.
  9. "Murray State Football To Join Missouri Valley Football Conference July of 2023" (Press release). Missouri Valley Football Conference. April 4, 2022. Archived from the original on April 4, 2022. Retrieved April 6, 2022.
  10. "Lindenwood University to Join the Ohio Valley Conference in 2022-23" (Press release). Ohio Valley Conference. February 23, 2022. Retrieved February 23, 2022.
  11. "Leatherneck Athletics Moving to Ohio Valley Conference for All Sports" (Press release). Western Illinois University. May 12, 2023. Retrieved May 12, 2023.
  12. "Big South Conference and OVC Announce Football Agreement" OVCSports.com. Retrieved 2022-02-22.
  13. "Big South and Ohio Valley Announce 2023 Football Conference Schedule" (Press release). Big South Conference. December 13, 2022. Retrieved December 30, 2022.
  14. "CAA Football Welcomes Bryant University As Its Newest Member In 2024" (Press release). Colonial Athletic Association. August 10, 2023. Retrieved August 10, 2023.
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