Big South–OVC Football Association explained

Big South–OVC Football Association
Color:EF7521
Font Color:FFFFFF
Association:NCAA
Division:Division I
Subdivision:FCS
Teams:9
Sports:1
Mens:1
Womens:0
Region:Midwestern United States
Southern United States
Website:https://bigsouthovcfootball.com/
Map:Big South OVC Football Membership Map2.png
Map Size:250

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 covers the American Midwest and South with member institutions located in Illinois, Missouri, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee.

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.

Merger

On February 22, the conference announced its intent to combine its football membership with the Ohio Valley Conference beginning in 2023.[11] 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. The inaugural members of the merger included Bryant University, Charleston Southern University, Gardner-Webb University, and Robert Morris University from the Big South, and Eastern Illinois University, Lindenwood University, Southeast Missouri State University, University of Tennessee, Martin, Tennessee State University, and Tennessee Tech University from the Ohio Valley.[12] The following year, in June 2024, the two conferences announced that they had agreed to extend their partnership through 2030.[13]

On May 12, 2023, the OVC added Western Illinois University from the Summit League. Western Illinois previously housed 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.[14]

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.[15] Later that year, on November 28, 2023, Robert Morris announced that it would also depart from the association to re-join the Northeast Conference as an associate member for football in 2024.[16]

Member schools

Current members

Team Location Nickname Stadium Capacity Joined Current
primary
conference
Charleston Southern UniversityNorth Charleston, South CarolinaBuccaneersBuccaneer Field4,0002023Big South
Eastern Illinois UniversityCharleston, IllinoisPanthersO'Brien Field10,0002023OVC
Gardner–Webb UniversityBoiling Springs, North CarolinaRunnin' BulldogsErnest W. Spangler Stadium7,8002023Big South
Lindenwood UniversitySt. Charles, MissouriLionsHunter Stadium7,4502023OVC
Southeast Missouri State UniversityCape Girardeau, MissouriRedhawksHouck Stadium11,0152023OVC
Tennessee State UniversityNashville, TennesseeTigersNissan Stadium
Hale Stadium		68,000
10,000		2023OVC
Tennessee Technological UniversityCookeville, TennesseeGolden EaglesTucker Stadium16,5002023OVC
University of Tennessee at MartinMartin, TennesseeSkyhawksGraham Stadium7,5002023OVC
Western Illinois UniversityMacomb, IllinoisLeathernecksHanson Field16,3682024OVC

Former members

Team Location Nickname Stadium Capacity Joined Left Current
primary
conference 		Current
football
conference
Bryant UniversitySmithfield, Rhode IslandBulldogsBeirne Stadium5,50020232024AmEastCAA Football
Robert Morris UniversityMoon Township, PennsylvaniaColonialsJoe Walton Stadium3,00020232024HorizonNortheast
Notes:

Membership timeline

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Period = from:2022 till:2030

TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal

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id:line value:black

id:bg value:white id:AssocF value:rgb(0.742,0.727,0.852) # Use this color to denote a team that is a member in all sports id:FullxF value:rgb(0.551,0.824,0.777) # Use this color to denote a team that is a member in all sports except for football id:Full value:rgb(0.98,0.5,0.445) # Use this color to denote a team that is a member for football only id:AssocOS value:rgb(0.5,0.691,0.824) # Use this color to denote a team that is a member in some sports, but not all (consider identifying in legend or a footnote) id:OtherC1 value:rgb(0.996,0.996,0.699) # Use this color to denote a team that has moved to anonference id:OtherC2 value:rgb(0.988,0.703,0.383) # Use this color to denote a team that has moved to another conference where OtherC1 has already been used, to distinguish the twoPlotData=

width:15 textcolor:black shift:(5,-5) anchor:from fontsize:s

bar:1 color:OtherC1 from:2022 till:2023 text: Big South bar:1 color:AssocF from:2023 till:2024 text:Bryant (2023–2024) bar:1 color:OtherC1 from:2024 till:end text:CAA Football

bar:2 color:OtherC1 from:2022 till:2023 text: Big South bar:2 color:AssocF from:2023 till:end text:Charleston Southern (2023–present)

bar:3 color:OtherC1 from:2022 till:2023 text: OVC bar:3 color:AssocF from:2023 till:end text:Eastern Illinois (2023–present)

bar:4 color:OtherC1 from:2022 till:2023 text: Big South bar:4 color:AssocF from:2023 till:end text:Gardner-Webb (2023–present)

bar:5 color:OtherC1 from:2022 till:2023 text: OVC bar:5 color:AssocF from:2023 till:end text:Lindenwood (2023–present)

bar:6 color:OtherC1 from:2022 till:2023 text: Big South bar:6 color:AssocF from:2023 till:2024 text:Robert Morris (2023–2024) bar:6 color:OtherC1 from:2024 till:end text:NEC

bar:7 color:OtherC1 from:2022 till:2023 text: OVC bar:7 color:AssocF from:2023 till:end text:Southeast Missouri (2023–present)

bar:8 color:OtherC1 from:2022 till:2023 text: OVC bar:8 color:AssocF from:2023 till:end text:Tennessee State (2023–present)

bar:9 color:OtherC1 from:2022 till:2023 text: OVC bar:9 color:AssocF from:2023 till:end text:Tennessee Tech (2023–present)

bar:10 color:OtherC1 from:2022 till:2023 text: OVC bar:10 color:AssocF from:2023 till:end text:UT Martin (2023–present)

bar:11 color:OtherC1 from:2022 till:2024 text: MVFC bar:11 color:AssocF from:2024 till:end text:Western Illinois (2024–present)

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  1. > If the chart uses more than one bar color, add a legend by selecting the appropriate fields from the following six options (use only the colors that are used in the graphic.) Leave a blank line after the end of the timeline, then add a line with the selected values from the list, separated by a space. <#

Notes and References

  1. ASUN Conference Announces Three New Institutions; Adds Football as 20th Sport . ASUN Conference . January 29, 2021 . January 29, 2021 . January 29, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210129160022/https://www.asunsports.org/general/2020-21/releases/20210126nthmsg . dead .
  2. News: "CAA Welcomes Hampton University, Monmouth University and Stony Brook University as New Members" . Colonial Athletic Association . Jan 25, 2022 . Feb 23, 2022.
  3. News: CAA Welcomes North Carolina A&T as Newest Member of the Conference . Colonial Athletic Association . Feb 22, 2022 . Feb 23, 2022.
  4. Big South Adds Bryant University as Associate Football Member . Big South Conference . March 29, 2022 . March 30, 2022.
  5. Campbell University Accepts Invitation To Join The CAA In 2023 . Colonial Athletic Association . August 3, 2022 . August 4, 2022.
  6. September 17, 2021. ASUN Conference Welcomes Austin Peay State University as its Newest Member. ASUN Conference. en. December 31, 2022. November 15, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20221115194740/https://asunsports.org/general/2021-22/releases/20210916gkbm0v. dead.
  7. Murray State University Joins The Missouri Valley Conference . Murray State Racers . January 7, 2022 . January 7, 2022.
  8. News: Murray State accepts MVC invitation . John . Wright . Murray Ledger & Times . Murray, KY . January 10, 2022 . January 11, 2022.
  9. Murray State Football To Join Missouri Valley Football Conference July of 2023 . Missouri Valley Football Conference . April 4, 2022 . April 6, 2022 . April 4, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220404175326/https://valley-football.org/news/2022/4/3/murray-state-football-to-join-missouri-valley-football-conference-july-of-2023.aspx . dead .
  10. Lindenwood University to Join the Ohio Valley Conference in 2022-23 . Ohio Valley Conference . February 23, 2022 . February 23, 2022.
  11. http://ovcsports.com/news/2022/2/22/big-south-conference-and-ovc-announce-football-agreement.aspx "Big South Conference and OVC Announce Football Agreement"
  12. Big South and Ohio Valley Announce 2023 Football Conference Schedule . Big South Conference . December 13, 2022 . December 30, 2022.
  13. Big South-OVC Football Association Presidents and Chancellors Enter into New Enhanced Agreement . Ohio Valley Conference . June 12, 2024 . June 12, 2024.
  14. Leatherneck Athletics Moving to Ohio Valley Conference for All Sports . Western Illinois University . May 12, 2023 . May 12, 2023.
  15. CAA Football Welcomes Bryant University As Its Newest Member In 2024. Colonial Athletic Association . August 10, 2023 . August 10, 2023.
  16. Web site: Return Engagement: Robert Morris Rejoins NEC As Football Associate Member . 2023-11-28 . northeastconference.org . en.

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