Get to Know the FCS, 2023: Big South-OVC
Established: 2022 (2023 first season)
Headquarters: Charlotte, North Carolina (Big South), Brentwood, Tennessee (OVC)
Commissioner(s): Sherika Montgomery (Big South), Beth DeBauche (OVC)
Background
As most of you are probably aware, the most recent round of conference realignment throughout Division 1 has been especially tumultuous for a handful of conferences in the FCS. And two of the most deeply affected were the Big South and the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC). There were a bunch of moves that happened that will be detailed in the individual conference histories, but of particular significance to both during this round of realignment was the ASUN’ 2021 announcement of its intent to start sponsoring football.
On the Big South’s end, although its conference membership numbers were (and remain) solid, the majority of the athletic conference members don’t actually sponsor football. As such, part of their strategy up until the last few years had been to rely on football affiliates (including ASUN members Kennesaw State and North Alabama) to shore up their numbers.
It was the loss of these schools in the Big South, along with the departure to the ASUN by OVC members Austin Peay, EKU, and Jacksonville State, that was the catalyst for greater uncertainty in both conference makeups. Because of this (and some clear knowledge of other moves that were about to happen), both commissioners recognized the need to ensure they could maintain their autobid status (which requires a minimum of 6 post-season eligible FCS teams).
So, following the approach taken in 2021 by the ASUN and WAC when they formed the AQ7, the Big South and OVC announced in February of 2022 that they would be forming their own alignment. This combined football partnership, while not officially its own football only conference (unlike, say, the Pioneer Football League of the Missouri Valley Football Conference), Is currently intended to start in 2023 and last until at least the 2026/27 season.
The makeup of this “conference” in its inaugural season will consist of six OVC members (five of whom are eligible for the post season), two Big South members, and one member each from the Horizon League and the American East (both of whom were Big South football affiliates before the merger). However, the following season in 2024 will see the addition of Western Illinois form the MVFC, which will in turn make the OVC eligible once again for an autobid on their own accord. With the Big South at only two members sponsoring football and just another two affiliates, it remains to be seen whether long term they become OVC affiliate members or if the partnership will remain in affect while the Big South attempts to shore its numbers in some other manner.
Big South History
The Big South was founded in 1983, conceived as a non-football conference to represent schools in the southern states of Georgia, Virginia, and the Carolinas. In 2002, the conference began offering football, with the first year’s membership consisting of four teams: Charleston Southern, Elon, Liberty, and affiliate Gardner–Webb. In 2003 Coastal Carolina and Virginia Military Institute (VMI) were added as affiliate football members, while Elon left the conference for SoCon. In 2007 Presbyterian moved up from Division II to put the conference team count at 6, and in 2008 Stony Brook joined as an affiliate to put the count at 7. The last decade has been a chaotic one for the conference, with the movement of a number of teams. 2013-2015 alone saw the exit of Stony Brook (2013 for the CAA), VMI (2014 for the SoCon), and Coastal Carolina (2015 transition to the FBS), and the entrance of Monmouth from the NEC in 2014 and Kennesaw State (a new football program) in 2015. 2018 would see another member, Liberty, depart for the FBS, while Campbell would choose to add scholarship football and transition from being a Pioneer League affiliate to a full Big South member. But that wasn’t the end of their additions; two HBCUs in the forms of Hampton and North Carolina A&T (2018 and 2021, respectively) would join the ranks along with two schools transition to full FCS scholarship ball (North Alabama moving up from D2 in 2019, and Robert Morris moving over from the NEC in 2020). Coupled with Presbyterian deciding in 2019 to transition out of scholarship football and join the Pioneer League the following year (well, 2021), this put the football conference at nine members in the 2021 season. As noted earlier, thing kept churning in the FCS, and the onset of the ASUN saw the departure of Kennesaw State and North Alabama in 2022. But because of the shockwaves that came with this (and other) moves, it left several other schools looking around. Hampton, North Carolina A&T, Monmouth, and Campbell would all leave for the MVFC in either 2022 or 2023, while Byrant would join the Big South as an affiliate after leaving the NEC in pursuit of higher scholarship count football. This leaves the current makeup of the Big South contingent of the Big South-OVC reliance at four teams, only two of which (Charleston Southern and Gardner-Webb) are actual full members of the Big South conference.
OVC History
The OVC’s story begins back in 1941, when a plan to create a regional conference was proposed by Eastern Kentucky, Murray State, and Western Kentucky. Unfortunately, the advent of WWII put things on hold, and it wasn’t until 1948 after the war, that the Ohio Valley Conference was officially established. The original charter members were EKU, Evansville, Louisville, Morehead State, Murray State, and WKU.
In the early years, before the establishment of Division I–let alone the subdivision split–there was a decent amount of movement and shakeup within the conference. A year after being founded, 1949 would see the loss of charter member Louisville and the addition of Tennessee Tech and Marshall. Three years later in 1952, Marshall and Evansville would both depart, and Middle Tennessee would join. East Tennessee State and Austin Peay would both join by 1962, and the conference would remain stable up through the transition from College and University divisions (of which the OVC was in the former) to the new Division I, II, and II system that was established in 1973.
The OVC competed at the Division II level from 1973 through 1978, when Division I was further separated into the D-IA and D-IAA. Upon the split, the OVC would shift up from D-II to D-IAA. 1978 would also be the only year that an OVC team was not represented in the D-IAA (now FCS) playoffs.
The D-I subdivision split brought further changes to the conference landscape that affected the OVC. East Tennessee State left the conference for the SoCon in 1978, and WKU would move up to I-A in 1982. Meanwhile Akron joined the OVC in 1980 (remaining for seven years before also moving up to I-A) and Youngstown State would shortly join from 1982 to 1986.
Those early years of the subdivision saw the OVC (well, Eastern Kentucky really) flex their muscles a bit, making the championship game four years in a row from 1979 to 1981, winning the title in both book end years.
The OVC would add Tennessee State in 1986 (although they would not begin playing in the OVC for football until 1988). This move gave Tennessee State the distinction of being the only HBCU D-I team to not play in either the MEAC or SWAC (until the moves by Hampton and North Carolina A&T to the Big South in 2017 and 2021, respectively). The OVC would also see the addition of Southeast Missouri State in ‘91 and UT Martin in ‘92.
Conference membership would continue to change through the mid-90s, including with the addition of Eastern Illinois in 1996. But 1995 and 1996 would also see Morehead State and Austin Peay decide to stop offering scholarships in football, and both would leave the OVC (although stay I-AA). Morehead State remains a member of the conference in all other sports but plays football in the Pioneer Football League, while Austin Peay would choose to bring back scholarships and rejoin the OVC in 2006.
Entering the aughts, Middle Tennessee State would move up to what is now the FBS in 2000 and join the OVC, and Jacksonville State joined the conference from the Southland in 2003. Samford would also take up a short residence in the conference starting in 2003, but would leave after the 2008 season for the SoCon.
Since Samford’s departure, the conference had remained at 9 football members for over a decade (although the conference itself has also seen the addition of Southern Illinois University Edwardsville and Belmont University from 2008-2012, putting the OVC’s total count at 12).
This had been the most stable the football side of the conference had been since 1962-1968. But that would only hold until 2020, when Jacksonville State and EKU both announced during the season that they would be leaving to join the ASUN starting the coming 2021 season. That leaves the OVC at 7 football members, the smallest it has been since 2002. The following season would see the departure of Austin Peay to the ASUN as well, along with the announcement by Murray State that they’d be leaving the OVC for the MVFC in 2023. Although the OVC would also add transitioning D2 program Lindenwood starting in 2022, those departures mean that the OVC contingent of the Big South-OVC will have just 5 post-season eligible members for the 2023 season. This will be short lived however, as in 2024 Western Illinois will be joining the conference from the MVFC, which will put the OVC back at 6 post-season eligible members (and 7 total).
Membership
Current Members
Conference Success and Strength
Conference Championships
As a new “conference” starting this year, the Big South-OVC has no conference champions yet.
FCS National Champions
Likewise, as a new “conference”, no Big South-OVC has had the opportunity to win (or play for) a national championship under the current banner. Nor has any member of the Big South-OVC won an FCS/D-IAA National Championship or made it to the finals.
HBCU National Championships
Current Big South-OVC schools hold a total of 16 black college football national championships, all through Tennessee State.
Posted Jul 17, 2023, 3:39 PM UTC