OVC football members include Eastern Illinois University (Charleston, Ill.), Murray State University (Murray, Ky.), Southeast Missouri State University (Cape Girardeau, Mo.), Tennessee State University (Nashville, Tenn.), Tennessee Technological University (Cookeville, Tenn.), and the University of Tennessee at Martin (Martin, Tenn.). Additionally, the Southland has served as the host conference for the successful NCAA Division I FCS Championship Game in its home base of Frisco, Texas, since 2011. We all appreciate the strong level of interest and cooperation between our two leagues.” The two Conferences have combined for four FCS National Championships and more than 100 playoff wins since the subdivision was formed in 1978. ![]() “The Southland presidents and athletic directors have found this to be an exciting competitive opportunity with their OVC peers, and we all look forward to some outstanding and meaningful FCS crossover games during the next two seasons. “We greatly anticipate the possibilities of a beneficial partnership with the Ohio Valley Conference,” said Burnett. Given the changing Division I landscape, this demonstrates ways that conferences can collaborate to support one another.” This partnership strengthens not only both football leagues, but the FCS overall with quality non-conference matchups. “We are delighted to work together to promote one another and provide a quality student-athlete experience. “Our Presidents, Chancellors and Athletic Directors have enthusiastically supported this alliance,” said DeBauche. More specific details, including game matchups in 20, will be announced at a later date. Both the OVC and Southland have longstanding ESPN broadcast agreements. In addition to providing quality Division I FCS non-conference matchups, the alliance will allow increased visibility, exposure and branding for each Conference. The planned collaboration will see institutions from each conference fill available non-conference dates on schedules in the next two years with a focus toward competitive balance and reasonable travel. ![]() OVC Commissioner Beth DeBauche and Southland Commissioner Tom Burnett made the joint announcement Monday. Nine schools have been full members, but are no longer in the league.BRENTWOOD, TN and FRISCO, TX (SOUTHLAND) - The Ohio Valley Conference and Southland Conference have announced plans for a football scheduling alliance between the two NCAA Division I FCS leagues in the 20 seasons. The OVC has one "associate" member-i.e., a school that plays a sport in the OVC that its main conference does not sponsor. UT Martin University of Tennessee at Martin SIU Southern Illinois University Edwardsville All members are public schools except for the league's newest member, Belmont. Nine of these schools play football in the OVC one plays football in another conference and two do not play football at all. The OVC's current membership of 12 is the largest in its history. That school is also the only HBCU with a Division I sports program that plays in a conference that is not made up entirely of such schools. ![]() Today, the OVC is notable as being the only conference made up of traditionally white schools to have a historically black university (HBCU) as a member, namely Tennessee State. It was one of the first conferences with a presence in the South to accept black athletes at historically white-only schools, with Morehead State being the first OVC member to do so in 1958.
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