The Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) is a collegiate athletic conference which operates in the Midwestern and Southeastern United States. It participates in Division I of the NCAA; the conference's football programs compete in partnership with the Big South Conference in the Football Championship Subdivision, the lower of two levels of Division I football competition. The OVC has 11 members, six of which compete in football in the conference.
NCAA Division I (D-I) is the highest level of intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States, which accepts players globally. D-I schools include the major collegiate athletic powers, with large budgets, more elaborate facilities and more athletic scholarships than Divisions II and III as well as many smaller schools committed to the highest level of intercollegiate competition.
The Lindenwood Lions and Lady Lions are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Lindenwood University, located in St. Charles, Missouri, in intercollegiate sports as a member of the NCAA Division I ranks, primarily competing in the Ohio Valley Conference for most of its sports since the 2022–23 academic year.
The Lindenwood Lions football team represents Lindenwood University in football. Lindenwood is a member of the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC). The Lions were provisional members of the NCAA Division I FCS for the 2022 season before becoming an active member during the 2023–2024 academic year.
The 2010 Southeast Missouri State Redhawks football team represented Southeast Missouri State University as a member of the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) during the 2010 NCAA Division I FCS football season. Led by fifth-year head coach Tony Samuel, the Redhawks compiled an overall record of 9–3 with a mark of 7–1 in conference play, winning the OVC title. Southeast Missouri State received an automatic bid to the NCAA Division I Football Championship playoffs, where the Redhawks lost in second round to the eventual national champion, Eastern Washington. The team played home games at Houck Stadium in Cape Girardeau, Missouri.
The Austin Peay Governors football program is the intercollegiate American football team for Austin Peay State University, located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. The team competes in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) and played the most recent 2022 season as members of the ASUN Conference. For the 2023 season and beyond, Peay will play in the United Athletic Conference, created shortly after the 2022 season by the merger of the football leagues of the ASUN and Western Athletic Conference. The school's first football team was fielded in 1930. They were previously a member of the Ohio Valley Conference and the Pioneer Football League (2001–2005). Austin Peay Governors football plays its home games at the 10,000 seat Fortera Stadium.
The 2015 Jacksonville State Gamecocks football team represented Jacksonville State University as a member of the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) during the 2015 NCAA Division I FCS football season. Led by second-year head coach John Grass, the Gamecocks compiled an overall record of 13–2 with a mark of 8–0 in conference play, winning the OVC title for the second consecutive season. Jacksonville State received the OVC's automatic bid to the NCAA Division I Football Championship playoffs. After a first-round bye, the Gamecocks defeated Chattanooga in the second round, Charleston Southern in the quarterfinals, and Sam Houston State in the semifinals before losing to North Dakota State in the NCAA Division I Championship Game. The team played home games at Burgess–Snow Field at JSU Stadium in Jacksonville, Alabama.
The 2016 Jacksonville State Gamecocks football team represented Jacksonville State University as a member of the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) during the 2016 NCAA Division I FCS football season. Led by third-year head coach John Grass, the Gamecocks compiled an overall record of 10–2 with a mark of 7–0 in conference play, winning the OVC title for the third consecutive season. Jacksonville State received the OVC's automatic bid to the NCAA Division I Football Championship playoffs. After a first-round bye, the Gamecocks lost in the second round to the eventual national runner-up, Youngstown State. The team played home games at Burgess–Snow Field at JSU Stadium in Jacksonville, Alabama. The team played home games at Burgess–Snow Field at JSU Stadium in Jacksonville, Alabama.
The 2017 Jacksonville State Gamecocks football team represented Jacksonville State University as a member of the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) during the 2017 NCAA Division I FCS football season. Led by fourth-year head coach John Grass, the Gamecocks compiled an overall record of 10–2 with a mark of 8–0 in conference play, winning the OVC title for the fourth consecutive season. Jacksonville State received the OVC's automatic bid to the NCAA Division I Football Championship playoffs as the No. 3 overall seed, marking the program's fifth straight trip to the FCS playoffs. After a first-round, the Gamecocks were upset by Kennesaw State in the second round. The team played home games at Burgess–Snow Field at JSU Stadium in Jacksonville, Alabama.
The 2018 Jacksonville State Gamecocks football team represented Jacksonville State University as a member of the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) during the 2018 NCAA Division I FCS football season. Led by fifth-year head coach John Grass, the Gamecocks compiled an overall record of 9–4, with a mark of 7–1 conference play, winning the OVC title for the fifth consecutive season. Jacksonville State received the OVC's automatic bid to the NCAA Division I Football Championship playoff marking the program's sixth straight trip to the FCS playoffs. The Gamecocks defeated East Tennessee State in the first round before losing to Maine in the second round. The team played home games at Burgess–Snow Field at JSU Stadium in Jacksonville, Alabama.
The 2018 Southeast Missouri State Redhawks football team represented Southeast Missouri State University as a member of the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) during the 2018 NCAA Division I FCS football season. Led by fifth-year head coach Tom Matukewicz, the Redhawks compiled an overall record of 9–4 with a mark of 6–2 in conference play, placing second in the OVC. Southeast Missouri State received an at-large bid to the NCAA Division I Football Championship playoffs, where they defeated Stony Brook in the first round before losing to Weber State in the second round. The team played home games at Houck Stadium in Cape Girardeau, Missouri.
The 2019 Southeast Missouri State Redhawks football team represented Southeast Missouri State University as a member of the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) during the 2019 NCAA Division I FCS football season. Led by sixth-year head coach Tom Matukewicz, the Redhawks compiled an overall record of 9–4 with a mark of 7–1 in conference play, sharing the OVC title with Austin Peay. Southeast Missouri State received an at-large bid to the NCAA Division I Football Championship playoffs, where the Redhawks lost to Illinois State in the first round. The team played home games at Houck Stadium in Cape Girardeau, Missouri.
The 2020 Jacksonville State Gamecocks football team represented Jacksonville State University as a member of the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) during the 2020–21 NCAA Division I FCS football season. Led by seventh-year head coach John Grass, the Gamecocks compiled an overall record of 10–3, with a mark of 6–1 conference play, winning the OVC title. Jacksonville State received the OVC's automatic bid to the NCAA Division I Football Championship. The Gamecocks defeated Davidson in the first round before losing to Delaware in the quarterfinals. The team played home games at Burgess–Snow Field at JSU Stadium in Jacksonville, Alabama.
The 2022 Southeast Missouri State Redhawks football team represented Southeast Missouri State University (SEMO) as a member of the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) during the 2022 NCAA Division I FCS football season. Led by ninth-year head coach Tom Matukewicz, the Redhawks played their home games at Houck Stadium in Cape Girardeau, Missouri.
The 2022 UT Martin Skyhawks football team represented University of Tennessee at Martin as a member of the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) during the 2022 NCAA Division I FCS football season. They were led by 17th-year head coach Jason Simpson and played their games at Graham Stadium in Martin, Tennessee.
The 2009 Jacksonville State Gamecocks football team represented Jacksonville State University as a member of the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) during the 2009 NCAA Division I FCS football season. Led by tenth-year head coach Jack Crowe, the Gamecocks compiled an overall record of 8–3 with a mark of 6–1 in conference, finishing first in the OVC. However, Jacksonville State was ineligible for the conference championship and the NCAA Division I Football Championship playoffs due to Academic Progress Rate (APR) violations. Eastern Illinois won the OVC title and earned the conference's automatic bid to the playoffs. Jacksonville State played home games at Paul Snow Stadium in Jacksonville, Alabama.
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 midwestern, southern, and Northeast U.S. with member institutions located in Illinois, Missouri, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, and Tennessee.
The 2023 Lindenwood football team will represent Lindenwood University as a member of the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) in the 2023 NCAA Division I FCS football season. Led by sixth-year head coach Jed Stugart, the Lions play home games at Harlen C. Hunter Stadium in St. Charles, Missouri.
