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.
The NCAA Division I Football Championship is an annual post-season college football game, played since 2006, used to determine a national champion of the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS). From 1978 to 2005, the game was known as the NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship.
The Richmond Spiders are a college football team representing the University of Richmond in Richmond, Virginia. Richmond was the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision champion for the 2008 season. Richmond competes in CAA Football, a legally separate football league operated by the multi-sports Coastal Athletic Association that competes in the NCAA's Division I Football Championship Subdivision. Former University of Tennessee at Chattanooga head coach Russ Huesman was named head coach of the Spiders, on December 14, 2016, replacing Danny Rocco who had departed to become head coach at the University of Delaware a day earlier.
The Illinois State Redbirds football program is the intercollegiate American football team for Illinois State University located in the U.S. state of Illinois. The team competes in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) and are members of the Missouri Valley Football Conference. The school's first football team was fielded in 1887. The team plays its home games at the 13,391 seat Hancock Stadium. They are coached by Brock Spack.
The Northern Iowa Panthers football represents the University of Northern Iowa in college football at the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) level as member of the Missouri Valley Football Conference (MVFC). The program began in 1895 and has fielded a team every year since with the exceptions of 1906–1907 and 1943–1944. The Panthers play their home games at the UNI-Dome on the campus of the University of Northern Iowa, in Cedar Falls, Iowa.
The Eastern Kentucky Colonels football program represents Eastern Kentucky University (EKU) in college football, competing at the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) level as a member of the United Athletic Conference (UAC). The school has traditionally had much success on the football field, having won 21 OVC conference titles and two Division I FCS National Championships in 1979 and 1982, and reaching the finals in 1980 and 1981. Much of the success came during the long tenure of head coach Roy Kidd from 1964 to 2002. In 1990, Eastern honored Kidd by naming the school's football stadium Roy Kidd Stadium. Eastern Kentucky's football team was able to secure 31 consecutive winning seasons before finally posting a losing season record in 2009.
The Southern Illinois Salukis football program represents Southern Illinois University Carbondale in college football. The Salukis are a member of the NCAA and compete at the Division I Football Championship Subdivision level. The Salukis are a member of the Missouri Valley Football Conference and play in Saluki Stadium on the campus of Southern Illinois University Carbondale in Carbondale, Illinois, which has a seating capacity of 15,000.
The Butler Bulldogs football program is the intercollegiate American football team for Butler University located in the U.S. state of Indiana. The team competes in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) and are members of the Pioneer Football League. Butler's first football team was fielded in 1887. The team plays its home games at the 7,500 seat Bud and Jackie Sellick Bowl in Indianapolis. The Bulldogs are coached by Mike Uremovich.
The Morehead State Eagles are the athletic teams that represent Morehead State University (MSU), located in Morehead, Kentucky, United States, in intercollegiate sports as a member of the NCAA Division I ranks, primarily competing in the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) since the 1948–49 academic year; while its football team competes in the Pioneer Football League (PFL). The Eagles previously competed in the Kentucky Intercollegiate Athletic Conference of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) from 1933–34 to 1947–48; and in the defunct West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WVIAC) from 1929–30 to 1932–33.
The Chattanooga Mocs football program is the intercollegiate college football team for the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. The team competes in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) and are members of the Southern Conference. The school's first football team was fielded in 1904. The team plays its home games at the 20,668 seat Finley Stadium. They are coached by UTC alumni, Rusty Wright. He was an assistant coach under Russ Huesman.
The Indiana State Sycamores football team is the NCAA Division I football program of Indiana State University in Terre Haute, Indiana. They compete in the Missouri Valley Football Conference. The team last played in the NCAA Playoffs in the 2014 NCAA Division I Football Championship. Their first season was 1896. The Sycamore's greatest season was 1983, when coach Dennis Raetz led them to the 2nd round of the 1983 NCAA Division I Football Championship and ended the season with a record of 9–4. The Sycamores also appeared in the 1984 and 2014 NCAA Division I Football Championship playoffs. The Indiana State Sycamores play their home games at Memorial Stadium, which seats 12,764.
The Dayton Flyers football program is the intercollegiate American football team for the University of Dayton located in the U.S. state of Ohio. The team competes in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) and are members of the Pioneer Football League. Dayton's first football team was fielded in 1905. The team plays its home games at the 11,000 seat Welcome Stadium in Dayton, Ohio. The Flyers are coached by Trevor Andrews.
The Jacksonville Dolphins football program was the intercollegiate American football team for Jacksonville University located in the U.S. state of Florida. The team competed in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) and were members of the Pioneer Football League. The team played its home games at the 5,000 seat D. B. Milne Field in Jacksonville, Florida. On December 3, 2019, the university announced it would discontinue its football program, effective immediately.
The North Carolina Central Eagles football program is a college football team representing North Carolina Central University. The Eagles play at the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) level as a member of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference.
The Sam Houston Bearkats football program is the intercollegiate American football team for Sam Houston State University located in the U.S. state of Texas. The team competes in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) as a member of the Conference USA. Sam Houston's first football team was fielded in 1912. The team plays its home games at the 12,593-seat Bowers Stadium in Huntsville, Texas. On January 23, 2014, K. C. Keeler was named the 15th head coach in Sam Houston program history.
The Valparaiso Beacons football program is the intercollegiate American football team for Valparaiso University located in the U.S. state of Indiana. The team competes in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) as a member of the Pioneer Football League (PFL). Valparaiso's first football team was fielded in 1919. The team plays its home games at the 5,000-seat Brown Field in Valparaiso, Indiana. Landon Fox has served as the team's head coach since 2019. Valparaiso was known as the Crusaders through the 2019 season.
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.
