Welcome back, college football fans, as the GCR is trying to catch up after a couple of really busy weeks. Today we are focusing on the conference with the 15th most challenging schedule (4th in the FCS) mostly due to challenging road schedules. Seven games against Core 4 (used to be Power 5) teams including Georgia, Florida St, Kansas, Kansas St, Illinois, and Northwestern, six against Group of 5 teams including Middle Tennessee, James Madison, Charlotte, Kennesaw St, and N Illinois, and a few FCS powerhouses such as North Dakota St, Furman, and Richmond put the 9-team Big South/Ohio Valley Conference in the top 5 FCS conferences. Of course, they may not win any of the non-conference games, but they are putting themselves out there.
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This conference started out as an alliance between the two named conferences who shared a lone automatic bid to the FCS playoffs. Then, as conference realignment sent teams from both conferences elsewhere, neither had the required six members required for that auto-bid. So, they merged. Since last season, Bryant (to the Colonial) and Robert Morris (to the Northeast) shifted out and the BSOV welcomed winless in 2023 W Illinois from the Missouri Valley Conference.
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In the table below, (D) indicates the lone non-division I opponent for the BSOV in 2024, (F) indicates a non-conference FCS foe, (G) indicates a Group of 5 [Pac-2, American, Conference USA, Independent, MAC, Moutain West, or Sun Belt) team, (4) indicates a Core 4 [ACC, Big 12, Big Ten, SEC, Notre Dame) challenge, and (N) indicates a neutral site game. I present to you the 2024 Big South/Ohio Valley Conference.
| Team | 2023 Record (Rank) | 2024 PS SOS (Rank) | Home Games | Away/Neutral Games | Opp 2023 Rec |
| Charleston Buccaneers (1) | 4-7 (214) | 3.80 (140) | (19-37/.339) Citadel (F), SEMO, W Illinois, Gardner Webb, Tennessee Martin | (53-30/.639) Florida St (4), Furman (F), Richmond (F), Tennessee St, Lindenwood, Tennessee Tech, E Illinois | 72-67 (.518) |
| Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles (2) | 4-7 (235) | 3.80 (141) | (26-28/.481) South Carolina St (F), Tennessee St, Charleston, Lindenwood, E Illinois | (36-45/.444) Georgia (4), Middle Tennessee (G), Gardner Webb, SEMO, W Illinois, Tennessee Martin | 62-73 (.459) |
| E Illinois Panthers (3) | 8-3 (152) | 3.23 (158) | (12-42/.222) Indiana St (F), Lindenwood, SEMO, W Illinois, SEMO | (43-37/.538) Illinois (4), Northwestern (4), Illinois St (F), Tennessee St, Tennessee Martin, Gardner Webb, Tennessee Tech | 55-79 (.410) |
| Lindenwood Lions (4) | 3-7 (258) | 2.30 (159) | (29-37/.439) C Arkansas (F), St Thomas (F), Tennessee St, Charleston, W Illinois, SEMO | (40-29/.580) Kansas (4), Missouri St (F), E Illinois, Gardner Webb, Tennessee Tech, Tennessee Martin | 69-66 (.511) |
| Gardner Webb Runnin’ Bulldogs (5) | 7-5 (170) | 2.95 (177) | (23-31/.426) Wofford (F), Tennessee Tech, Lindenwood, E Illinois, Tennessee St | (34-46/.425) James Madison (G), Charlotte (G), Presbyterian (F), Tennessee Martin, SEMO, Charleston, W Illinois | 57-77 (.425) |
| SEMO Redhawks (6) | 4-7 (215) | 2.87 (185) | (19-32/.373) Northwestern St (F), Tennessee Martin, Tennessee Tech, Gardner Webb, W Illinois | (42-40/.512) New Mexico St (G), N Alabama (FN), S Illinois (F), E Illinois, Charleston, Lindenwood, Tennessee St | 61-72 (.459) |
| W Illinois Leathernecks (7) | 0-11 (208) | 2.85 (190) | (30-26/.536) McKendree (D), Tennessee Martin, Tennessee Tech, Tennessee St, Gardner Webb | (35-44/.443) Indiana (4), N Illinois (G), Illinois St (F), Charleston, Lindenwood, E Illinois, SEMO | 65-70 (.481) |
| Tennessee Martin Skyhawks (8) | 8-3 (146) | 2.64 (195) | (25-30/.455) N Alabama (F), Gardner Webb, E Illinois, Tennessee Tech, Lindenwood | (30-47/.390) Kansas St (4), Kennesaw St (G), Missouri St (F), SEMO, W Illinois, Tennessee Tech, Charleston | 55-77 (.425) |
| Tennessee St Tigers (9) | 6-5 (192) | 2.03 (245) | (25-30/.455) Mississippi Valley (F), Charleston, E Illinois, Tennessee Martin, SEMO | (33-49/.402) Ark Pine Bluff (FN), North Dakota St (F), Howard (F), Tennessee Tech, Lindenwood, W Illinois, Gardner Webb | 58-79 (.423) |
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That’s it for today. Apologies for falling a few days behind, but with a post tomorrow, we will be back on schedule. Just three more FCS conferences and we move to the Group of 5. That means the season is getting closer every day (just 74 more days!). Camps will be kicking in gear pretty soon and, although there is very little cool about the weather right now, fall is just around the corner. Thank you for reading and especially sharing with others, G
