OVC moves football to spring; teams can play 4 fall non-league games

The Ohio Valley Conference has made its decision for fall sports.

In-conference competition for all fall sports, including football, has been pushed to the spring. The conference is allowing its teams to play four non-conference games this fall. The OVC made the announcement Friday evening.

Football, men’s and women’s cross country, women’s soccer and women’s volleyball are the postponed sports. Football is the lone sport that has the option to play non-conference games in the fall because some schools already have contractual games, whether it be an FBS or FCS opponent.

“While we understand there are many student-athletes, families and communities that are disappointed by the lack of conference competition this fall, and we deeply share that disappointment; it is the OVC’s ardent intention to ensure seasons postponed are not seasons canceled if the facts support it,” OVC Commissioner Beth DeBauche said in the release. “I want to thank our student-athletes and coaches for their resilience during these trying times, our staff and administrators for all their hard work and planning over the past five months, and the presidents and chancellors for their strong and principled leadership over this outstanding Conference.”

With this development, Jacksonville State currently has one game scheduled this fall — at North Alabama. The game was set for Sept. 12, but it will now be played in October. A date has not been set.

The Gamecocks’ other two non-conference games have either been postponed to a date not yet set (at FIU) or canceled (host Southern Louisiana).