The Big South and the Ohio Valley Conference are separate in all sports except football, but since only nine of the schools in the two conferences have football, they have put together an association for football that features an eight-game conference schedule. Start winning with the College Football Betting on the Big South-OVC Conference!
The teams are Charleston Southern, Eastern Illinois, Gardner-Webb, Lindenwood, Western Illinois, UT Martin, Southeast Missouri, Tennessee State, and Tennessee Tech. This association is part of the FCS, so there is no championship game; last year’s co-champions were Gardner-Webb and UT Martin.
Both finished conference play at 5-1, as there were only six conference games in the 2023 schedule, and Gardner-Webb advanced to the FCS playoffs due to their head-to-head win over UT Martin during regular-season play. Let’s look at the composite schedule and discuss some insights about the league that will help you plan your College Football Betting.
College Football Betting On Best Matchups in Big South-OVC Football | NCAAF Odds
Saturday, September 7
- UT Martin at Southeast Missouri
Saturday, September 21
- Tennessee State at Tennessee Tech
Saturday, September 28
- Charleston Southern at Tennessee State
- Lindenwood at Eastern Illinois
- Tennessee Tech at Gardner-Webb
Saturday, October 5
- Western Illinois at Charleston Southern
- Southeast Missouri at Eastern Illinois
- Gardner-Webb at UT Martin
- Tennessee State at Lindenwood
Saturday, October 12
- Charleston Southern at Lindenwood
- Eastern Illinois at Tennessee State
- Tennessee Tech at Southeast Missouri
- UT Martin at Western Illinois
Saturday, October 19
- Southeast Missouri at Charleston, Southern
- Lindenwood at Gardner-Webb
- Tennessee Tech at Western Illinois
Saturday, October 26
- Charleston Southern at Tennessee Tech
- Eastern Illinois at UT Martin
- Gardner-Webb at Southeast Missouri
- Western Illinois at Lindenwood
Saturday, November 2
- Gardner-Webb at Charleston Southern
- Western Illinois at Eastern Illinois
- Lindenwood at Tennessee Tech
- UT Martin at Tennessee State
Saturday, November 9
- UT Martin at Charleston Southern
- Eastern Illinois at Gardner-Webb
- Southeast Missouri at Lindenwood
- Tennessee State at Western Illinois
Saturday, November 16
- Charleston Southern at Eastern Illinois
- Tennessee State at Gardner-Webb
- Western Illinois at Southeast Missouri
- Tennessee Tech at UT Martin
Saturday, November 23
- Eastern Illinois at Tennessee Tech
- Gardner-Webb at Western Illinois
- Lindenwood at UT Martin
- Southeast Missouri at Tennessee State
Betting College Football Big South-OVC Quarterbacks
On October 5, Gardner-Webb plays UT Martin in a matchup of the league’s co-champions from 2023. In the FCS Coaches’ Poll, UT Martin ranks 23rd, and in the same way Gardner-Webb didn’t make the Top 25, they did receive 11 votes, three behind Harvard.
For the most part, Eastern Illinois comes in at #25 in the FCS Coaches’ Poll; they play Gardner-Webb on November 9 and UT Martin on October 26.
There are several quarterbacks in the Big South-OVC that are expected to post big numbers this season. Paxton DeLaurent from Southeast Missouri ranks #8 in HERO Sports’ preseason rankings for signal-callers at the FCS level.
He didn’t finish the 2023 campaign due to a shoulder injury, but he is expecting to return at full strength. He’s also serving as a counselor at the Manning Passing Academy, a position given based on insights from NFL scouts, so he’s clearly being looked at by the pro teams.
He threw for 1,792 yards with an 11:2 TD:INT ratio in seven games, including a 358-yard performance with three touchdowns in a barnburner of a loss at Eastern Kentucky.
Bet NCAA Football Eastern Illinois
Eastern Illinois’ Pierce Holley is ranked #14 among FCS quarterbacks by HERO Sports. He was named the Big South-OVC Offensive Player of the Week twice during the 2023 campaign. The second time, he led EIU to a 25-24 victory over Bryant in overtime.
Holly ran for three touchdowns as well as the two-point conversion to win the game in overtime. He went 21 of 29 for 244 yards through the air and ran for 19 more. For the season, he threw for 2,723 yards with a 17:7 TD:INT ratio and a 60.8 pass completion rate.
Eastern Illinois also has the top-ranked tailback in FCS for 2024 according to HERO Sports, as M.J. Flowers sits at #21 on that list. Last year, Flowers had a terrific redshirt freshman season, with multiple 200+ yard games on the ground. In the team’s 30-17 win over Tennessee State, he rumbled for 201 yards and four touchdowns.
2⃣0⃣2⃣4⃣
— Big South-OVC Football Association (@BigSouthOVCFB) January 9, 2024
☑️9 Association Teams
☑️8-Game League Schedules
Full details: https://t.co/XwbOnW4C3D#StrongerTogether | #BigSouthOVCFB pic.twitter.com/ptdN6Y96WD
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