And here we are...the final six conferences. What would be considered the Power Six. With these next two conferences, you will get a sense of a bit of a theme and parallel. Along with the Southland, the OVC is a conference in which it is looking for a higher standing. Meaning, it is need of a deeper, more impactful season. In recent memory, it has been looked from the outside as a lower tier conference and while teams have performed well during the regular season, come playoff time OVC teams fall short.
Placement Reasoning
This one is pretty simple...its the weakest of the Power Six conferences. Looking at the game results from the conference from the last few years you see a common theme. OVC teams tend to have a combination of blowouts (for and against) versus non-FCS, FBS, and low tier FCS programs while having a less than favorable record versus some of the upper-level FCS programs. In addition, over the past few years, when you look at the conference, its been Eastern Illinois and more recently Jacksonville State who have been top-ranked teams and then it's who? Eastern Kentucky? Austin Peay? Murray State? UT-Martin? That gap in teams from the elite to good to average to bad is steeper in the OVC than any other Power Six conference
2017 Recap
Yea we get to talk about Austin Peay one more time...one of the most "out of nowhere" seasons in recent memory. The Governors (sweet nickname for the record) won 8 games for the first time since 1977, its first winning record since 2007, only the third time it's won 6 conference games, and set a school record for most points scored in a season...it was absolutely bonkers what they pulled off. Oh yeah...and was wrongly kept out of the playoffs because of their three losses to FBS competition.
Elsewhere...Jacksonville State continued its dominance over the conference as it ran its streak to 33 consecutive conference wins. But once again fell flat in the playoff as it lost at home to Kennesaw St. (an instant rivalry was born that day). Then there is the muck of the middle of the conference. Teams like E. Illinois, Tenn St., and UT-Martin all finished at 6-5 with a mixed bag non-conference slate with Tenn St falling flat in conference play after a 3-0 start (a win over Georgia State included). Towards the bottom of the conference Eastern Kentucky had a disappointing 4-7 record, SEMO and Murray State finished 3-8 and a victory versus Tenn St saved Tenn Tech from a winless season
Playoff/National Championship Contenders
As the conference at the bottom of the Power Six, it features teams stuck in the mid-card of the FCS hierarchy. And while Jacksonville St has received top seeds during its run, the early exits have put the conference as a whole on the bottom rung of national championship contenders. With that said, it has a potential to be an interesting conference race with a multi-bid conference a possibility
The Favorite
Jacksonville State
With 33 straight conference wins, it's hard to put anyone other than the Gamecocks at the top of the list. Unlike previous years, the waters seem to be turning red around them and with substantial senior losses (seven first-team all-conference selections) the rest of the conference smells blood. And with a schedule that features non-conference games versus North Carolina A&T and Kennesaw St. to bookend the year, traversing the waters will not be as easy as previous years. And while a conference title seems likely, a national title seems to be just out of reach unless they shake past performances.
The Contenders
Austin Peay
While the obvious question "was 2017 a fluke?" will circle around, the Governors look set up for sustained success. While still overall young, most pieces from last years team return to avenge the committee's playoff snub. The schedule, unfortunately, sees them travel for five of the first seven games including to Jacksonville St and UT-Martin to begin OVC play. As for national championship aspirations, this team is talented, but for the time being a team a few rungs below the big boys
Eastern Illinois
It wasn't too long ago we talked about the Panthers in the same breath we talked about the Gamecocks...but the times have changed as Eastern has fallen a couple rungs but are still one who can compete for a conference title. With a new offensive coordinator and a three-way quarterback competition, Eastern has questions to answer in order to challenge Austin Peay and Jacksonville St.
UT-Martin
Last year's favorite to unseat Jacksonville fell flat after a mid-season three-game losing streak took them out of any challenge of a conference championship. This season expectations have been lowered but after an impressive five-game, end of season performance from then true freshman Dresser Winn, there is hope in Martin. Trips to JSU, EIU, and always dangerous Tenn St. make for a tough conference slate
Teams to add/subtract
Of all the conferences in FCS, this one has the most possibilities. With a more centralized conference map, there are a lot of creative ways to shape this conference around to make interesting combinations and make for an even more competitive group without sacrificing much in the way of geographical footprint or rationale
Adding: Dayton (Pioneer), Morehead State (Pioneer), IPFW (Summit League)
Once again the Pioneer gets raided and Dayton has another potential home. This says two things, one a lot of the Pioneer programs are in prime locations and positions to be scooped up and two, Dayton is the most attractive of the bunch.
Morehead State makes a ton of sense because, well, it is an OVC member in every other sport outside of football. Competitively, it wouldn't be a huge leap to joining the OVC as a football member. And it's not like teams from the conference aren't already scheduling the Eagles.
Now IPFW is an interesting case. Firstoff...it already has one of the best, unique nicknames with Mastadons and would be top five in the FCS. More importantly, Ft, Wayne is in a space where not a competition exists. Yes, Ball State and Notre Dame exist on the FBS level but they are both over an hour away. The nearest FCS school would be Valpo or Dayton and would have a very rich crop of high school talent from seven major cities, all within about 4 to 5 hours. Of course, the major hurdle of building a football stadium would hover over but both on and off campus options exist.
There was a thought of adding other schools like Butler, Indian State, SIU-E, and the University of Indianapolis but for one reason or another, the trigger wasn't pulled. One thought about the Greyhounds, it is one of those Divison II teams to keep an eye on in the upcoming years. Even couple we get one or two, talk about the possibility of making the move and if more FCS schools make the move to FBS don't be surprised if U of Indy is near the top of the list.
Subtracting: Jacksonville State (to the Big South)
Wait, say what? Yes I know to dump the bell cow of the conference would be odd but hear me out. First off, there is EIU and up-and-coming Austin Peay that can take over the head of the table. Secondly, a shakeup like this would only happen if/when another conference shuffle happens. Jacksonville State `would walk into a situation where it not only be at or near the top of the conference but would also have a yearly battle with next door neighbor Kennesaw State.
Best/Worst
I was really looking forward to tacking this conference and it really didn't disappoint. A lot of hard decisions, especially when it came to the uniforms and the nicknames
Stadium
Best - JSU Stadium
Two main reasons for this one being at the top of the heap. First reason, in terms of looks and updates its the best of the bunch. It takes aspects of what makes the other stadiums good and doubles down on them in almost every case. Secondly...not only is it an on-campus stadium (huge in my book) but also the first four floors of the press box are used as dorm rooms. How freaking cool and unique is that? I'd have to look but I don't think anywhere else you can say that.
Worst - Roy Stewart Stadium (Murray St)
The problem with this offering is that at the end of the day it is too open. With only one side of stands, and those being way too high, it just doesn't give off any type of home field vibe. And if I'm putting my broadcasting hat on for a second, it would be a nightmare to shoot a game because of the different levels. Overall just a boring, blah stadium that reminds me of one of the worst places I've ever had to play a football game in
Logo and Nickname
Best - UT-Martin Skyhawks and Murray St Racers
In a league with some of the best nicknames and logos in all of FCS this one was really hard and at the end of the day, I couldn't really choose between the two. The Skyhawks is such a unique nickname and the story behind it is pretty interesting. And the Skyhawk logo is pretty damn cool. Murray St is just as unique as a rebranding of the of logo happened about five years ago and turned it into a more sleek, cooler version that puts it at the top of the list.
Worst - Tenn State Tigers
So when you have a plain jane nickname in a conference like this, you have to have a logo that stands out. While Eastern Illinois and Tenn Tech both have pretty basic nicknames, they both have logos that make up for it and stand out. This, unfortunately, is not the case for the Tigers. Yea, the tiger looks scary but put up against other logos in the conference, plus other schools who use the tiger nickname it falls short of the mark.
Uniforms
Best - Southeast Missouri
You would think with some pretty damn unique and inventive nicknames and logos that the uniforms would follow suit...not the case. Its an array of bland, almost blocky versions of uniform combos that remind you more of other schools. But SEMO has the best of the bunch. What stands out is how the red and black are used on both the pants and jersey so its just not all one color on either. And the road unis are the same even with the addition of white
Worst - Tenn Tech/UT-Martin
Yes, both uniforms are very nice. They use the school colors well and aren't some bland, run of the mill junk. But when you see them, don't they remind you of a couple other bigger school? Being a near carbon copy of Auburn and LSU instantly drop these to the bottom of the pile
2018 Outlook
The big question for the OVC is if someone can knock off Jacksonville State. The contenders are lining up and with a lot of turnover, the Gamecocks are vulnerable more then they have been the last four years. The team that comes to mind as the best equipped to knock them off is Austin Peay, but they have their own question floating overhead and recent memory has not been too kind to pop-up success stories the year after (Portland St comes to mind). Once again this should be a top-heavy conference but with a lot of intrigue, especially the closer we get to playoff time.
Up next, the other conference with tons of unfulfilled expectations, the Southland
Placement Reasoning
This one is pretty simple...its the weakest of the Power Six conferences. Looking at the game results from the conference from the last few years you see a common theme. OVC teams tend to have a combination of blowouts (for and against) versus non-FCS, FBS, and low tier FCS programs while having a less than favorable record versus some of the upper-level FCS programs. In addition, over the past few years, when you look at the conference, its been Eastern Illinois and more recently Jacksonville State who have been top-ranked teams and then it's who? Eastern Kentucky? Austin Peay? Murray State? UT-Martin? That gap in teams from the elite to good to average to bad is steeper in the OVC than any other Power Six conference
2017 Recap
Yea we get to talk about Austin Peay one more time...one of the most "out of nowhere" seasons in recent memory. The Governors (sweet nickname for the record) won 8 games for the first time since 1977, its first winning record since 2007, only the third time it's won 6 conference games, and set a school record for most points scored in a season...it was absolutely bonkers what they pulled off. Oh yeah...and was wrongly kept out of the playoffs because of their three losses to FBS competition.
Elsewhere...Jacksonville State continued its dominance over the conference as it ran its streak to 33 consecutive conference wins. But once again fell flat in the playoff as it lost at home to Kennesaw St. (an instant rivalry was born that day). Then there is the muck of the middle of the conference. Teams like E. Illinois, Tenn St., and UT-Martin all finished at 6-5 with a mixed bag non-conference slate with Tenn St falling flat in conference play after a 3-0 start (a win over Georgia State included). Towards the bottom of the conference Eastern Kentucky had a disappointing 4-7 record, SEMO and Murray State finished 3-8 and a victory versus Tenn St saved Tenn Tech from a winless season
Playoff/National Championship Contenders
As the conference at the bottom of the Power Six, it features teams stuck in the mid-card of the FCS hierarchy. And while Jacksonville St has received top seeds during its run, the early exits have put the conference as a whole on the bottom rung of national championship contenders. With that said, it has a potential to be an interesting conference race with a multi-bid conference a possibility
The Favorite
Jacksonville State
With 33 straight conference wins, it's hard to put anyone other than the Gamecocks at the top of the list. Unlike previous years, the waters seem to be turning red around them and with substantial senior losses (seven first-team all-conference selections) the rest of the conference smells blood. And with a schedule that features non-conference games versus North Carolina A&T and Kennesaw St. to bookend the year, traversing the waters will not be as easy as previous years. And while a conference title seems likely, a national title seems to be just out of reach unless they shake past performances.
The Contenders
Austin Peay
While the obvious question "was 2017 a fluke?" will circle around, the Governors look set up for sustained success. While still overall young, most pieces from last years team return to avenge the committee's playoff snub. The schedule, unfortunately, sees them travel for five of the first seven games including to Jacksonville St and UT-Martin to begin OVC play. As for national championship aspirations, this team is talented, but for the time being a team a few rungs below the big boys
Eastern Illinois
It wasn't too long ago we talked about the Panthers in the same breath we talked about the Gamecocks...but the times have changed as Eastern has fallen a couple rungs but are still one who can compete for a conference title. With a new offensive coordinator and a three-way quarterback competition, Eastern has questions to answer in order to challenge Austin Peay and Jacksonville St.
UT-Martin
Last year's favorite to unseat Jacksonville fell flat after a mid-season three-game losing streak took them out of any challenge of a conference championship. This season expectations have been lowered but after an impressive five-game, end of season performance from then true freshman Dresser Winn, there is hope in Martin. Trips to JSU, EIU, and always dangerous Tenn St. make for a tough conference slate
Teams to add/subtract
Of all the conferences in FCS, this one has the most possibilities. With a more centralized conference map, there are a lot of creative ways to shape this conference around to make interesting combinations and make for an even more competitive group without sacrificing much in the way of geographical footprint or rationale
Adding: Dayton (Pioneer), Morehead State (Pioneer), IPFW (Summit League)
Once again the Pioneer gets raided and Dayton has another potential home. This says two things, one a lot of the Pioneer programs are in prime locations and positions to be scooped up and two, Dayton is the most attractive of the bunch.
Morehead State makes a ton of sense because, well, it is an OVC member in every other sport outside of football. Competitively, it wouldn't be a huge leap to joining the OVC as a football member. And it's not like teams from the conference aren't already scheduling the Eagles.
Now IPFW is an interesting case. Firstoff...it already has one of the best, unique nicknames with Mastadons and would be top five in the FCS. More importantly, Ft, Wayne is in a space where not a competition exists. Yes, Ball State and Notre Dame exist on the FBS level but they are both over an hour away. The nearest FCS school would be Valpo or Dayton and would have a very rich crop of high school talent from seven major cities, all within about 4 to 5 hours. Of course, the major hurdle of building a football stadium would hover over but both on and off campus options exist.
There was a thought of adding other schools like Butler, Indian State, SIU-E, and the University of Indianapolis but for one reason or another, the trigger wasn't pulled. One thought about the Greyhounds, it is one of those Divison II teams to keep an eye on in the upcoming years. Even couple we get one or two, talk about the possibility of making the move and if more FCS schools make the move to FBS don't be surprised if U of Indy is near the top of the list.
Subtracting: Jacksonville State (to the Big South)
Wait, say what? Yes I know to dump the bell cow of the conference would be odd but hear me out. First off, there is EIU and up-and-coming Austin Peay that can take over the head of the table. Secondly, a shakeup like this would only happen if/when another conference shuffle happens. Jacksonville State `would walk into a situation where it not only be at or near the top of the conference but would also have a yearly battle with next door neighbor Kennesaw State.
Best/Worst
I was really looking forward to tacking this conference and it really didn't disappoint. A lot of hard decisions, especially when it came to the uniforms and the nicknames
Stadium
Best - JSU Stadium
Two main reasons for this one being at the top of the heap. First reason, in terms of looks and updates its the best of the bunch. It takes aspects of what makes the other stadiums good and doubles down on them in almost every case. Secondly...not only is it an on-campus stadium (huge in my book) but also the first four floors of the press box are used as dorm rooms. How freaking cool and unique is that? I'd have to look but I don't think anywhere else you can say that.
Worst - Roy Stewart Stadium (Murray St)
The problem with this offering is that at the end of the day it is too open. With only one side of stands, and those being way too high, it just doesn't give off any type of home field vibe. And if I'm putting my broadcasting hat on for a second, it would be a nightmare to shoot a game because of the different levels. Overall just a boring, blah stadium that reminds me of one of the worst places I've ever had to play a football game in
Logo and Nickname
Best - UT-Martin Skyhawks and Murray St Racers
In a league with some of the best nicknames and logos in all of FCS this one was really hard and at the end of the day, I couldn't really choose between the two. The Skyhawks is such a unique nickname and the story behind it is pretty interesting. And the Skyhawk logo is pretty damn cool. Murray St is just as unique as a rebranding of the of logo happened about five years ago and turned it into a more sleek, cooler version that puts it at the top of the list.
Worst - Tenn State Tigers
So when you have a plain jane nickname in a conference like this, you have to have a logo that stands out. While Eastern Illinois and Tenn Tech both have pretty basic nicknames, they both have logos that make up for it and stand out. This, unfortunately, is not the case for the Tigers. Yea, the tiger looks scary but put up against other logos in the conference, plus other schools who use the tiger nickname it falls short of the mark.
Uniforms
Best - Southeast Missouri
You would think with some pretty damn unique and inventive nicknames and logos that the uniforms would follow suit...not the case. Its an array of bland, almost blocky versions of uniform combos that remind you more of other schools. But SEMO has the best of the bunch. What stands out is how the red and black are used on both the pants and jersey so its just not all one color on either. And the road unis are the same even with the addition of white
Worst - Tenn Tech/UT-Martin
Yes, both uniforms are very nice. They use the school colors well and aren't some bland, run of the mill junk. But when you see them, don't they remind you of a couple other bigger school? Being a near carbon copy of Auburn and LSU instantly drop these to the bottom of the pile
2018 Outlook
The big question for the OVC is if someone can knock off Jacksonville State. The contenders are lining up and with a lot of turnover, the Gamecocks are vulnerable more then they have been the last four years. The team that comes to mind as the best equipped to knock them off is Austin Peay, but they have their own question floating overhead and recent memory has not been too kind to pop-up success stories the year after (Portland St comes to mind). Once again this should be a top-heavy conference but with a lot of intrigue, especially the closer we get to playoff time.
Up next, the other conference with tons of unfulfilled expectations, the Southland
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