The football schedule for the Big South-OVC conference in 2024 has been formally released. On Saturday, September 7, South-east Missouri hosts UT Martin to kick up conference action.

The Big South Conference and the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) will play football together for the second year in a row under the name Big-South-OVC Football Association.

This summer, the Western Illinois Leathernecks will enter the league, while the Bryant Bulldogs and Robert Morris Colonials will both leave the conference. Along with returning Big South-OVC members Gardner-Webb, Lindenwood, South-east Missouri, Tennessee State, Tennessee Tech, and UT Martin, Western Illinois will also be a member.

The eight conference games that each Big South-OVC school plays will determine who automatically qualifies for the FCS Playoffs for the Big South-OVC.

Today’s Big South-OVC school announcements also disclosed two previously undisclosed non-conference contests, which are detailed below:

Western Illinois at McKendree (September 28) and Tennessee Tech at Samford (Nov. 9)

Seven of the nine Big South-OVC schools—Gardner-Webb and South-east Missouri being the only two that still have openings—seem to have all four of their non-conference games scheduled for 2024.

Glen Elarbee, the offensive line coach at Tennessee, faced criticism on social media earlier this week when some resentment erupted. Throughout this portal cycle, the Vols have been linked to a number of elite offensive lineman, but none of them have signed contracts. Although depth is a concern for Tennessee going into the 2024 season, they are still recruiting a few elite prospects.

The recruitment process and portal addictions, two factors that assistant coaches may not always have control over, are directly related to the discontent of Tennessee’s fan base. Even so, Elarbee led Tennessee in recruiting this cycle, bringing in a number of skilled offensive linemen who will likely contribute to the Vols in the future. All rankings are from the Composite of 247Sports.