2026 OVC Football - Week 0

[ST_Lawson]

Here are the other games being played across the OVC this week. All games on ESPN+ and listed in central time.

8/27 at 6 PM - Eastern Illinois at Murray State
8/27 at 6 PM - Gardner-Webb at Austin Peay
8/27 at 6 PM - Charleston Southern at Lindenwood
8/27 at 6:30 PM - Central Arkansas at UT Martin
8/29 at 5 PM - Southeast Missouri State at Indiana State
8/29 at 7:30 PM - Jackson State at Tennessee State

For anyone still curious what our old conference-mates from the MVFC are doing:
8/27 at 5 PM - Mercyhurst at Youngstown State
8/27 at 6 PM - Southern Illinois at West Florida
8/27 at 7 PM - Long Island University at North Dakota
8/29 at 1 PM - Central Connecticut at South Dakota
8/29 at 6 PM - NAIA St. Francis (IL) at Illinois State
8/29 at 6 PM - Stetson at South Dakota State

And in their first game as an FBS, North Dakota State hosts Jacksonville State at 4:30 PM on 8/29 (CBSSN). I don't plan on posting about NDSU all season, but just thought I'd mention their first one.

[ST_Lawson]

For the Thursday OVC games:
Eastern Illinois beat Murray State, 28-14
Austin Peay beat Gardner-Webb, 35-17
Lindenwood beat Charleston Southern, 20-17
Central Arkansas beat UT Martin, 36-24

also our MVFC friends...
Youngstown State beat Mercyhurst, 43-10
North Dakota beat Long Island University, 42-21
Newly FCS team (and recent D2 powerhouse) West Florida took down Southern Illinois, 34-31

There were a number of lower-division over FCS upsets last night (so it's nice we weren't one of them):
Our week 4 opponent, Morehead State lost to D2 Ohio Dominican, 42-40 in 3 OTs
Drake lost to D2 South Dakota Mines, 38-35
Davidson lost to D2 Concord University, 41-35
And maybe for the first time (it's unclear if it's ever happened before) a scholarship FCS team lost to a NAIA school, as Northwestern State lost to NAIA Louisiana Christian, 42-37
Apparently four lower-division over FCS upsets is more than happened in all of last year total.

[ST_Lawson]

And maybe for the first time (it's unclear if it's ever happened before) a scholarship FCS team lost to a NAIA school, as Northwestern State lost to NAIA Louisiana Christian, 42-37

Someone on Reddit did some reasearch, and it's far from the only time that's happened (and apparently it even happened to us). Here's the list of what they were able to dig up:

• 1979 Presbyterian defeats The Citadel 21-13
• 1988 Mesa State defeats Montana State 41-10
• 1993 St Ambrose defeats Western Illinois 27-25
• 2003 Edward Waters defeats Savannah State 34-28
• 2005 St Francis (IN) defeats Indiana State 42-10
• 2007 Edward Waters defeats Savannah State 24-7
• 2009 Sioux Falls defeats North Dakota 28-13 (UND was in transition from D2 to FCS, but was playing an FCS schedule)
• 2009 Webber International defeats Savannah State 35-20
• 2010 Lambuth defeats Georgia State 35-20
• 2011 St Francis (IL) defeats Georgia State 30-27 (OT)
• 2026 Louisiana Christian defeats Northwestern State 42-37