While I am pretty sure Lindenwood’s announcement today will be they are going D-1 and joining the OVC, that only gets the conference to 10 with 6 football schools. There has been talk of OVC trying to get Ark. Pine Bluff which would be a travel partner for Little Rock and an HBCU for Tennessee St. Could the league convince Kentucky St (another HBCU) to move up to D-1 and maybe make it more appealing? They kicked the tires last year about joining MEAC, and this would get the conference to 12 with 8 FB schools.

Chicago State badly needs a conference home, and that would bring a big market into the OVC. They don't have football, but they are essentially an HBCU.

(03-16-2022 08:28 AM)MICHAELSPAPPY Wrote:  Chicago State badly needs a conference home, and that would bring a big market into the OVC. They don't have football, but they are essentially an HBCU.

As bad as Chicago State is, I believe this could be a good move for the OVC. My thought would be to waive their entrance fee and admit them for a trial period of 4-5 years. In that time, make significant improvements in their teams or investments into the athletic programs with the savings they should see in travel at minimum. In the timeframe, have them work on bringing back baseball or investing in football to start it up. At the end of the trial run, have them show what they have done something to improve and possibly admit them full time. You can also give wiggle room if football was implemented to be non-scholarship to start but have a timeline to be scholarship in a certain amount of time and offer another trial run.

The recruiting pool of Chicago could help the conference as a whole. This is why MVC is constantly adding a lackluster Chicago school to their conference to keep a presence.