By Thomas Corhern, TTU Sports Information
BRENTWOOD, Tenn. – The Big South Conference and the Ohio Valley Conference announced its joint football schedule for the 2023 campaign on Tuesday, the first year of the partnership between the two Football Championship Subdivision conferences.
As a part of the scheduling alliance, Tennessee Tech will see a road trip to Robert Morris, while hosting Gardner-Webb among the league contests.
In the agreement, the four Big South teams (Bryant, Charleston Southern, Gardner-Webb and Robert Morris) and the six Ohio Valley Conference teams (Eastern Illinois, Lindenwood, Southeast Missouri, Tennessee State, Tennessee Tech and UT Martin) will play a six-game conference schedule to accommodate prior scheduling commitments this first season.
More details of the alliance's logistics – including tiebreakers for the automatic bid to the playoffs – will be announced at a later date.
Robert Morris went winless in 11 games last season and 0-5 in the Big South. Gardner-Webb, coached by Golden Eagle standout and former assistant coach Tre Lamb, finished 7-6 overall and was a perfect 5-0 in the Big South to win the conference and earn its automatic bid to the FCS Playoffs. The Runnin' Bulldogs reached the second round of the playoffs after knocking off Eastern Kentucky 52-41, then fell 54-14 to William and Mary
Meanwhile, the Golden Eagles will open the season with back-to-back non-conference road contests as Tech makes the return trip to Furman on Thursday, Aug. 31, after hosting the Paladins in the Fall 2021 campaign. Furman finished 10-3 this past season, including a 7-1 finish in the Southern Conference to take second in the league. The Paladins reached the second round of the FCS Playoff, falling to Incarnate Word.
The Golden Eagles will then head to Albuquerque for their annual Football Bowl Subdivision contest – this season against New Mexico out of the Mountain West Conference. The Lobos finished 2-10 this season and 0-8 in the conference.
Tech will then open up play at Tucker Stadium with back-to-back home matchups against the Atlantic Sun Conference as North Alabama (9/16) and Kennesaw State (9/23) visit Cookeville. Tech topped UNA 35-27 in Florence, while also falling in overtime 33-30 to the Owls. UNA finished 1-10 overall and 0-5 in the A-Sun. KSU went 5-6 and 1-4 in the A-Sun.
Following the open date to close out September, the Golden Eagles open OVC play at Lindenwood on Oct. 7. Tech will have one more non-conference contest as it travels to Orangeburg, S.C., to take on South Carolina State out of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference on Oct. 14. SCSU finished 3-8 this past season, going 1-4 in the MEAC.
The Big South-OVC alliance will encompass the remainder of the season as the Golden Eagles host Southeast Missouri (Oct. 21), UT Martin (Nov. 4) and Gardner-Webb (Nov. 11), and travel to Robert Morris (Oct. 28) and Tennessee State (Nov. 18).
The planned events for Tennessee Tech's home games – as well as game times -- will be announced at a later date.
