FCS conference belt
The OVC Belt
A companion lineage restricted to OVC: the belt passes to whoever beats the holder, exactly like the real belt, but only games between two OVC members COUNT — and only for the seasons both sides were actually in OVC at the time. This belt is retired. Southeast Missouri State held it when OVC played its last game on November 19, 2022, and the reign is closed as of June 30, 2023: OVC football merged into the Big South-OVC Football Association in 2023.
45Reigns
140Belt Games
10Programs
Longest Reign
Jacksonville State — 3 yrs, 360 days
October 25, 2014 – October 20, 2018
Most Defenses, One Reign
Jacksonville State — 31
starting October 25, 2014
Most Reigns, All-Time
Eastern Kentucky — 8 separate reigns
10 OVC programs have held it
| # | Team | Reign | Length | Def. | Won it | Lost it |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Samford | September 27, 2003 – October 4, 2003 | 7 days | 0 | Established it (first game on record) | lost to Eastern Kentucky |
| 2 | Eastern Kentucky | October 4, 2003 – October 18, 2003 | 14 days | 1 | beat Samford 13–10 | lost to Southeast Missouri State |
| 3 | Southeast Missouri State | October 18, 2003 – October 25, 2003 | 7 days | 0 | beat Eastern Kentucky 41–38 | lost to Murray State |
| 4 | Murray State | October 25, 2003 – November 1, 2003 | 7 days | 0 | beat Southeast Missouri State 27–24 | lost to Eastern Kentucky |
| 5 | Eastern Kentucky | November 1, 2003 – September 25, 2004 | 329 days | 3 | beat Murray State 38–20 | lost to Jacksonville State |
| 6 | Jacksonville State | September 25, 2004 – October 23, 2004 | 28 days | 3 | beat Eastern Kentucky 30–23 | lost to Tennessee Tech |
| 7 | Tennessee Tech | October 23, 2004 – October 30, 2004 | 7 days | 0 | beat Jacksonville State 16–13 | lost to Samford |
| 8 | Samford | October 30, 2004 – November 6, 2004 | 7 days | 0 | beat Tennessee Tech 20–17 | lost to Jacksonville State |
| 9 | Jacksonville State | November 6, 2004 – October 1, 2005 | 329 days | 3 | beat Samford 51–18 | lost to Eastern Kentucky |
| 10 | Eastern Kentucky | October 1, 2005 – October 15, 2005 | 14 days | 1 | beat Jacksonville State 31–14 | lost to Eastern Illinois |
| 11 | Eastern Illinois | October 15, 2005 – October 28, 2006 | 1 yr, 13 days | 9 | beat Eastern Kentucky 53–22 | lost to UT Martin |
| 12 | UT Martin | October 28, 2006 – November 11, 2006 | 14 days | 1 | beat Eastern Illinois 15–9 | lost to Eastern Kentucky |
| 13 | Eastern Kentucky | November 11, 2006 – September 20, 2008 | 1 yr, 314 days | 8 | beat UT Martin 31–28 | lost to Tennessee State |
| 14 | Tennessee State | September 20, 2008 – October 25, 2008 | 35 days | 2 | beat Eastern Kentucky 34–20 | lost to Southeast Missouri State |
| 15 | Southeast Missouri State | October 25, 2008 – November 1, 2008 | 7 days | 0 | beat Tennessee State 27–20 | lost to Eastern Kentucky |
| 16 | Eastern Kentucky | November 1, 2008 – October 10, 2009 | 343 days | 5 | beat Southeast Missouri State 29–16 | lost to Tennessee State |
| 17 | Tennessee State | October 10, 2009 – November 14, 2009 | 35 days | 0 | beat Eastern Kentucky 20–17 | lost to Austin Peay |
| 18 | Austin Peay | November 14, 2009 – November 21, 2009 | 7 days | 0 | beat Tennessee State 24–21 | lost to UT Martin |
| 19 | UT Martin | November 21, 2009 – September 25, 2010 | 308 days | 1 | beat Austin Peay 48–38 | lost to Murray State |
| 20 | Murray State | September 25, 2010 – October 2, 2010 | 7 days | 0 | beat UT Martin 52–16 | lost to Jacksonville State |
| 21 | Jacksonville State | October 2, 2010 – November 6, 2010 | 35 days | 3 | beat Murray State 40–34 | lost to Eastern Kentucky |
| 22 | Eastern Kentucky | November 6, 2010 – September 24, 2011 | 322 days | 2 | beat Jacksonville State 49–37 | lost to Austin Peay |
| 23 | Austin Peay | September 24, 2011 – October 8, 2011 | 14 days | 1 | beat Eastern Kentucky 23–17 | lost to UT Martin |
| 24 | UT Martin | October 8, 2011 – November 12, 2011 | 35 days | 2 | beat Austin Peay 61–23 | lost to Tennessee State |
| 25 | Tennessee State | November 12, 2011 – November 19, 2011 | 7 days | 0 | beat UT Martin 35–30 | lost to Jacksonville State |
| 26 | Jacksonville State | November 19, 2011 – September 22, 2012 | 308 days | 0 | beat Tennessee State 38–16 | lost to Eastern Kentucky |
| 27 | Eastern Kentucky | September 22, 2012 – October 6, 2012 | 14 days | 1 | beat Jacksonville State 51–21 | lost to Tennessee State |
| 28 | Tennessee State | October 6, 2012 – October 20, 2012 | 14 days | 1 | beat Eastern Kentucky 23–20 | lost to Jacksonville State |
| 29 | Jacksonville State | October 20, 2012 – November 3, 2012 | 14 days | 1 | beat Tennessee State 31–28 | lost to UT Martin |
| 30 | UT Martin | November 3, 2012 – November 10, 2012 | 7 days | 0 | beat Jacksonville State 49–47 | lost to Tennessee Tech |
| 31 | Tennessee Tech | November 10, 2012 – November 17, 2012 | 7 days | 0 | beat UT Martin 45–44 | lost to Austin Peay |
| 32 | Austin Peay | November 17, 2012 – September 20, 2014 | 1 yr, 307 days | 0 | beat Tennessee Tech 38–31 | lost to Eastern Illinois |
| 33 | Eastern Illinois | September 20, 2014 – October 11, 2014 | 21 days | 0 | beat Austin Peay 63–7 | lost to Eastern Kentucky |
| 34 | Eastern Kentucky | October 11, 2014 – October 18, 2014 | 7 days | 0 | beat Eastern Illinois 36–33 | lost to Tennessee Tech |
| 35 | Tennessee Tech | October 18, 2014 – October 25, 2014 | 7 days | 0 | beat Eastern Kentucky 39–31 | lost to Jacksonville State |
| 36 | Jacksonville State | October 25, 2014 – October 20, 2018 | 3 yrs, 360 days | 31 | beat Tennessee Tech 49–3 | lost to Southeast Missouri State |
| 37 | Southeast Missouri State | October 20, 2018 – November 10, 2018 | 21 days | 2 | beat Jacksonville State 37–14 | lost to Murray State |
| 38 | Murray State | November 10, 2018 – November 17, 2018 | 7 days | 0 | beat Southeast Missouri State 40–38 | lost to Austin Peay |
| 39 | Austin Peay | November 17, 2018 – October 19, 2019 | 336 days | 2 | beat Murray State 48–23 | lost to Tennessee State |
| 40 | Tennessee State | October 19, 2019 – November 2, 2019 | 14 days | 0 | beat Austin Peay 26–24 | lost to Southeast Missouri State |
| 41 | Southeast Missouri State | November 2, 2019 – October 2, 2021 | 1 yr, 334 days | 4 | beat Tennessee State 32–13 | lost to Tennessee Tech |
| 42 | Tennessee Tech | October 2, 2021 – October 16, 2021 | 14 days | 0 | beat Southeast Missouri State 28–17 | lost to Tennessee State |
| 43 | Tennessee State | October 16, 2021 – November 6, 2021 | 21 days | 2 | beat Tennessee Tech 20–13 | lost to UT Martin |
| 44 | UT Martin | November 6, 2021 – November 20, 2021 | 14 days | 1 | beat Tennessee State 41–20 | lost to Southeast Missouri State |
| 45 | Southeast Missouri State | November 20, 2021 – June 30, 2023 | 1 yr, 222 days | 5 | beat UT Martin 31–14 | — belt retired — |
No reigns match “.”
Membership is judged season by season from every game a team played, so realignment moves a team’s games with it. A holder that stays in OVC keeps the belt through any stretch without a game against another member; a holder that leaves vacates the belt on its last game as a member, and it reverts to the most recent earlier holder that is a member of the season it left for. If no one is left to inherit it, the belt retires with its last holder. Days count the offseason; switch to games to measure a reign by belt games only.