Could Chicago State Join the OVC?

A question has come up several times with the possible impending (or, by the time you read this, present) OVC exodus. Could Chicago State move to the league to replace them? It’s more complicated than you might think.

There’s a lot of smoke coming that the OVC is losing up to 3 members to the UAC. I’m unable to independently confirm any of these reports- not surprising, since, you know, I’m not exactly plugged in anywhere outside of the Northeast. It’s possible that this has already happened by the time you read this article.

But the geographic outlier in the NEC fits exactly in the OVC’s footprint.The question has been raised: is the OVC fighting for survival? Fans have constructed many realignment scenarios (that’s what you do when you watch college sports in 2025) and plenty of them involve the Cougars. We’ll take a bit of a closer look to see how tenable the idea is.

Financials

Per documents obtained by NECBlitz, the financial penalty for leaving the NEC prior to spending five years in the league is steeper than leaving prior to 10 years in the league. While the exact financial numbers are not known, it appears clear that there is a mechanism in place to keep programs in the Northeast Conference for at least 10 seasons, with stiffer penalties if a school leaves prior to spending four years in the league. This number makes sense. The league has historically added from the Division II ranks, and this four year period corresponds to the traditiional reclassification period. This period is now as little as three years provided certain metrics are met (Stonehill did so most recently in the NEC).

It’s not outside of the realm of possibility for a conference (such as the OVC) to pay an exit fee to a member if it were a matter of survival. I’m not very familiar with the financial burden this might place on a conference. Unfortunately, we’re not aware of the actual numbers or scope of the financial penalty. Predicting the future is conjecture, but the very existence of an increased penalty within 4 years of joining the conference suggests that it should serve as at least a deterrent to conference realignment.

My guess is that this stipulation is likely present for any school joining the league, but it is only a guess.

If donor money were required to be raised by Chicago State to change leagues, it would seem to be a fairly tough sell. The OVC might be preferred by fans and donors of Chicago State football, but with an ongoing donation drive to set up Division I football, it might be splitting the pool. I’m not sure that’s a good thing for the Cougars.

Level of Competition

Chicago State has found a pretty good fit for its teams in the NEC. When they played independent schedules, they often had to face high level competition and their performance suffered accordingly. They had a good volleyball team in 2023, but until they joined the NEC in 2024, they had no real hope of competing in the NCAA tournament. Upon joining the league, they were able to do just that. The dream season was probably the biggest moment in Chicago State Athletics history.Would this exist in the OVC? Probably- last season’s team could have hung with anyone at the mid-major level. But the level of competition in general seems to fit the Cougars in the Northeast Conference.

The rise of a football program for the Cougars may additionally provide some reason to hesitate to make a move. If the Big South-OVC continues to exist, the Cougars would either have to match a higher level of scholarships than they likely plan to provide or be comfortable with playing teams that give a full complement of scholarships. It’s believed the NEC has removed the scholarship limit for football, but it’s simultaneously been reported that the expectations are for no team to give out more than around 50 scholarships. Any team leaving the NEC has to contend with this- do they increase the amount of scholarships they give out in football, or play at a disadvantage?

Geography

It is definitely true that the geography would be better for Chicago State in the OVC. It might even introduce some financial benefits as well. As it stands today, Chicago State commutes to its games in conference via airplane- the distance from Chicago to New Haven or Stonehill is simply too great to manage adequately via bus ride. But in the Ohio Valley Conference, this wouldn’t be the case.

There’s also better opportunity for geographic rivalries and shorter road trips for fans. Generally, this is desirable from the standpoint of purists, alumni, and fans, but it isn’t always the way conference realignment decisions are made. The history of major level realignment has been to expand footprints rather than to contract them. But if the OVC is fighting for survival, that might not be a consideration so much as obtaining members through any means possible.

Travel costs are likely going to be a consideration for Chicago State’s decisions for conference affiliation any time there’s a decision to be made. It’s just unclear if they’d be the biggest consideration at this time.

So… Could They?

Anything is possible, but I don’t see it as likely. Unless there’s an ability to overcome a financial burden put in place specifically to combat this type of situation, Chicago State is more likely to remain in the NEC than to depart. So while the speculation will always continue, most of the following will have to be true:

-The OVC has to want Chicago State enough to pay an exit fee to get them out of the NEC.

-Chicago State has to want to join the OVC enough to pay an exit fee.

Someone will have to pay that exit fee, and it will have to be worth it to someone for it to be paid. That requires strong mutual interest and a willingness for someone to jump hurdles to do it.

Anything is possible, but it just might not be the right time or the right situation. We’ll put our money on the Cougars staying in the NEC.