Most Chattanooga fans consider JSU our biggest rival due to a couple of factors:
1.) They have a large energetic fan base that travels well to Finley and is at near capacity for home games.
2.) We have a history of close, competitive games.
3.) The past few years both teams have been ranked.
4.) We have had several “rivalry incidents” on both sides . Rodney Allison said “I didn’t come here (UTC) to beat Jacksonville State” which of course was bulletin board material. A few years later JSU said we “trashed” the visitor locker room after a loss. JSUs coach “forgot” to shake Huesman’s hand after a game. A JSU player flipped UTC fans off after a playoff game, got into an argument with UTC students and entered the visitors section of the stands.

Many Chattanooga fans would like to see JSU and Chattanooga in the same conference (though I think most would prefer that be the SoCon than the OVC) and I think almost all UTC fans would like to play JSU every year even if we remain in separate conferences.

I was for a move to the OVC the last time it was discussed (~2007) as the OVC was a marginally? Better basketball conference (which utc has traditionally been strong in) and we would be more competitive in football (we had been bad in the SoCon for a long time), but we didn’t move to the OVC, we hired Huesman and proved we can be competitive in the SoCon and nationally in football. I have no interest in the OVC now. The SoCon added ETSU, Samford, and Mercer to keep it from being the “Carolina Conference” - I think Chattanooga fans were happy with those additions. The SoCon also added VMI which most Moc fans didn’t care for but made The Citadel happy.

I don’t see us going the OVC as long as we can be competitive in SoCon football.

Chattanooga couldn’t afford to go FBS and I am not sure I would be interested in that anyways. To most Chattanoogans the SunBelt, the OVC, and the SoCon are all “D2”.