LASVEGASNOW

(Stats Perform) - The final domino in FCS college football fell Friday when the Ohio Valley Conference postponed its fall conference schedule until the spring semester due to concerns over the COVID-19 pandemic.

The conference's board of presidents also voted to give the nine member institutions the discretion to play up to four games out of conference this fall. The scheduled games include defending co-champ Austin Pearly facing Central Arkansas in college football's first game on Aug. 29 and six versus FBS opponents.

"After careful deliberation, weighing all the factors as presented, and given the current uncertainty surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, the OVC Board of Presidents voted to postpone the conference's fall sports to the spring," OVC commissioner Beth DeBauche said. "With the focus on student-athletes, the conference leaders made this value-based decision with a commitment to continue to monitor the evolving situation and to strive to establish meaningful competitive opportunities in the spring for our fall sport student-athletes."