FirstBank Stadium on the campus of Vanderbilt University in Nashville will be the site of the FCS national championship game in 2026 and 2027. (Photo via Vanderbilt University)
By Barry Bottino
Nearly nine years ago, Kyle Schwartz was in Frisco, Texas, alongside then-Ohio Valley Conference member Jacksonville State for its FCS championship game appearance.
When this season’s title game kicks off Monday night (6 p.m., ESPN), Schwartz, OVC Commissioner Beth DeBauche and representatives from the Nashville Sports Council are on a different mission in Frisco.
The group arrived over the weekend to oversee the game, which will move to Nashville in 2026 and 2027, to learn all about the job of hosting the event from folks in Frisco and with the Southland Conference.
The OVC is home to both Eastern Illinois and Western Illinois.
“We want to make sure we maintain the high level of success this event has had,” said Schwartz, the OVC’s associate commissioner for strategic communication. “Everybody knows Frisco has done a tremendous job. To learn from the people at the Southland and the city of Frisco will be key. They’ve done it so well for so long.”
On the move
Frisco and Toyota Stadium have hosted the FCS championship game since 2010, but the stadium will launch a massive renovation this week.
That opened the door for Nashville and the OVC to win the bidding process for the next two seasons.
“As a storied FCS conference, we are delighted to work with our partners to showcase our city and expose this cherished championship to a different region of the country,” DeBauche said. “We are committed to ensuring that the student-athletes competing in this premier championship event have an exemplary experience.”
The OVC will serve as a host with the Nashville Sports Council – which hosts the annual Music City Bowl and other events – along with Vanderbilt University and the city of Nashville.
The game will be play in 2026 and 2027 at Vanderbilt’s renovated FirstBank Stadium, which will seat 35,000 fans. Among the changes to the stadium are premium hospitality and loge areas, a new sound system and a four-level press box.
“We appreciate the confidence of the NCAA and FCS selection committee in our ability to showcase this prestigious championship event in Nashville and provide a memorable experience for the players, coaches, administrators and fans,” Nashville Sports Council President and CEO Scott Ramsey said.
Playing in Nashville brings another unique aspect.
It will be the first time the game has been played on a college campus since 2009, the FCS title game’s final year at Finley Stadium at UT-Chattanooga.
“I think that college atmosphere will add to this. The Vanderbilt operations people will be key,” Schwartz said. “They know how to run football games and the stadium. That will make it a lot easier for us. … Every event that we’ve hosted, that’s what it takes, that partnership.”
Playing host once again
The OVC/Nashville group has different learning goals this weekend.
“We all will have our own areas of expertise,” Schwartz said. “We will break apart to capture the entire event.”
During Schwartz’s OVC tenure, the Brentwood, Tenn.-based league and city have hosted the first- and second-round NCAA men’s basketball tournaments twice and the women’s basketball Final Four in 2014.
“For that one, we meet weekly for over a year,” Schwartz said.
When the group returns to Nashville, it will focus on the timeline leading up to the 2026 game and ensure it maintains the high standards set by previous hosts.
“Any NCAA championship event is great to be around, and I think FCS football is one of the best,” Schwartz said. “It will be another feather in the cap for the things we’ve been able to do at the OVC.”
Barry Bottino is a co-founder of Prairie State Pigskin and a 19-year veteran of three Illinois newspapers. He has covered college athletics since 1995.
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