Ohio State Joining Midwest Conference

"There are a couple of benefits to being in the Midwest Conference," said Malcolm. "Firstly, it allows us to be aligned with a fully CRAA conference, which will provide us a more clear path to playoff contention. It will also provide us with a year-round schedule full of games against Top 20 opposition, which is the only way we are going to develop as a competitive team."

Ohio State finished 5th in the Big 10 this past fall, but has been the champion of that conference in recent years. This year's young team has been looking at moving up the ladder, and leaders of the program have said that to do that, they need more consistent tough competition.

Even if they take their lumps—the Midwest includes Lindenwood, Arkansas State, Davenport, and McKendree—they ill be getting better.

"We would not have embarked on this endeavor without the belief that our playing group wanted to try to elevate our program and push the limits of what Ohio State has been in the past," said Malcom. "I could not be more pleased with the buy-in of our group and the work they have put in over the past 18 months to make it possible."