In 2010, the Austin Peay Governors football team won its fifth Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) championship. The team was coached by Rick Christophel and finished the season with a record of 7 wins and 5 losses, including a 6-2 record in conference play.

Led by quarterback Jake Ryan and running back Terrence Holt, the Governors were dominant on both sides of the ball, ranking first in the OVC in scoring offense and second in scoring defense.

The team’s championship-clinching win came on November 20, 2010, in a 30-23 victory over Eastern Illinois University. The win secured Austin Peay’s first OVC football title since 1977 and earned the team a spot in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) Playoffs.

In the first round of the playoffs, Austin Peay faced off against the University of Montana, a perennial FCS powerhouse. Despite a valiant effort, the Governors fell to the Grizzlies by a score of 48-10, ending their season.

The 2010 championship marked a resurgence for the Austin Peay football program, which had struggled in the years prior. The team has gone on to win one additional OVC championship and has made several appearances in the FCS playoffs, including a historic run to the quarterfinals in 2019.