FB: Old Dominion Athletic Conference

[jknezek]

MC is obviously not playing ETSU in years to come, so maybe they'll pick up another ODAC team. Switching CUA for Maryville is an SOS booster.

No that won't work. The ODAC needs a new football member to keep the bye weeks from being a rotating mess during conference season. M'ville isn't going to (or probably be allowed to) leave the USASAC just for football. And I maintain the ODAC does not want another full member for all sports. Shenandoah was a stretch in some sports that now have 12 members, like women's basketball.

[Scots13]

MC is obviously not playing ETSU in years to come, so maybe they'll pick up another ODAC team. Switching CUA for Maryville is an SOS booster.

No that won't work. The ODAC needs a new football member to keep the bye weeks from being a rotating mess during conference season. M'ville isn't going to (or probably be allowed to) leave the USASAC just for football. And I maintain the ODAC does not want another full member for all sports. Shenandoah was a stretch in some sports that now have 12 members, like women's basketball.

I see your point. Yeah, MC wouldn't leave just for football. CNU wouldn't leave either.
SVU is a "good" replacement.

Good thing H-SC is all male, for feng shui's sake.

[jknezek]

MC is obviously not playing ETSU in years to come, so maybe they'll pick up another ODAC team. Switching CUA for Maryville is an SOS booster.

No that won't work. The ODAC needs a new football member to keep the bye weeks from being a rotating mess during conference season. M'ville isn't going to (or probably be allowed to) leave the USASAC just for football. And I maintain the ODAC does not want another full member for all sports. Shenandoah was a stretch in some sports that now have 12 members, like women's basketball.

I see your point. Yeah, MC wouldn't leave just for football. CNU wouldn't leave either.
SVU is a "good" replacement.

Good thing H-SC is all male, for feng shui's sake.

CNU is an associate member of the NJAC for football. They play in the CAC for other sports now, like SVa. So they are possible for the ODAC. I just don't see the ODAC schools choosing CNU over SVa if given the choice. The whole public/private thing will weigh heavy.

And H-SC is balanced out by Sweet Briar, if they survive, and Hollins in the ODAC.

[hscathletics]

Any chance to get CNU to join the ODAC ?

Chances are zero until the ODAC Constitution changes. It specifically says the ODAC is for private, not public, institutions as a condition for admission, and associate members have to meet the same admission guidelines as full-membership applicants:

Section 1: Conditions.
Membership in this conference shall be limited to private four-year educational institutions of collegiate rank which are members of appropriate regional accrediting associations.

Section 5: Admission For Full-Sport Membership
a. Criteria for Evaluating a Prospective Member (not in priority order)
* Independent/private, not public

Section 6: Admission For Associate-Sport Membership
a. The conference presidents and board of directors will use the same criteria listing from the full-sport
procedures located in this manual.

http://www.odaconline.com/information/odac-manual/2015-16/2015-16-odac-manual-full.pdf

[jknezek]

Any chance to get CNU to join the ODAC ?

Chances are zero until the ODAC Constitution changes. It specifically says the ODAC is for private, not public, institutions as a condition for admission, and associate members have to meet the same admission guidelines as full-membership applicants:

Section 1: Conditions.
Membership in this conference shall be limited to private four-year educational institutions of collegiate rank which are members of appropriate regional accrediting associations.

http://www.odaconline.com/information/odac-manual/2015-16/2015-16-odac-manual-full.pdf

+K. I was too lazy to find it but I thought I remembered that. Thanks for digging it out. Hopefully SVa and the ODAC are amenable to an agreement. I really don't want the schedule craziness of 7 teams again. So annoying when your bye week is in a bad spot.

[hasanova]

Any chance an existing nonfootball ODAC member (EMU, LC, Roanoke, Randolph, VWC) would start football?  Just thinking out loud, EMU may not want to since the Mennonites may oppose football and Randolph may not feel it has enough male students at the moment.  What are the reasons the other three don't offer football?

Personally, I don't think SVU or CNU are a good fit, but there may be other options of which I'm not aware.  Brevard may now be in the mix also.

[hasanova]

Looks as though I better make that "see all ODAC venues in football" trip to DC on Oct. 31!

[Pat Coleman]

I suspect the five CAC schools are sticking together for football. The fact that they are all in the same conference for football is not a coincidence, in my mind.

[jknezek]

Any chance an existing nonfootball ODAC member (EMU, LC, Roanoke, Randolph, VWC) would start football?  Just thinking out loud, EMU may not want to since the Mennonites may oppose football and Randolph may not feel it has enough male students at the moment.  What are the reasons the other three don't offer football?

Personally, I don't think SVU or CNU are a good fit, but there may be other options of which I'm not aware.  Brevard may now be in the mix also.

I'm surprised Randolph hasn't added football. It seems like it would be a good way to bulk up on the male side, but they may have resource issues or infrastructure issues adding that way. As for the others, I don't have a clue unless they don't want to spend the up front costs. We know football eventually makes money, but starting a program is expensive and resources are limited. I think Lynchburg and Roanoke are pretty happy focusing on soccer in the fall and lacrosse in the spring. One of them adding football would be great, but I don't see it. I've never had a clue about why Va. Wesleyan does anything. Regardless, having no associate members would really end all questions.

I can't imagine why SVa is not a good fit as an associate member for football. It's the middle of our geographic footprint and a small liberal arts school. That kind of defines the ODAC. I get that it's a newer school, not real rich, not real pretty, not real selective, and not very good at football, but most of those terms can be applied to other members of the ODAC as well. To be honest, as an associate member, I can't imagine it could be any better.

Brevard is way out of the footprint and I have to imagine if they reclassify they will want an all-sports conference, not an associate membership. Just don't see the ODAC expanding that way.

[Pat Coleman]

Virginia Wesleyan's new president is the man Wesley named its stadium after a few years back. Probably would consider him a football supporter.

[jknezek]

I suspect the five CAC schools are sticking together for football. The fact that they are all in the same conference for football is not a coincidence, in my mind.

Hadn't thought of that. Interesting. Wonder how much pressure that would create if offered the opportunity to save a chunk of money playing in the ODAC for football. It's not like most of the NJAC needs SVa or wants to make that trip, or that it seems the CAC is all that close to adding two more football members.

[hasanova]

Any chance an existing nonfootball ODAC member (EMU, LC, Roanoke, Randolph, VWC) would start football?  Just thinking out loud, EMU may not want to since the Mennonites may oppose football and Randolph may not feel it has enough male students at the moment.  What are the reasons the other three don't offer football?

Personally, I don't think SVU or CNU are a good fit, but there may be other options of which I'm not aware.  Brevard may now be in the mix also.

I'm surprised Randolph hasn't added football. It seems like it would be a good way to bulk up on the male side, but they may have resource issues or infrastructure issues adding that way. As for the others, I don't have a clue unless they don't want to spend the up front costs. We know football eventually makes money, but starting a program is expensive and resources are limited. I think Lynchburg and Roanoke are pretty happy focusing on soccer in the fall and lacrosse in the spring. One of them adding football would be great, but I don't see it. I've never had a clue about why Va. Wesleyan does anything. Regardless, having no associate members would really end all questions.

I can't imagine why SVa is not a good fit as an associate member for football. It's the middle of our geographic footprint and a small liberal arts school. That kind of defines the ODAC. I get that it's a newer school, not real rich, not real pretty, not real selective, and not very good at football, but most of those terms can be applied to other members of the ODAC as well. To be honest, as an associate member, I can't imagine it could be any better.

Brevard is way out of the footprint and I have to imagine if they reclassify they will want an all-sports conference, not an associate membership. Just don't see the ODAC expanding that way.

I agree SVU is in the middle of our geographic footprint ... and Brevard clearly isn't, but substituting SVU for CUA is a significant change when you consider the other factors you list:  "newer school, not real rich, not real pretty, not real selective, and not very good at football" and, I might add, a HS stadium as home field.  I hated the ODAC schedule before SU with a team bye (or OOC) per week throughout the final six weeks.  An even number just works best!

[jknezek]

An affiliate is a marriage of convenience. It wouldn't get any more convenient for the ODAC than bringing in SVa. That being said, I completely agree it is a bit of a "hold your nose" type marriage. In this case, I'd hold my nose versus going to a crazy bye week schedule (yeah, loved that year W&L's bye was the last week of the season) or a long bus trip to a school that has a prettier stadium.

[tigerFanAlso2]

I'd rather add another OOC game than bring a REALLY bad program into the ODAC.
I think Maryville makes good sense as an associate member for football only and would certainly make the ODAC a better conference and give them a better, more competitive conference in which to play. Win-win but I know it will not happen.

[jknezek]

I'd rather add another OOC game than bring a REALLY bad program into the ODAC.
I think Maryville makes good sense as an associate member for football only and would certainly make the ODAC a better conference and give them a better, more competitive conference in which to play. Win-win but I know it will not happen.

Pipe dream. Maryville left the ODAC once already. And scheduling that last OOC game is going to get harder and harder as the number of conferences with 8 members or less keeps falling. There isn't a conference within close range of the ODAC now with that few members, though the SAA may move back there if they can't replace their two rentals. Who are we going to get to schedule an OOC game the 4th week of the season? We can't all play Apprentice.

No. This is a problem that needs a solution. Even if the solution is a team that is really bad now. Catholic is pretty bad, so it's somewhat like for like, and there is no guarantee that whatever affiliate we pull would always be bad.

Hopefully Pat is right and Va Wesleyan will leap on this opportunity...