FB: Old Dominion Athletic Conference

[jknezek]

There are always a LOT of people at The Game, but with both teams at 7-2, 5-1 and the ODAC title/NCAA bid on the line it has to be a fever pitch.  Any thoughts on how many folks will attend?

15k to 17k will try but from what I hear the parking is really bad. So maybe 10 - 12k actually watch.

JK - Franklin lost the other day.  Do you still see them getting an at large bid?  Their tough OOC (Mt Union and FCS Butler) losses leave them with an at best 7-3 record. I still think playing tough OOC games ONLY matter if you win them.

Won't need an at-large if they win next week. Still control their own destiny since Blufton has 4 conference losses. Shock loss though. Even more shocking than H-SC's loss to Shenandoah.

I should have researched that. Wow. That's a huge upset. They will certainly be a tough first match. Got to think they will be on the rd.

Definitely on the road. Too many good North and West teams for a 7-2 in region to get a home game, especially with a bad loss like that. You can hang your hat on a good loss (by a couple to UMU), but there is no excuse for that. Same problem the ODAC champ has had recently.

[tigerfanalso]

Jk

Assuming no upsets on the 16th, where do you see the ODAC Champ traveling or better yet, best case/worse case ?

[jknezek]

Jk

Assuming no upsets on the 16th, where do you see the ODAC Champ traveling or better yet, best case/worse case ?

Honestly? With the demise of regional brackets it's a complete and total crapshoot. Without a Texas sub-bracket, that very much brings UMHB back into play. However, it does bring up a Millsaps-UMHB match up. Incredibly unfair to Millsaps if it happens, but the TES shows 490 miles. The only other 500 mile team for Millsaps is Maryville, 493 miles. Millsaps will either host Maryville or get the pig prize to clear one of the orphans. Best case for Millsaps most likely includes Belton in Round 2 anyway.

As for HSC or RMC, I see a 6/7/8 type seeding in the South, East, or North. So if it isn't UMHB, it could very well be UMU. HSC actually has more flexibility to go North, RMC would have more flexibility to go East. We won't see a first round RMC-JHU rematch, so that is about the only thing you can count out. RMC could travel to Hobart, HSC cannot (503) miles. Wittenberg is in play for HSC, but not for RMC (507). So you can get a feel for the size of the area we are discussing and just why it will be impossible to make even an educated guess.

My eyes were opened last year when W&L was shipped to Hobart and I have since given up trying to guess the brackets. There are now too many possibilities. Best case is a 6 seed, more likely for HSC than RMC simply because name recognition matters. That might actually earn you a trip to Dover, Leb Valley, JCU/UMU loser (just 498 miles from HSC to JCU!), or maybe even Maryville.

Fun to think about, but there are too many names to put down.

[tigerfanalso]

pretty much what I thought at this point. The winner of THE GAME is going somewhere they don't want to be going.
Although Centre gave UMU a good game in round 2 in 2011 so it's not a guarantee the ODAC champ will get beat 70 to 0 in week one of the playoffs.

[jknezek]

pretty much what I thought at this point. The winner of THE GAME is going somewhere they don't want to be going.
Although Centre gave UMU a good game in round 2 in 2011 so it's not a guarantee the ODAC champ will get beat 70 to 0 in week one of the playoffs.

Yep. The whole thing would be interesting. RMC SHOULD be a better candidate for a higher seeding. Losing to JHU (undefeated tourney bound) and Guilford (at least .500) is better than losing to CNU (8-2 and out of the running) and sub-.500 Shenandoah. Plus RMC at 55 is much better than HSC in the mid 90s as far as SOS. But HSC might get the benefit of the doubt RMC might not get.

Looking at last year, W&L lost to a just off the board F&M and an above .500 Bridgewater and was a long-travel 7 seed, a resume that looks more similar to RMC than HSC. W&L also had an SOS similar to RMC. So anyway you cut it, a 6 would be good, an 8 would be bad, and a 7 looks likely.

[tigerfanalso]

I trust all of the above is true. First things first, beat Macon than take your medicine for the two poor loses to both CNU and SU. In my opinion best case for first round for the winner of The Game is a visit to JHU and/or Wesley. Worse case to UMHB and/or UMU. A trip to Hobart would not bother me too much either. I will go wherever they play as long as the trip does not conflict with my youngest Son's HS playoffs.

[abnrgr]

no matter who gets in that team needs a charter plane. I know there is some money laying around at both those wine and cheese schools. Stop financing diversity programs for the only purple one legged bird left in Eastern Mauritania

[Scots13]

no matter who gets in that team needs a charter plane. I know there is some money laying around at both those wine and cheese schools. Stop financing diversity programs for the only purple one legged bird left in Eastern Mauritania

Now that made me laugh.

[tigerfanalso]

W&L is the only "well healed" school in the ODAC that I'm aware of and they probably could/would charter a flight. Maybe they would be willing to float a loan to the winner of The Game for the stated purpose !!!!

[jknezek]

W&L is the only "well healed" school in the ODAC that I'm aware of and they probably could/would charter a flight. Maybe they would be willing to float a loan to the winner of The Game for the stated purpose !!!!

Hobart was 450+ miles last year and they rode the bus. I don't think the football team has flown anywhere in my memory. I believe most other teams have. I'm not entirely positive, but I think if you win the ODAC W&L tries over the next year or two to schedule a long trip as a reward. Usually a tournament for the basketball teams or a series of games for soccer/lacrosse/volleyball etc. It doesn't seem to apply to the football team because of the locked-in nature of the schedule.

[tigerfanalso]

So W&L is a cheap, well healed school !!!

[skunks_sidekick]

So W&L is a cheap, well healed school !!!

Yah....I heard they serve Barefoot Cellars wine at their wine & cheese gatherings.   

[jknezek]

So W&L is a cheap, well healed school !!!

Probably. You don't get rich by wasting money! The building (or rather re-building) boom on campus is continuing. I'm constantly getting notices about it and how much it all costs. Ridiculous what they are charging for tuition these days.

[hasanova]

W&L is the only "well healed" school in the ODAC that I'm aware of and they probably could/would charter a flight. Maybe they would be willing to float a loan to the winner of The Game for the stated purpose !!!!

Unless they were wounded in some way, shouldn't that be "well-heeled"? 

[hasanova]

no matter who gets in that team needs a charter plane. I know there is some money laying around at both those wine and cheese schools. Stop financing diversity programs for the only purple one legged bird left in Eastern Mauritania

Now that made me laugh.

There was, but he hopped across the border to Mali!  Too funny.  +1 abnrgr