FB: Old Dominion Athletic Conference

[kickerdad]

[...] what happened to a guy named Kelly Sims from Lakeland High School that was playing two years ago for Bridgewater. He and my son played together and I haven't seen him on the roster or around town for that mater.

I believe Kelly got injured and never came back to play.  He was a nice looking prospect at linebacker.  Big body, moved well.

Sorry to hear that, nice kid, good family. I know he worked hard and wanted to play real bad.

[allsky7]

I'll respond to the questions from 662, most notably "how do you improve a weak conference so it is strong nationally?" ... The ODAC is not all that far removed from getting a good amount of respect, based on what Bridgewater has done in the playoffs, so I don't know if it's a long term thing or not. It could be as simple as the ODAC having some young teams last year and most of them having a lot of experience back this year. Sometimes overall competitiveness & parity, which the ODAC has now, is a great goal to achieve, but teams can end up beating up on each other and no one team has the phenomenal year.

It happens.

Sorry for reviving old topics, now that we have some games to discuss, let's get on to that.

How 'bout them Jackets? Whaddya say?

I realize winning at Denison's not a huge achievement on the grand scale, but getting off on the right foot is. Finishing a team, getting a road win, beating who you're supposed to beat -- all good things. And considering a lot of ODAC-watchers thought, I guess, that the road trip was going to be too much ... I'm just really happy for the guys and hope they keep moving in the right direction.

Bridgewater, back in a big way, at least for a week. Emory & Henry = same. Catholic wins, and we assume Guilford is doing the same (I haven't seen the score yet).  (W&L doesn't get it on until next week, as most of you know)

Only H-SC lost, in a tight one.

I won't say I'm happy about it, I'm rooting for ODAC all around, plus they've got some good guys down in the Farmville area. But if it had to happen to anyone ...

     KMack....you mean good Macon guys in Farmville or just in general?  Quite a few of my classmates and old teamates went to Macon. They are still Ok in my book. Just misguided youthful mistakes.   
     You know I am kidding. I pull for the ODAC all the way. Glad to see the Jackets get the W. Good way to start the year.
     Now we just have to figure out what is going on down at H-S. Is JH good? Did the suspensions cost the Tigers the game? Sedlar had a pretty good game at QB. Curtis at RB...not so much. Oh well, guess the smoke will clear as the season rolls along.
     Congrats to the ODAC for a great opening week!!

[allsky7]

[...] I wish BC would get back to playing a tougher out of conference schedule.  Anyone know the reason they got away from that?  I thought coach Clark liked getting the team prepared for those late season tough opponents...

McDaniel, Shenandoah, and Ferrum, used to be good.

McDaniel was a playoff team in 2001, Shenandoah was a playoff team in 2004, and Ferrum in 2005.  Clark can't control if and when a program begins to fall.

And I think there is something to be said for playing Hanover and LaGrange.  In the playoffs, you may have to travel 500-plus miles.  Hanover was just over that, and our trip to LaGrange this year will be nearly 600 miles.

But I see what you're saying.  There's no question that playing tougher non-conference opponents can help prepare you for the playoffs.  But I think Snakehandler once said on these boards, "it won't matter if you're prepared for the playoffs if you don't make them."  That happened to CNU in 2005.

I also remember hearing Coach Bowden (of Clemson) say on ESPN Radio the other week that, even though he enjoys playing a great school to begin the season (like he will with FSU), he'd much rather play a team he knows (or thinks) he can beat.
I think that can be said for Division III, and the non-conference opponents.  You certainly don't want to play a bunch of cupcakes, but you also don't want to get in over your head, and schedule two to three playoff teams to begin the season.

The first couple games of the season shouldn't gage whether or not you're a playoff team.  But if you lose one or two, and get upset in a conference game down the road, then those early season losses dictated your playoff fate.

     You mean a cupcake like Appy State? 

[allsky7]

I may be alone on this one, but I'd rather lose by 66 points to Mount Union in the semifinals of the playoffs, than do so in the opening game of the season.

If a program is good, and deserves a trip to the playoffs, then you'll eventually play the best of the best.  I can just see it doing more harm than good to load up a schedule, when all that should matter is winning your conference and making it to the playoffs.

But let's be honest.  Coaches and fans will put the necessary spin on why they schedule the way they do.  Certainly CNU's coach will say how important it is to the kids to play the best of the best.  And I'm sure there are legit reasons why coaches (like Coach Bowden) want to play a game or two against easy opponents to work out the kinks before conference play begins.

Which way "prepares" your team more for conference titles and playoff games?  You tell me...

Since 2001, Christopher Newport has had a tougher non-conference schedule, with an 8-8 record in those games.  That has helped them win four conference titles and two playoff games.

Bridgewater, on the other hand, has had an easier non-conference schedule, with a 19-4 record.  That has prepared them to win five conference titles and nine playoff games.

Both ways seem to work just fine.

     Agreed.....there are different (legit) ways to look at this. I am not a fan of D1 teams playing I-AA's though.  Let's face it, it is about the $ to the I-AA guys and about getting the kinks out for the D1 teams. The D1's get no brownie points for beating a I-AA in my book. Or at least they didn't until Saturday.  May have to reevalutate my thinking and give Michigan some credit for playing a team of ASU's caliber. 

[muchacho]

I agree about D1 playing 1AA being a bad idea. I see why each side does it, but I personally don't like it. To solve D1's problems and bring them more in line with proper college football, they should eliminate I-AA and I matchups. App State beating Michigan is great, but most of these games aren't even close. An easy win in order to ensure bowl eligibility and an extra home game is low class.

Looking at the calendar this year, D1 could have a National Championship game following a 16 team tournament after New Year's Day. There would be 3 weeks in December before Christmas for the rounds of 16, 8, and 4. Students then could get some days off for the holiday. December 1st could be the date for big conferences to hold their championship game. That would leave 13 weekends between September and November for teams to play. Teams could play an 11 game schedule with 2 weekends off.

Keep the BCS formula and put the top 16 into a bracket. After each team is eliminated, they can then be slotted into a bowl game. However,  the 2 remaining teams for the championship would play the Rose, Fiesta, Orange, or Sugar bowl on the rotating basis they use now.

The most any team could play would be 16 games. D3's finalists play 15, so I know D1 guys could handle that. The playoff games would mean $ for the schools, and the $bowl$ games don't have to be eliminated.

Sorry to go off on a tangent that doesn't really apply to d3, but I had a thought and ran with it.

[TheEHC52]

frenjr,

Are you sure about your figures?  I know two years ago we only had around 927 enrolled, but the talk around campus all last spring was how big the enrollment was going to be this year.  The past three years have seen extremely large freshman classes (by Emory standards), no doubt in part to the number of football players.  Even with the construction of the two new dorms across from Rabbit Row in the Village, student life was having trouble finding spots to put people- and that's with a majority of upperclassmen being allowed to live off-campus now.  I'm pretty sure enrollment is around 1150 or 1200, but hey, I could be wrong.

[TheEHC52]

And it appears I was wrong.  I sent a quick email to one of my former professors and he informed me that the enrollment numbers are right at 940.  Apparently there has been quite some turnover in the upper classes and not as many freshman showed up as expected.  Overall, Emory had budgeted for over 350 new students and only got 270 frosh, plus about 40 transfers.  I guess the hype from the spring was just that.

[CNU85]

Oh my!!!

Tipps ranked NCW ahead of BC in his ATR rankings. Llama - what color communion does he get for that?? Where's the love?

[Llamaguy]

Oh my!!!

Tipps ranked NCW ahead of BC in his ATR rankings. Llama - what color communion does he get for that?? Where's the love?

LOL! Well if his schedule stays the same I hear he will actually see  BC in person against Ferrum the week after next. I can't knock it as I had both USAC teams ahead of BC in the SRFP. It will be nice to see how we compare to E&H with the Ferrum common opponent though. As long as D3junkie joins us at Stone Station all will be right in D3 land!!

[Ryan Tipps]

Oh my!!!

Tipps ranked NCW ahead of BC in his ATR rankings. Llama - what color communion does he get for that?? Where's the love?

85,
Keep that up and I might just have to make NCW leap-frog right over CNU by the time the weekend's out! 

LOL! Well if his schedule stays the same I hear he will actually see  BC in person against Ferrum the week after next. I can't knock it as I had both USAC teams ahead of BC in the SRFP.

Definitely my schedule is still on! I'm going to get my fill of BC this year -- I'm headed your way to see the Ferrum game and I'm headed to Farmville to see you all play H-SC. And no, of course I haven't been swayed at all by the possibilities of burgers and brats. That's just a crazy notion 

[Matt Barnhart (kid)]

Oh my!!!

Tipps ranked NCW ahead of BC in his ATR rankings. Llama - what color communion does he get for that?? Where's the love?

A three-point loss to Wesley in Dover is a lot more impressive than a 26-point win over McDaniel in Bridgewater.

I'm in agreement with Mr. Tipps' poll.  Bridgewater still has a lot of proving to do, IMO.

[fmfdoc]

I may be alone on this one, but I'd rather lose by 66 points to Mount Union in the semifinals of the playoffs, than do so in the opening game of the season.

If a program is good, and deserves a trip to the playoffs, then you'll eventually play the best of the best.  I can just see it doing more harm than good to load up a schedule, when all that should matter is winning your conference and making it to the playoffs.

But let's be honest.  Coaches and fans will put the necessary spin on why they schedule the way they do.  Certainly CNU's coach will say how important it is to the kids to play the best of the best.  And I'm sure there are legit reasons why coaches (like Coach Bowden) want to play a game or two against easy opponents to work out the kinks before conference play begins.

Which way "prepares" your team more for conference titles and playoff games?  You tell me...

Since 2001, Christopher Newport has had a tougher non-conference schedule, with an 8-8 record in those games.  That has helped them win four conference titles and two playoff games.

Bridgewater, on the other hand, has had an easier non-conference schedule, with a 19-4 record.  That has prepared them to win five conference titles and nine playoff games.

Both ways seem to work just fine.

     Agreed.....there are different (legit) ways to look at this. I am not a fan of D1 teams playing I-AA's though.  Let's face it, it is about the $ to the I-AA guys and about getting the kinks out for the D1 teams. The D1's get no brownie points for beating a I-AA in my book. Or at least they didn't until Saturday.  May have to reevalutate my thinking and give Michigan some credit for playing a team of ASU's caliber. 

Re- cupcake aka: Oklahoma/Nebraska schedules.
Generally, I am against the "stronger" more dominating teams playing non-conference weak teams regardless of the level of play.  I have played on teams that overwhelmed an opponent and been on teams that were beleaguered by an immeasurably better foe. I can't honestly say that I felt like I had accomplished anything great with the victory or learned anything, other than how it feels to get to poop kicked out of you by the loss. I understand a coach wants to gauge where his team is against the best, but I don't need to fight Chuck Liddell to know my martial arts skills need improving. I know as a fan I get bored with a game that where a team is getting routed even if it is my team doing the routing. I don't feel I am getting my money's worth. The band gets tired of playing the fight song and the cheerleaders can't do that many push ups.

Don't get me wrong- I do not think 1& 2 should face off in the opener. Yet, it is nice to see the battles within the top 25. My hat's off to the coaches that schedule those match ups. As fans we do like to pull for the underdog and enjoy it when a David beats a Goliath. How many losses are there though for each one of those victories? I am aware that frequently the top rated match ups often also end up in blowouts and become major disappointments. It is a game.

Schools like WCU will continue to play 'Bama for the $$$. Let's face it- at that level it is all about the $$$. That is why ASU scheduled Michigan. The $400,000 ASU got to play in the Big House is a significant chunk of money to a program. Except it backfired. Mich expected a cupcake and played like a cupcake. However, there is a big difference between playing say ASU or a James Madison and a team like WCU (last year 0-7 in the conference and 2-9 overall).  (Of course, last year 'Bama scheduled Dooke, so they might have actually scheduled a more formidable opponent in WCU this year.)

I know it is probably heresy, but personally, I would not mind seeing the gold standard Mt. Unions and the other conference leaders step up and play DII (like they do now) or DI AA teams occasionally. It might provide a gauge of how high or low the disparity bar is. A team from the ODAC, or any other conference, defeating a WCU, Elon, or VMI would certainly raise the conference reputation locally, help recruiting and energize the fans. But it won't happen because there is no money in a game like that for a WCU, etc. What I do hate to see is the high caliber teams playing much weaker teams for an easy victory.

[Snakehandler]

 
Where is what I know. Playoff victories appear to a have a pretty strong correlation to Home vs. Road contests.  BC is 6-1 at home, 4-5 on the road.   If you go back and take a hard look at those playoff games, it would not be a stretch to say that being at home had a direct effect on the outcomes of at least 5 of BC's playoff games. 3 W's  at home and 2 L's on the road. 
http://www.bridgewaterfootball.com/playoffs.html

If you want to advance in the playoffs you must have home games.  BC will not get home games if they have an in-region loss.

[Pat Coleman]

It also helps that when you're at home, you're (almost always) the higher seed. You are supposed to win home games in the playoffs, even more so than during the regular season.

[Llamaguy]

WC Legacy,
    You know how to pick the right games to attend. There will be no burgers or brats at those games, just A-list menus. Skoaltrain is rolling out his 12hr slowcooked pork bbq for Ferrum and I will be hauling the grill to HSC for some SS Bbq chicken!