FB: Old Dominion Athletic Conference

[allsky7]

Trinity won the money  for the best play from Pontiac.com.  Way to go d3football enthusiasts!!  It 's great to see the support for d3 football, isn't it?

     AWESOME!! I really thought Appy St was going to win it. 

[EHCPride]

Bryan Moore has left his position as OC at Emory & Henry.  Could it be frustration with the fact that Monty seemingly wouldn't relinquish control of the offense and prefers a run-heavy flavor as opposed to the balanced attack used by Moore at Thomas More College and during Emory's only winning season in the Montgomery Era?  I suppose we'll never know.

[wasper68]

Bryan Moore has left his position as OC at Emory & Henry.  Could it be frustration with the fact that Monty seemingly wouldn't relinquish control of the offense and prefers a run-heavy flavor as opposed to the balanced attack used by Moore at Thomas More College and during Emory's only winning season in the Montgomery Era?  I suppose we'll never know.

From what I have heard this is purely a personal decision not influenced by anything with the program and that Bryan is getting out of coaching all together.

[beenhit2hard]

Hi Llama, Hi Oil Can,,the beenhit2hards are off skiing again,,and far from a computer so I can't post often,,looks like no one else is either. To bad there is no tailgating at BB games,,maybe this spring at a track meet? We have lots of snow up here,,nice little town of 1300,,,And I thought the Island was small.  See y'all soon

[skoaltrain]

Is it September yet?  Man, I know I shouldn't be wishing my life away but I am in a "tailgating withdrawal."  I'm trying to think of an event here in Lynchburg that will allow me to mingle with friends and slow cook BBQ for 12-14 hours.  Hasn't happened yet.  All in due time I tell myself.

I miss all my D3 Family and here's to a prosperous and Happy New Year!

See and talk to you soon. Llamaguy? Peggy? Chris? Matt? Snake? You guys still out there?

[allsky7]

Is it September yet?  Man, I know I shouldn't be wishing my life away but I am in a "tailgating withdrawal."  I'm trying to think of an event here in Lynchburg that will allow me to mingle with friends and slow cook BBQ for 12-14 hours.  Hasn't happened yet.  All in due time I tell myself.

I miss all my D3 Family and here's to a prosperous and Happy New Year!

See and talk to you soon. Llamaguy? Peggy? Chris? Matt? Snake? You guys still out there?

     Skoal.......cook it and they will come!! We'll create an "event". It is critical that you stay in shape in the off season. Can't let your cooking skills get rusty now that Stone Station is competing on the national stage with the big boys. 
     BTW.....heard anything on the new microbrewery downtown? I don't get the News & Regress any longer so all my local news comes from the WSET site. 

[Matt Barnhart (kid)]

[...] Llamaguy? Peggy? Chris? Matt? Snake? You guys still out there?

Oh yes, I'm still here. Just having 'deep' ODAC football thoughts to myself, one of which I'll share...

Perhaps Bridgewater has dropped back to being an average team like they were in 1999, instead of the ODAC getting better the past couple years?

In other words, most of us (coaches, players, fans) have been saying over the last couple years that the conference has stepped it up closer to the level of what Bridgewater accomplished from 2001 to 2005. Really?

BC went undefeated (30-0) in the ODAC during those years, and won nine playoff games over that span. The three non-BC ODAC champs since 2000 tell a different story...

2000: Emory & Henry (5-1 ODAC) loses 38-14 to Western Maryland (first round)
2006: Washington & Lee (5-1 ODAC) loses 42-0 to Wilkes (first round)
2007: Hampden-Sydney (5-1 ODAC) loses 45-17 to Wesley (first round)

I have a feeling that BC just isn't performing as well as they used to, and when that happens, naturally the conference will get more competitive. Sure, the conference is more interesting with any team capable of beating another on any day, but BC set a standard for competing outside of VA, NC, and DC. And that clearly isn't happening anymore.

So in my mind, BC has dropped back and rejoined everyone else in competing for conference titles and nothing more. I sure hope that changes over the next couple years!

[willierobin]

I think you're right about the Eagles coming back to the pack but I also feel that the bottom-feeders of 3/4 years ago (Guilford, Catholic, E&H, Macon) have improved and closed the gap with the others as well. Thus we now have a league where anyone can compete with anyone on any given day...which is much more interesting than when BC was always 1st and HSC was 2nd and the rest battled for 3rd.

[fallguy]

Willierobin, I think the cellar dwellers have gotten better. The Odac pick-em board is more difficult than it was a few years back. Poor playoff showings will happen when the ODAC champ has one or more L's . Going in as 7 or 8 seed is much harder then a 6th or better.
The top 8 or ten teams in d3 seem to be at a different level than the rest of the Division

[Matt Barnhart (kid)]

I think you're right about the Eagles coming back to the pack but I also feel that the bottom-feeders of 3/4 years ago (Guilford, Catholic, E&H, Macon) have improved and closed the gap with the others as well. Thus we now have a league where anyone can compete with anyone on any given day...which is much more interesting than when BC was always 1st and HSC was 2nd and the rest battled for 3rd.

Ehh, yeah, sort of, I guess.

I would only agree with R-MC, going from 0-6 in 2006 to 5-1 in 2007. Next season will let us know if the Jackets are here to stay, or if other ODAC teams will be better prepared for their pounding mentality.

But in my opinion, we still have the same bottom feeders...

Catholic
2001-2004: 5-19 (.208)
2005: 1-5
2006: 1-5
2007: 1-5

Guilford
2001-2004: 5-19 (.208)
2005: 4-2
2006: 3-3
2007: 2-4

Emory & Henry
2001-2004: 11-13 (.458)
2005: 1-5
2006: 4-2
2007: 1-5

And H-SC and W&L have remained competitive since 2000.

[Ralph Turner]

Willierobin, I think the cellar dwellers have gotten better. The Odac pick-em board is more difficult than it was a few years back. Poor playoff showings will happen when the ODAC champ has one or more L's . Going in as 7 or 8 seed is much harder then a 6th or better.
The top 8 or ten teams in d3 seem to be at a different level than the rest of the Division

BC was in that top 8-10 teams in D3 in the early part of the decade.

There are three sub-regions in the South.

Pennsylvania is one sub-region, and W&J gets their pick of teams to beat.  They have done well versus CC, MAC and other nearby foes.  Geographic proximity keeps them from running into lower-seeded teams from Texas in the first round.  When they were paired with "#8" seeded NCWC this year, they became the first team to lose to an #8 seed in the new format.

The USAC, ODAC and the ACFC constitute the next sub-region.  They have had really strong teams in this decade. BC and Wesley have had their time at the top.

"Texas" has been solid every year.  The SCAC champ and the ASC teams are always competitive.  Getting the appropriate seeding due to "geographic proximity" is nigh onto impossible.  Also, the pairings have told a interesting story.  "Texas" eats W&J alive, every time since 1995.  Wesley and BC have been competitive versus "Texas".

I think that the ODAC has fallen back to "above average" parity.  Good teams, but not getting past the second round.

[allsky7]

[...] Llamaguy? Peggy? Chris? Matt? Snake? You guys still out there?

Oh yes, I'm still here. Just having 'deep' ODAC football thoughts to myself, one of which I'll share...

Perhaps Bridgewater has dropped back to being an average team like they were in 1999, instead of the ODAC getting better the past couple years?

In other words, most of us (coaches, players, fans) have been saying over the last couple years that the conference has stepped it up closer to the level of what Bridgewater accomplished from 2001 to 2005. Really?

BC went undefeated (30-0) in the ODAC during those years, and won nine playoff games over that span. The three non-BC ODAC champs since 2000 tell a different story...

2000: Emory & Henry (5-1 ODAC) loses 38-14 to Western Maryland (first round)
2006: Washington & Lee (5-1 ODAC) loses 42-0 to Wilkes (first round)
2007: Hampden-Sydney (5-1 ODAC) loses 45-17 to Wesley (first round)

I have a feeling that BC just isn't performing as well as they used to, and when that happens, naturally the conference will get more competitive. Sure, the conference is more interesting with any team capable of beating another on any day, but BC set a standard for competing outside of VA, NC, and DC. And that clearly isn't happening anymore.

So in my mind, BC has dropped back and rejoined everyone else in competing for conference titles and nothing more. I sure hope that changes over the next couple years!

     I think it is a little of both. The BC team of today is not the BC team of 6-7 years ago. Overall, I think the ODAC has upped it's game too. It is very difficult to stay a 2-3 wins in the playoffs contender year in and year out. Only a few are able to do that over the long haul. I know people get their feathers ruffled when this comes up but I suspect the schools that win consistently, are doing something a little bit differently than the rest. I DID NOT SAY ILLEGAL!! I cannot speak as much to todays game but in years past I had a direct connection to the football programs of several ODAC schools. I know some of the things that happen along the recruiting/admissions trail. As I have said (ad nauseum), a handful of blue chip players is the difference between being ODAC contender/champion and a 2 or 3 rounds deep in the playoffs contender. Whether it be academic standards, aid packages, or whatever, some schools will get those handful of blue chippers and others will not. Always thus and always thus shall be.  Certainly, this is a little bit of an oversimplification and there are other factors, but none greater than the two mentioned. Did BC get those blue chip players 6-7 years ago that they are not getting now? I don't know. Matt, you may know the answer to that better than I. Or is it maybe just part of the natural ebb and flow of things? 8)

[willierobin]

The last place team(s) will always have a bad league record, but no doubt those 3 teams have gotten closer to the "big boys". Guilford and E&H beat BC the year before last while Cathlic lost in the last minute to BC. Guilford took the champs(HSC) to the wire this year while E&H gave them their only ODAC loss. A vast majority of ODAC games were very competitive this season...partly because of BC not being a national power and partly because the lower half of the league has gotten better.

[miz]

[...] Llamaguy? Peggy? Chris? Matt? Snake? You guys still out there?

Oh yes, I'm still here. Just having 'deep' ODAC football thoughts to myself, one of which I'll share...

Perhaps Bridgewater has dropped back to being an average team like they were in 1999, instead of the ODAC getting better the past couple years?

In other words, most of us (coaches, players, fans) have been saying over the last couple years that the conference has stepped it up closer to the level of what Bridgewater accomplished from 2001 to 2005. Really?

BC went undefeated (30-0) in the ODAC during those years, and won nine playoff games over that span. The three non-BC ODAC champs since 2000 tell a different story...

2000: Emory & Henry (5-1 ODAC) loses 38-14 to Western Maryland (first round)
2006: Washington & Lee (5-1 ODAC) loses 42-0 to Wilkes (first round)
2007: Hampden-Sydney (5-1 ODAC) loses 45-17 to Wesley (first round)

I have a feeling that BC just isn't performing as well as they used to, and when that happens, naturally the conference will get more competitive. Sure, the conference is more interesting with any team capable of beating another on any day, but BC set a standard for competing outside of VA, NC, and DC. And that clearly isn't happening anymore.

So in my mind, BC has dropped back and rejoined everyone else in competing for conference titles and nothing more. I sure hope that changes over the next couple years!

Absolutely agree.  To take this arguement a step further, I would argue that this year's HSC team that won the ODAC couldn't hold a candle to the Ricca qb'd squads.  Problem is, BC isn't nearly as good as it was those years either........

[allsky7]

[...] Llamaguy? Peggy? Chris? Matt? Snake? You guys still out there?

Oh yes, I'm still here. Just having 'deep' ODAC football thoughts to myself, one of which I'll share...

Perhaps Bridgewater has dropped back to being an average team like they were in 1999, instead of the ODAC getting better the past couple years?

In other words, most of us (coaches, players, fans) have been saying over the last couple years that the conference has stepped it up closer to the level of what Bridgewater accomplished from 2001 to 2005. Really?

BC went undefeated (30-0) in the ODAC during those years, and won nine playoff games over that span. The three non-BC ODAC champs since 2000 tell a different story...

2000: Emory & Henry (5-1 ODAC) loses 38-14 to Western Maryland (first round)
2006: Washington & Lee (5-1 ODAC) loses 42-0 to Wilkes (first round)
2007: Hampden-Sydney (5-1 ODAC) loses 45-17 to Wesley (first round)

I have a feeling that BC just isn't performing as well as they used to, and when that happens, naturally the conference will get more competitive. Sure, the conference is more interesting with any team capable of beating another on any day, but BC set a standard for competing outside of VA, NC, and DC. And that clearly isn't happening anymore.

So in my mind, BC has dropped back and rejoined everyone else in competing for conference titles and nothing more. I sure hope that changes over the next couple years!

Absolutely agree.  To take this arguement a step further, I would argue that this year's HSC team that won the ODAC couldn't hold a candle to the Ricca qb'd squads.  Problem is, BC isn't nearly as good as it was those years either........

     Not buying that. It is very tough to compare teams from different times but IMO, this years Tigers were more balanced and better on defense.