The unofficial online home for fans of the Old Dominion University Monarchs. Part of Collegiate Sports Nation (CSN).

At this point Bobby and the gridiron monarchs have become somewhat of a clown show in my mind and are not to be taken totally seriously, Asking for a new conference is a lot. I think not holding hands during pre game with the men we intend to go out and smash into oblivion would be a good start

but I'm an ass

(02-23-2018 04:25 PM)ODUDrunkard13 Wrote:  Harry's quarterly realignment clickbait strikes again. Gotta get them page views.

Hey, anything to get some damn eyes on the product and money in the rapidly disappearing coffers.

But seriously, I think it's not unreasonable for the columnist of the local fishrag (especially one with a long history with ODU football) to occasionally dip a pen into the well of ODU fan unrest about conference affiliation. You can't create news out of whole cloth, but you can speculate your ass off, which he has license to do as a columnist (beat writers can also do it on the shaky ground of "analysis"). So if there's talk among fans — which certainly appears to be case — it's OK to acknowledge it every so often.

My question is how did McGlone's comment about accepting ODU fly under the radar for so long? It's not holy writ but it's a public comment made in a relatively accessible environment. How did someone not run with it then? Especially since the prevailing wisdom was that the A-10 loved ODU but wasn't in love with them, so no invitation would be forthcoming. That's a pretty sharp shift in philosophy.

(02-23-2018 05:04 PM)Cyniclone Wrote:  

(02-23-2018 04:48 PM)Monarch Homselr Wrote:  CUSA will never be a good basketball conference. Yes, WKU, MT, UAB and Marshall and ODU may be good to very good. La Tech and El Paso my improve but the other teams are and will forever be RPI killers. Plus I do not want to be in a conference where two thirds of the teams are in another time zone. One is in a two hour different one!!

If I were in charge of the world we'd be out of CUSA tomorrow! I'd even go back to FBS and the CAA. It sure feels like we are in a Div 1A scenario anyway. We will never, ever go to a big time bowl. Wouldn't surprise me if the P5 get their way and only P5 teams will go to the Big Dance and a different bowl system is created that will make we poor hangers-on, red haired step-children fight for the even more meager bowl crumbs.

Give me a TRUE playoff/championship football system! Much better than scrambling to find reasonably priced lodging and transportation at the last minute plus being at the most expensive time of the year to fly just to go to a third or fourth rate bowl game against MAC team!

ODU has had football at any level for less than 10 years and has been in CUSA for five. It's way too soon to be throwing words like never around as if ODU's fates are settled science.

How long is it supposed to take for a start-up program to reach a major bowl? Did ODU already blow deadline? Sure, neither they nor anyone in CUSA are especially likely to make a big bowl without a ton of breaks going their way, but if Western Michigan and Northern Illinois can do it from the MAC, then why can't ODU or anyone else do it from CUSA?

As for "CUSA will never be a good basketball conference": Why on Earth would they not? ODU, WKU, Middle Tennessee, UAB, Marshall and Louisiana Tech are generally consistent programs. Charlotte and UTEP are in the dumps but have a heritage and that loads the dice in their favor if they get the rights pieces of the puzzle placed. Southern Miss has been good before and can be good again. North Texas is showing signs. Even UTSA and their high-school gym are competitive. There is absolutely no reason that CUSA can't be a regular multi-bid conference with the programs they have, and there's absolutely no reason they can't be better than the CAA as a matter of course.

Sure, ODU could drop back to FCS and the CAA. But just remember that for every game against JMU and Richmond football, there's going to be three against Maine, Rhode Island and Elon. Trade in those Middle Tennessee and Western Kentucky basketball games for, among others, Elon and Drexel. And you think CUSA's TV contract is bad? CAA games might as well be available exclusively on VHS at Blockbuster.

Unless the CAA can provide ODU with a time machine with their membership, a diamond-plated pass on going back.

Preach

Posting for a friend...

We could be the next UCF!!!

(02-23-2018 03:50 PM)Gilesfan Wrote:  

(02-23-2018 03:23 PM)ODUODUODU Wrote:  C-USA > A-10. Think long term folks...

If Marshall and Western Kentucky go with us....sobeit. But, just us.......I'm not sure the A-10 is that appealing.

Huh? Do you watch basketball? You would rather play WKU, Marshall, and MTSU than VCU, Richmond, GMU, and GW in meaningful games? I will take the natural rivalries any day. Beyond those schools the difference is even greater in favor of the A10 with the likes of URI, Davidson and others. CUSA MAY be catching up to A10 in quality at the top, but there is no reasonable argument for CUSA being a better fit for our basketball program.

Sent from my Pixel C using Tapatalk

(02-23-2018 04:03 PM)Maryland Monarch Wrote:  

(02-23-2018 03:49 PM)ODUODUODU Wrote:  

(02-23-2018 03:36 PM)Maryland Monarch Wrote:  

(02-23-2018 03:29 PM)ODU2011 Wrote:  

(02-23-2018 03:23 PM)ODUODUODU Wrote:  C-USA > A-10. Think long term folks...

Agreed. Why jump when it looks like things are finally starting to come together? The top of the conference is strong in basketball, and some of the bottom teams have made improvements. Especially UTSA and North Texas. According to Harry, conference re alignment killed attendance, than why do it again? Give these rivalries time to form.

Conference realignment killed attendance because of whom we realigned with. Our students and alumni don't know most of the teams in our conference...even the good ones. Realigning with our regional/historical rivals, i.e. VCU, GMU, Richmond, etc. would SOLVE problems...not create them.

Aim High... AAC or Bust!!!

The problem with the AAC is that the next wave of realignment (circa 2024) will probably kill that conference too. Again, from the Sun Belt board thread, Texas and Oklahoma (and 1-2 others) most likely move from the Big 12. The Big 12 backfills with Cincy, Memphis, Houston and 1-2 of the Florida AAC schools. At that point, UCONN is screwed and goes independent in FB and to the Big East in all other sports.

With all of those schools out of the AAC, why would we want to join? We would be right back where we are. To me, a better option would be a new FB conference and all other sports in the A10. Option #2 would be to get ODU, Empty Sue, WKU, Marshall, UAB and Charlotte to serve as the core of a new conference of 9-10 teams. Add in Appy, GSU, gSU and/or Liberty/JMU and call it a day.

Exactly we keep chasing the same conference around, basically.

Sent from my Pixel C using Tapatalk

(02-23-2018 04:37 PM)bit_9 Wrote:  Sorry, call me as indifferent. But I see no difference in basketball as it sits right now. MTSU, WKU, Marshall, and ODU make up the top 4. Outside of VCU, Richmond, and UMass I don't really know much or care about the rest. I guess RI, St. Bonnie, Davidison are good but it's no different in dynamic or makeup to CUSA is it? Less travel I guess w/ TX schools gone?

Shrug. I'm happy where we are.

Same. Plus the A-10 would be a step backwards for baseball and soccer. Both of those sports have really improved in C-USA. Useless the AAC or a P5 (LOL) comes calling there is no need to move.

(02-23-2018 04:25 PM)ODUDrunkard13 Wrote:  Harry's quarterly realignment clickbait strikes again. Gotta get them page views.

Completely agree - it’s a great article to start discussion and get Monarch Nation agitated - but will NEVER happen. Yes, we would love to play basketball in the A-10 - makes me want to do a cartwheel thinking about. But a cobbled regional FBS league for our football team is pure fantasy and will never happen (too much beuaracy to work through).

Cable is dying so streaming options willl be the norm very soon . We already play the top A-10 schools in basketball every year ... you don’t move backwards once you commit to FBS unless it’s a proven financial failure . Basketball is coming back and I think our profile will allow for better OOC scheduling to fill the gap once regular season kicks in (of which the bottom tier teams are improving) . Stay the course I say until bigger doors are opened .

(02-24-2018 07:13 AM)Obiwan Wrote:  Cable is dying so streaming options willl be the norm very soon . We already play the top A-10 schools in basketball every year ... you don’t move backwards once you commit to FBS unless it’s a proven financial failure . Basketball is coming back and I think our profile will allow for better OOC scheduling to fill the gap once regular season kicks in (of which the bottom tier teams are improving) . Stay the course I say until bigger doors are opened .

Totally agree. Choosing to step back into FCS (minor league that few care about) would be a tragic mistake for a growing institution like ODU. The BB will get better.

A-10, only way to go!

Football is already proving to be a financial disaster . Can't keep up with the Joneses as it is.

While I wouldn’t be opposed personally to a step back to FCS, the article doesn’t suggest that nor imply anyone is thinking of that. It recommends a realignment w the SB or, a new FBS league for football only and the A10 for everything else. To me, that sounds great.

(02-23-2018 04:25 PM)ODUDrunkard13 Wrote:  Harry's quarterly realignment clickbait strikes again. Gotta get them page views.

So much this. The most consistent thing about this board is conference realignment talk. It's fun the first couple of times sure. But we do this 5-6 times a year.

Sent from my SM-G920V using CSNbbs mobile app

Not exactly sure about the politics of it all, but I love this statement from the article.

"ODU fans would drool having VCU, George Mason and Richmond back as league rivals, and the A-10 basketball tournament is in Washington, D.C., not Frisco, Texas, they would have reasonable chance again of following their Monarchs."

Yes, we would all welcome the return of those true rivalries and would have no trouble traveling to those games and the Conference Tournament; I'm sure in record numbers.

Our closest rivalry is 5 hours away, and the tournament is in TX. That's not good for the fan base at all

For those pining for the CAA days and leaving CUSA, I think memories are short. For years the CAA was trash and there were complaints how the top 2 - 4 teams were carrying the league. I am not a fan of CUSA but unless something great comes along, we should work to make our teams great and hope the La Tech, UAB, and UTEP can get back to form. Along with ODU, WKU, MTSU, and Marshall, I think that is a strong top half of the conference and would rival anything that the CAA or possibly the A-10 could produce.

(02-24-2018 10:36 AM)BigBlueMonarch Wrote:  For those pining for the CAA days and leaving CUSA, I think memories are short. For years the CAA was trash and there were complaints how the top 2 - 4 teams were carrying the league. I am not a fan of CUSA but unless something great comes along, we should work to make our teams great and hope the La Tech, UAB, and UTEP can get back to form. Along with ODU, WKU, MTSU, and Marshall, I think that is a strong top half of the conference and would rival anything that the CAA or possibly the A-10 could produce.

Yep. Throw in Charlotte as well, though they may have a bigger climb.

So, here's my two cents on the matter. Here is the "East Coast Conference" that Harry is suggesting:

ODU
App St
CCU
Charlotte
Liberty
UConn
UMass

a) THIS CONFERENCE ONLY HAS SEVEN MEMBERS

b) Creating this conference, if it is even allowed, means that we place ourselves outside of the CFP contract. So say ODU get's ranked #15, and is the "highest rated G5 member", the college football playoff is not obligated to pick us and can/will instead pick the highest ranking member from AAC/CUSA/MWC/MAC/SB. We also do not get any of the money that is associated with the CFP (~$10MM per conference).

c) What bowl tie ins would we have? Right now a lot of people are claiming there's too many bowls, and I doubt any of the other conferences will be generous and just give us their old ones.

d) This conference is absolute garbage.

I also very much doubt that the CAA would let JMU/UDel keep their olympic sports in the CAA, seeing how vindictive they were when ODU left.

I think Harry is dead set on getting ODU and Liberty in the same conference, and not for the benefit of ODU. No thanks.

(02-24-2018 11:12 AM)ODUBB35 Wrote:  I think Harry is dead set on getting ODU and Liberty in the same conference, and not for the benefit of ODU. No thanks.

100% agree. Lock of the century that one of his cited unnamed sources is in the Liberty athletic department