By Harry Minium
The Virginian-Pilot
November 13, 2013

Old Dominion scored a major scheduling coup on Wednesday when Virginia Tech announced that the Hokies and Monarchs will play a long-term, home and home football series.

Tech and ODU have agreed to a four-game series that, combined with a previous contract between the schools, means they will meet seven times over nine seasons beginning in 2017.

John Ballein, Tech’s associate athletic director for football operations, said that he and ODU athletic director Wood Selig agreed to terms on the new deal Wednesday afternoon.

The agreement calls for the Hokies to come to Norfolk in 2022 and 2024 and for ODU to play return games in Blacksburg in 2023 and 2025.

Tech had previously agreed to a 2-for-1 deal that called for the Hokies to host ODU in 2017 and 2019 and play in Norfolk in 2018.

ODU is transitioning to the Football Bowl Subdivision next season, when the Monarchs join Conference USA. Selig has said that concluding a long-term arrangement with Tech, the state’s dominant program, was his top scheduling priority.

“What a great day this is for ODU, for our program and for our fans,” he said. “This is a great harbinger of where we think we can go with our scheduling.”

Tech had originally offered to sign another 2-for-1 deal with ODU, which would have the Monarchs coming to Blacksburg twice in return for a game in Norfolk. But Ballein said he quickly agreed when Selig suggested a home and home series.

“I think it makes perfect sense to play an in-state school that’s up and coming,” said Ballein, a former coach at Wilson and Western Branch high schools.

“We recruit that area. It’s an opportunity for our fans in that area to see us there and the opportunity for ODU fans to see the other side of the state.”

Ballein said the contract calls for a $500,000 per game buyout if either school decides to cancel. It also calls for the games in Norfolk to be played in a new stadium, beginning in 2022.

ODU recently released a campus master plan that calls for a new, 30,000-seat stadium to replace Foreman Field, which seats 20,118.

“Old Dominion’s program has generated a lot of excitement in that area,” Ballein said. “When they move into a new stadium, it’s going to grow even more. I’ve always thought that a football program there would be successful and they’ve been very successful.”

Ballein said Tech is also close to finalizing agreements with two Big Ten schools that he would not name.

Selig said he hopes that signing an agreement with Tech will make it easier for ODU to schedule other regional ACC teams, such as Virginia, North Carolina and Maryland. He is also seeking a long-term series with East Carolina.

Selig said he has informally proposed a 2-game series with U.Va. for 2020 and 2021, the years that ODU doesn’t play Tech.

“Our goal is to either have Virginia or Virginia Tech on our schedule every year,” he said.

ODU previously signed a home and home arrangement with North Carolina State, which begins next season with a game in Raleigh.

ODU coach Bobby Wilder said the deal with Tech is proof that the Monarchs intend to play a tough non-conference schedule. In eight years since joining the ACC, the Hokies have won five Coastal Division titles and three league championships.

The Hokies have been to 20 consecutive bowl games and have beaten U.Va., the state’s only other FBS program, nine times in a row.

“Virginia Tech has set the standard for football in this region,” Wilder said. “When you look at the success they’ve had, the quality program that coach Frank Beamer and the other coaches and everyone in their administration, right up to their president, have built, that’s the type of football program I want to see at Old Dominion.

“I truly believe that it’s possible that one day we can have a program like Virginia Tech. In order to do that, we’ve got to play programs like Virginia Tech. Our fans and recruiting base need to see that we’re playing programs like Virginia Tech.”

Ballein, who has a master’s degree from ODU in 1987, sent contracts to Selig by Federal Express on Tuesday. Selig said after small modifications, he signed the contracts and sent them back to Tech.

When the package arrived on Wednesday, Selig was surprised that Ballein included a note and a personal check for $500 made out to the Old Dominion Athletic Foundation, the school’s private fundraising organization.

The card read in part, “I really like where you’re taking the program.” Ballein put the notation “ODU class of 1987” next to his signature.

Asked if he was surprised by the note, Selig said: “You could have knocked me over with a feather. What a very classy gesture.”

___

Future ODU football schedules:

2014

Aug. 30, Hampton

Sept. 6, at North Carolina State

Sept. 13, Eastern Michigan

Nov. 1, at Vanderbilt

Eight Conference USA games to be announced

___

2015

Sept. 5, at Eastern Michigan

Sept. 12, Norfolk State

North Carolina State, date TBA.

One non-conference and eight Conference USA games to be announced.

___

2016

Eight Conference USA and four non-conference games to be announced

___

2017

Sept. 23, at Virginia Tech.

Eight Conference USA and three non-conference games to be announced.

___

2018

Sept. 8, Virginia Tech

Eight Conference USA and three non-conference games to be announced.

___

2019

Sept. 7, at Virginia Tech

Idaho, date TBA

Eight Conference USA and three non-conference games to be announced.

___

2020

Eight Conference USA and four non-conference games to be announced.

___

2021

Eight Conference USA and four non-conference games to be announced

___

2022

Sept. 10, Virginia Tech.

Eight Conference USA and four non-conference games to be announced.

___

2023

Sept. 23, at Virginia Tech.

Eight conference USA and three non-conference games to be announced.

___

2024

Sept. 21, Virginia Tech

Eight Conference USA and three non-conference games to be announced.

___

2025

Sept. 13, at Virginia Tech.

Eight Conference USA and three non-conference games to be announced.

What's the point of going between the Dukeman and Dukeman2 accounts? Why not just stick with one?

ODU has great leadership with ambition and a vision.

(11-13-2013 08:07 PM)Rock House Duke Wrote:  ODU has great leadership with ambition and a vision.

Linwood Rose had a vision too. He envisioned JMU aligning with schools like Elon, and he did everything in his power until the day he left to ensure that his vision became reality. Pathetic, small-minded people should never be trusted with leadership roles.

Different thread, same menu

Double post ignore

(11-13-2013 08:04 PM)bridgeforthduke Wrote:  What's the point of going between the Dukeman and Dukeman2 accounts? Why not just stick with one?

Not to throw a monkey wrench into the process, but he's also used Dukeman1.

Dukeman you can actually save your login and passwords so you don't have to create new profiles every week. I'll tell you how, but you have to respond to me.

what are you guys talking about?

Dukeman, Dukeman1 & Dukeman2 are 3 different people.

they are the silent majority.

Different thread, same info, but it still makes me sick to my ******* stomach.

(11-14-2013 06:09 AM)Duke Dawg Wrote:  what are you guys talking about?

Dukeman, Dukeman1 & Dukeman2 are 3 different people.

they are the silent majority.

If he posts a thread everyday how is he the "silent" majority? More like the rain man majority

JMU is definitely run by accountants
JMU is definitely definitely dissapointing
Oh no V-E-R-N ODU scheduled Tech again in 2018
OH no V-E-R-N ODU Scheduled Tech again in 2023
Of course we are definitely going to be playing small privates forever
Time for Wapner

Go root for ODU already. We don't want you.

(11-14-2013 09:54 AM)DirtyDukes Wrote:  Go root for ODU already. We don't want you.

I agree. JMU has no use for ambitious and generous supporters. We should limit our support to those who are happy with the status quo.

(11-14-2013 09:54 AM)DirtyDukes Wrote:  Go root for ODU already. We don't want you.

He has a point though. That horse has been beaten to death, but ODU's decisive and forward moving actions just ripped off the scab. I have to pour alcohol into the wound now to keep it from getting infected. Pour some on it with me this Saturday in Godwin.

(11-14-2013 10:55 AM)jmutoml757 Wrote:  

(11-14-2013 09:54 AM)DirtyDukes Wrote:  Go root for ODU already. We don't want you.

He has a point though. That horse has been beaten to death, but ODU's decisive and forward moving actions just ripped off the scab. I have to pour alcohol into the wound now to keep it from getting infected. Pour some on it with me this Saturday in Godwin.

The horse will not be dead until we 1) fundamentally change our philosophy regarding athletic competition, and 2) aggressively execute a move to FBS that includes appropriate OOC scheduling. Our philosophy in FCS has been to fill our OOC schedule with the weakest available FCS opponents to pad our W-L record. We also have an AD who says that he would like to aviod competing in basketball on a regular basis with schools like ODU and VCU. The core or our athletic philosophy involves cowering in a corner and trying to avoid competition.

Hopefully Alger is willing to change this toxic culture. Conducting the world's most protracted FBS feasibility study is a good start, but we need to see actions taken before we can finally kill this "horse".

Team mediocrity has nothing to say besides, "different day, same thread" This team has duel loyalty with the crowd that is known to have said that "VT and UVa won't schedule ODU"...well guys.

What's the next prediction, CUSA & MAC teams won't ever crack the top 25?

Seems to me that VCU, another school with vision recently earned and received major national PR, you're up GMU.

It's sad.

(11-14-2013 11:55 AM)Purplehazed Wrote:  Team mediocrity has nothing to say besides, "different day, same thread" This team has duel loyalty with the crowd that is known to have said that "VT and UVa won't schedule ODU"...well guys.

What's the next prediction, CUSA & MAC teams won't ever crack the top 25?

Seems to me that VCU, another school with vision recently earned and received major national PR, you're up GMU.

It's sad.

GMU is kind of in the same boat as us...new president that wants to change the direction of the school that had to be dragged kicking and screaming out of a watered down CAA.

(11-14-2013 12:04 PM)All Dukes_All Day Wrote:  

(11-14-2013 11:55 AM)Purplehazed Wrote:  Team mediocrity has nothing to say besides, "different day, same thread" This team has duel loyalty with the crowd that is known to have said that "VT and UVa won't schedule ODU"...well guys.

What's the next prediction, CUSA & MAC teams won't ever crack the top 25?

Seems to me that VCU, another school with vision recently earned and received major national PR, you're up GMU.

It's sad.

GMU is kind of in the same boat as us...new president that wants to change the direction of the school that had to be dragged kicking and screaming out of a watered down CAA.

They were in the same boat, they told us to keep paddling a la Richmond in the 90s, so while we did paddled they jumped into a bigger boat with a motor while yelling, FU JMU a la Richmond in the 90s.

^^^ +1

We get that you guys are upset about the current state of JMU Athletics. I think the point that "Team Mediocrity" is trying to make is that beating a dead horse on here only dilutes otherwise vibrant conversation.

Complaining about Bourne/Mickey/Rose on an internet message board does precisely nothing to actually help your cause. The only thing it does is make these boards less readable.