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When you think about it, given the primitive facilities and the no name opponents, I think attendance is stellar.

(08-29-2016 07:38 AM)Old Dominion Wrote:  When you think about it, given the primitive facilities and the no name opponents, I think attendance is stellar.

Football is king here in the south.

(08-29-2016 07:23 AM)ODU2K1 Wrote:  

(08-28-2016 05:31 PM)Old Dominion Wrote:  Why can't it be both? No creature comforts combined with unexciting opponents.

It is both. A sexy schedule can overcome an uncomfortable facility and a posh facility can help overcome a meh schedule.

I (politely) disagree. Nothing can overcome losing (scheduling). The Ted is as nice as you will find and when our team is no good, we have no butts in the seats.

We are starting to see that play out with football. The excitement is down because the team isn't expected to be good.

Scott Stadium at UVA is nice. They don't sell it our because they put a bad product on the field (not comparing our product to their product).

People want to be associated with winning. The other items (schedule, stadium, etc) are secondary.

(08-28-2016 05:37 PM)ODUalum78 Wrote:  

(08-28-2016 04:17 PM)Monarch Homselr Wrote:  I remember the wooden bleachers! My husband played for Granby 1966 and 1967 season. I remember the splinters. I think Harry's article mentions when the aluminum seats were put in. Good memories in those bleachers....the unbelievable Maury/Granby games, Oyster Bowls with my father going back to 1961, bringing a Coleman cooler full of daiquiris for our parties in the end zone at Neptune games. Ah, to be young again!

I have a theory different from the one mentioned in the article about the reason for slowing season tickets sales. It's not so much the quality of the Foreman Field but the quality of the opponents. People would much rather see the geographic rivals W&M, Richmond, JMU etc. I know...bring it on! yes, I'm in the minority but we sure get up a lot more for playing those schools and not the North Texases of the world!!

Agreed
Unless we are playing Notre Dame, Ohio State, or Alabama, the average local fan would indeed rather see regional relevance; W&M, UR, and JMU.

Tech, UVA, Navy, and ECU will mitigate that...and more. But we need to get that going at some point.

As to the wooden bleachers, I guess they just had wooden seats eh? No wooden structural aspects. I just didn't remember the seat part.

Casual fans would rather see JMU, W&M, UR. Fans that are really in college football would rather see FBS teams.

While, I enjoyed our FCS days, there is a drastic difference in the level of play and that is exciting for me. Just personal opinion, but I like watching games where guys will be playing at the next level.

(08-28-2016 04:17 PM)Monarch Homselr Wrote:  I remember the wooden bleachers! My husband played for Granby 1966 and 1967 season. I remember the splinters. I think Harry's article mentions when the aluminum seats were put in. Good memories in those bleachers....the unbelievable Maury/Granby games, Oyster Bowls with my father going back to 1961, bringing a Coleman cooler full of daiquiris for our parties in the end zone at Neptune games. Ah, to be young again!

I have a theory different from the one mentioned in the article about the reason for slowing season tickets sales. It's not so much the quality of the Foreman Field but the quality of the opponents. People would much rather see the geographic rivals W&M, Richmond, JMU etc. I know...bring it on! yes, I'm in the minority but we sure get up a lot more for playing those schools and not the North Texases of the world!!

You're cherrypicking. Sure, the most interesting CAA games are likely to get blood boiling quicker than the most obscure CUSA games, but really that's apples and oranges (I can't tell if I'm making a fruit salad or a slot machine). By contrast, I can say that playing Marshall, Southern Miss, Charlotte and Western Kentucky is way more compelling than Elon, Albany, Maine and Rhode Island.

The thing about your "W&M, Richmond, JMU etc." quote is that there's no "etc." Once you get past those three schools, the only other "geographic rivals" are NSU and Hampton, and some people hate that ODU ever schedules them. Outside *that*, there's nothing. Liberty isn't really a geographic rival. VMI? Towson?

Put another way: Here's JMU's schedule this year, and it's not an unreasonable template for an ODU team that stays in a CAA that JMU has left (eventually, they'll move up ... right?)

Sept. 3 MOREHEAD STATE
Sept. 10 CENTRAL CONNECTICUT STATE
Sept. 17 at North Carolina
Sept. 24 at Maine
Oct. 1 DELAWARE
Oct. 8 WILLIAM & MARY
Oct. 15 at New Hampshire
Oct. 22 BYE
Oct. 29 RHODE ISLAND
Nov. 5 at Richmond
Nov. 12 at Villanova
Nov. 19 ELON

Then replace North Carolina with an FCS team because Bobby Wilder's scheduling philosophy when ODU was at that level was to never play an FBS buy game because it hurt their playoff positioning. So @North Carolina becomes @Norfolk State, because the Monarchs and Spartans had signed a long-term contract shortly before ODU moved up.

Even if you managed to find two better FCS home games than Morehead and Central Connecticut, is that a home schedule that gets people pumped up?

I can't speak for everyone, but I'll take Marshall and Southern Miss over Richmond and W&M, and I'll also take UTSA and the F*Us over Elon/Maine/Rhode Island.

(08-29-2016 09:54 AM)Cyniclone Wrote:  

(08-28-2016 04:17 PM)Monarch Homselr Wrote:  I remember the wooden bleachers! My husband played for Granby 1966 and 1967 season. I remember the splinters. I think Harry's article mentions when the aluminum seats were put in. Good memories in those bleachers....the unbelievable Maury/Granby games, Oyster Bowls with my father going back to 1961, bringing a Coleman cooler full of daiquiris for our parties in the end zone at Neptune games. Ah, to be young again!

I have a theory different from the one mentioned in the article about the reason for slowing season tickets sales. It's not so much the quality of the Foreman Field but the quality of the opponents. People would much rather see the geographic rivals W&M, Richmond, JMU etc. I know...bring it on! yes, I'm in the minority but we sure get up a lot more for playing those schools and not the North Texases of the world!!

You're cherrypicking. Sure, the most interesting CAA games are likely to get blood boiling quicker than the most obscure CUSA games, but really that's apples and oranges (I can't tell if I'm making a fruit salad or a slot machine). By contrast, I can say that playing Marshall, Southern Miss, Charlotte and Western Kentucky is way more compelling than Elon, Albany, Maine and Rhode Island.

The thing about your "W&M, Richmond, JMU etc." quote is that there's no "etc." Once you get past those three schools, the only other "geographic rivals" are NSU and Hampton, and some people hate that ODU ever schedules them. Outside *that*, there's nothing. Liberty isn't really a geographic rival. VMI? Towson?

Put another way: Here's JMU's schedule this year, and it's not an unreasonable template for an ODU team that stays in a CAA that JMU has left (eventually, they'll move up ... right?)

Sept. 3 MOREHEAD STATE
Sept. 10 CENTRAL CONNECTICUT STATE
Sept. 17 at North Carolina
Sept. 24 at Maine
Oct. 1 DELAWARE
Oct. 8 WILLIAM & MARY
Oct. 15 at New Hampshire
Oct. 22 BYE
Oct. 29 RHODE ISLAND
Nov. 5 at Richmond
Nov. 12 at Villanova
Nov. 19 ELON

Then replace North Carolina with an FCS team because Bobby Wilder's scheduling philosophy when ODU was at that level was to never play an FBS buy game because it hurt their playoff positioning. So @North Carolina becomes @Norfolk State, because the Monarchs and Spartans had signed a long-term contract shortly before ODU moved up.

Even if you managed to find two better FCS home games than Morehead and Central Connecticut, is that a home schedule that gets people pumped up?

I can't speak for everyone, but I'll take Marshall and Southern Miss over Richmond and W&M, and I'll also take UTSA and the F*Us over Elon/Maine/Rhode Island.

+ 2

+100

(08-29-2016 09:54 AM)Cyniclone Wrote:  

(08-28-2016 04:17 PM)Monarch Homselr Wrote:  I remember the wooden bleachers! My husband played for Granby 1966 and 1967 season. I remember the splinters. I think Harry's article mentions when the aluminum seats were put in. Good memories in those bleachers....the unbelievable Maury/Granby games, Oyster Bowls with my father going back to 1961, bringing a Coleman cooler full of daiquiris for our parties in the end zone at Neptune games. Ah, to be young again!

I have a theory different from the one mentioned in the article about the reason for slowing season tickets sales. It's not so much the quality of the Foreman Field but the quality of the opponents. People would much rather see the geographic rivals W&M, Richmond, JMU etc. I know...bring it on! yes, I'm in the minority but we sure get up a lot more for playing those schools and not the North Texases of the world!!

You're cherrypicking. Sure, the most interesting CAA games are likely to get blood boiling quicker than the most obscure CUSA games, but really that's apples and oranges (I can't tell if I'm making a fruit salad or a slot machine). By contrast, I can say that playing Marshall, Southern Miss, Charlotte and Western Kentucky is way more compelling than Elon, Albany, Maine and Rhode Island.

The thing about your "W&M, Richmond, JMU etc." quote is that there's no "etc." Once you get past those three schools, the only other "geographic rivals" are NSU and Hampton, and some people hate that ODU ever schedules them. Outside *that*, there's nothing. Liberty isn't really a geographic rival. VMI? Towson?

Put another way: Here's JMU's schedule this year, and it's not an unreasonable template for an ODU team that stays in a CAA that JMU has left (eventually, they'll move up ... right?)

Sept. 3 MOREHEAD STATE
Sept. 10 CENTRAL CONNECTICUT STATE
Sept. 17 at North Carolina
Sept. 24 at Maine
Oct. 1 DELAWARE
Oct. 8 WILLIAM & MARY
Oct. 15 at New Hampshire
Oct. 22 BYE
Oct. 29 RHODE ISLAND
Nov. 5 at Richmond
Nov. 12 at Villanova
Nov. 19 ELON

Then replace North Carolina with an FCS team because Bobby Wilder's scheduling philosophy when ODU was at that level was to never play an FBS buy game because it hurt their playoff positioning. So @North Carolina becomes @Norfolk State, because the Monarchs and Spartans had signed a long-term contract shortly before ODU moved up.

Even if you managed to find two better FCS home games than Morehead and Central Connecticut, is that a home schedule that gets people pumped up?

I can't speak for everyone, but I'll take Marshall and Southern Miss over Richmond and W&M, and I'll also take UTSA and the F*Us over Elon/Maine/Rhode Island.

Good points, well made.

Unfortunately for us the best way to get "geographical rivals" at this level and get fan interest, we would have to join in the ACC with 2 VA teams and 4 NC teams. But we have no chance at that lol at least not for a long time. I loved the CAA days but the CAA is no longer what it once was. JMU moving up to FBS and CUSA would be the best option but that is only one team... Unfortunately our teams can't adjust to that but us as fans (and more so the common fan) need to adjust to our conference mates and who we play regularly. I bet you a common fan wouldn't know the "beef" between ODU and LT/MTSU fans. Most fans don't care, they come to ODU and know that VCU is a rival but couldn't tell you who our rivals are in CUSA. It just comes with the territory, and with us being in a new conference with little to no history between most of the schools, it hurts as well

I used google maps and made one with Cincy gone and us and Rice getting the invite. And looking at the pins on the map that is a great geographic fit with travel partners for a tight east and west div sans the __F's.

(08-29-2016 10:30 AM)Cr8n Wrote:  I used google maps and made one with Cincy gone and us and Rice getting the invite. And looking at the pins on the map that is a great geographic fit with travel partners for a tight east and west div sans the __F's.

From your Google map to the ears of the "gods of football".

(08-29-2016 08:53 AM)BigBlue23 Wrote:  

(08-29-2016 07:23 AM)ODU2K1 Wrote:  

(08-28-2016 05:31 PM)Old Dominion Wrote:  Why can't it be both? No creature comforts combined with unexciting opponents.

It is both. A sexy schedule can overcome an uncomfortable facility and a posh facility can help overcome a meh schedule.

I (politely) disagree. Nothing can overcome losing (scheduling). The Ted is as nice as you will find and when our team is no good, we have no butts in the seats.

We are starting to see that play out with football. The excitement is down because the team isn't expected to be good.

Scott Stadium at UVA is nice. They don't sell it our because they put a bad product on the field (not comparing our product to their product).

People want to be associated with winning. The other items (schedule, stadium, etc) are secondary.

This is right on - start winning again and the seats will be filled.

Interesting what we were saying just a couple of years ago. Nonetheless, I can't wait for the season to start and to get a new stadium!