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What do you believe will be the new travel partners for ODU and the rest of the SBC?

"Travel partner" as it relates to college sports usually describes two schools that are fairly close to each other geographically.
It is a common misconception that there is some huge benefit to those two programs with respect to each other.
However, the only direct benefit (but an important one) is the travel distance between the two.

Conferences use what is called "travel partner scheduling" to schedule two games with the two close schools such that a visiting team can play a game against both schools on the same road trip, thereby saving a lot of money, and often reducing missed classroom time.

"Travel partner scheduling" is not applicable to football.

Yeah ODU is in a real conference now. No need to worry about travel partners and dumb scheduling.

Well, the Sun Belt uses travel partner scheduling and I have to believe ODU and JMU would be partners, if that continues.

Wouldn't it apply to basketball and not football? I would assume JMU would be our travel partner. Marshall is just about as close to JMU as they are to App so I'm sure they wouldn't protest being partners with App

JMU & ODU makes sense. What about Marshall, App & Coastal? Marshall & App makes sense as does App and Coastal. I guess having an Odd Number of teams presents a challenge.

(03-31-2022 06:23 AM)ODUODUODU Wrote:  JMU & ODU makes sense. What about Marshall, App & Coastal? Marshall & App makes sense as does App and Coastal. I guess having an Odd Number of teams presents a challenge.

All it means is you have to link the two closest schools from the East and West together. Then you go up the divisions until you reach the outliers.

So:

Georgia State-Troy
Georgia Southern - CCU
App - Marshall
ODU - JMU
USA-USM
Louisiana-Texas State
ULM - Arkansas State

This does separate some natural rivals, but you can ensure everyone plays everyone they want via scheduling.

(03-31-2022 06:51 AM)Blue_Trombone Wrote:  

(03-31-2022 06:23 AM)ODUODUODU Wrote:  JMU & ODU makes sense. What about Marshall, App & Coastal? Marshall & App makes sense as does App and Coastal. I guess having an Odd Number of teams presents a challenge.

All it means is you have to link the two closest schools from the East and West together. Then you go up the divisions until you reach the outliers.

So:

Georgia State-Troy
Georgia Southern - CCU
App - Marshall
ODU - JMU
USA-USM
Louisiana-Texas State
ULM - Arkansas State

This does separate some natural rivals, but you can ensure everyone plays everyone they want via scheduling.

Until we lure ECU to come to SBC and the GA schools can be together and CCU and ECU will have partnership

The West can figure it out lol

(03-30-2022 11:21 PM)ODone Wrote:  Well, the Sun Belt uses travel partner scheduling and I have to believe ODU and JMU would be partners, if that continues.

Now that the conference is split between 2 divisions I doubt the concept continues. Can easily go to any school in our division for a Wednesday night game and make it back in time to attend classes before a Saturday home game. No reason to tie up a road team's entire week and miss an extra day or 2 of classes.

(03-30-2022 11:21 PM)ODone Wrote:  Well, the Sun Belt uses travel partner scheduling and I have to believe ODU and JMU would be partners, if that continues.

SBC used it in practice the last few years, but we also didn't have divisions in basketball, so travel partners were necessary in case say Texas State and Coastal Carolina had to face each other twice in a year.

If they go to a divisional format, travel pratners won't be necessary because your twice a year opponents would be the same every year

There's a lot to discuss with basketball scheduling. The 14 coaches are due to meet the last week in May to vote on what they want to do.

(03-31-2022 08:08 AM)MonGNARch Wrote:  

(03-31-2022 06:51 AM)Blue_Trombone Wrote:  

(03-31-2022 06:23 AM)ODUODUODU Wrote:  JMU & ODU makes sense. What about Marshall, App & Coastal? Marshall & App makes sense as does App and Coastal. I guess having an Odd Number of teams presents a challenge.

All it means is you have to link the two closest schools from the East and West together. Then you go up the divisions until you reach the outliers.

So:

Georgia State-Troy
Georgia Southern - CCU
App - Marshall
ODU - JMU
USA-USM
Louisiana-Texas State
ULM - Arkansas State

This does separate some natural rivals, but you can ensure everyone plays everyone they want via scheduling.

Until we lure ECU to come to SBC and the GA schools can be together and CCU and ECU will have partnership

The West can figure it out lol

I believe East Carolina to the SBC is a matter of time

(04-08-2022 06:27 PM)Purplehazed Wrote:  

(03-31-2022 08:08 AM)MonGNARch Wrote:  

(03-31-2022 06:51 AM)Blue_Trombone Wrote:  

(03-31-2022 06:23 AM)ODUODUODU Wrote:  JMU & ODU makes sense. What about Marshall, App & Coastal? Marshall & App makes sense as does App and Coastal. I guess having an Odd Number of teams presents a challenge.

All it means is you have to link the two closest schools from the East and West together. Then you go up the divisions until you reach the outliers.

So:

Georgia State-Troy
Georgia Southern - CCU
App - Marshall
ODU - JMU
USA-USM
Louisiana-Texas State
ULM - Arkansas State

This does separate some natural rivals, but you can ensure everyone plays everyone they want via scheduling.

Until we lure ECU to come to SBC and the GA schools can be together and CCU and ECU will have partnership

The West can figure it out lol

I believe East Carolina to the SBC is a matter of time

Don't tease me, man.

Adding ECU would be tremendous.

(04-08-2022 07:52 PM)Roy Munson Wrote:  

(04-08-2022 06:27 PM)Purplehazed Wrote:  

(03-31-2022 08:08 AM)MonGNARch Wrote:  

(03-31-2022 06:51 AM)Blue_Trombone Wrote:  

(03-31-2022 06:23 AM)ODUODUODU Wrote:  JMU & ODU makes sense. What about Marshall, App & Coastal? Marshall & App makes sense as does App and Coastal. I guess having an Odd Number of teams presents a challenge.

All it means is you have to link the two closest schools from the East and West together. Then you go up the divisions until you reach the outliers.

So:

Georgia State-Troy
Georgia Southern - CCU
App - Marshall
ODU - JMU
USA-USM
Louisiana-Texas State
ULM - Arkansas State

This does separate some natural rivals, but you can ensure everyone plays everyone they want via scheduling.

Until we lure ECU to come to SBC and the GA schools can be together and CCU and ECU will have partnership

The West can figure it out lol

I believe East Carolina to the SBC is a matter of time

Don't tease me, man.

Adding ECU would be tremendous.

Like your thought process. Very positive. If we could get ECU and somehow also get Western Kentucky in the SBC, making whatever changes are needed, then I think we become more of an airline hub for the conference. If it worked such that Norfolk airport worked to our advantage vis a vis ECU and JMU then we strengthen our case for being a multiple travel partner and Norfolk airport becomes the key link for ECU and JMU to travel from via air. While not perfect, combining this with the move to the SBC, becoming a key player in our regional health system, and being designated as a Tier 1 university are all reasonable and complimentary initiatives. Talk is cheap, let's hold our Board of Visitors to accept nothing but excellence in pursuit of these initiatives.

(04-08-2022 09:12 PM)The Doctor Is In Wrote:  

(04-08-2022 07:52 PM)Roy Munson Wrote:  

(04-08-2022 06:27 PM)Purplehazed Wrote:  

(03-31-2022 08:08 AM)MonGNARch Wrote:  

(03-31-2022 06:51 AM)Blue_Trombone Wrote:  All it means is you have to link the two closest schools from the East and West together. Then you go up the divisions until you reach the outliers.

So:

Georgia State-Troy
Georgia Southern - CCU
App - Marshall
ODU - JMU
USA-USM
Louisiana-Texas State
ULM - Arkansas State

This does separate some natural rivals, but you can ensure everyone plays everyone they want via scheduling.

Until we lure ECU to come to SBC and the GA schools can be together and CCU and ECU will have partnership

The West can figure it out lol

I believe East Carolina to the SBC is a matter of time

Don't tease me, man.

Adding ECU would be tremendous.

Like your thought process. Very positive. If we could get ECU and somehow also get Western Kentucky in the SBC, making whatever changes are needed, then I think we become more of an airline hub for the conference. If it worked such that Norfolk airport worked to our advantage vis a vis ECU and JMU then we strengthen our case for being a multiple travel partner and Norfolk airport becomes the key link for ECU and JMU to travel from via air. While not perfect, combining this with the move to the SBC, becoming a key player in our regional health system, and being designated as a Tier 1 university are all reasonable and complimentary initiatives. Talk is cheap, let's hold our Board of Visitors to accept nothing but excellence in pursuit of these initiatives.

ODU would be closer to ECU, which does mean that ODU and ECU and will become travel partners due to being less than 2 1/2 hours away from each other as compared to CCU, which is 3 hr 34 min away from ECU.

It would be nice to have ECU as close rival, but they and us being "travel partners", like all recipients of travel partner scheduling, benefits the rest of the conference, not the two "travel partners".

In any event, the SBC will not expand unless there is a monetary advantage to be had, and THAT will be determined at least in part, if not in majority, by ESPN