Old Dominion

HoustonEagle · November 18, 2013

Does anyone have any thoughts on Old Dominion? I have been keeping any eye on them through-out the season and think they will be a great addition to our Conference. They have not been blown-out in any of their FBS games and logged a victory against Idaho.

Their current athletic budget is larger than ours and puts them in the top half of the conference. They have sold out every home game for over 3 years, granted it's a 20k seat stadium. They are building a new 30k seat stadium that should be ready by 2017. Top to bottom they look like solid addition to CUSA as much as I hate to see us be a landing pad for FCS teams.

MeanGreenTexan · November 18, 2013

Does anyone have any thoughts on Old Dominion? I have been keeping any eye on them through-out the season and think they will be a great addition to our Conference. They have not been blown-out in any of their FBS games and logged a victory against Idaho.

Their current athletic budget is larger than ours and puts them in the top half of the conference. They have sold out every home game for over 3 years, granted it's a 20k seat stadium. They are building a new 30k seat stadium that should be ready by 2017. Top to bottom they look like solid addition to CUSA as much as I hate to see us be a landing pad for FCS teams.

Should be an instant contender in the East with the departure of ECU. Marshall will bring Rakeem Cato back, and MT is going to be strong as usual. Other than that, they should be able to beat alot of the others on that side of the conference.

oldguystudent · November 18, 2013

Don't they have a pretty solid basketball history? Seems like I've heard of them in the brackets quite a few times.

Mean Green 93-98 · November 18, 2013

Does anyone have any thoughts on Old Dominion? I have been keeping any eye on them through-out the season and think they will be a great addition to our Conference. They have not been blown-out in any of their FBS games and logged a victory against Idaho.

Their current athletic budget is larger than ours and puts them in the top half of the conference. They have sold out every home game for over 3 years, granted it's a 20k seat stadium. They are building a new 30k seat stadium that should be ready by 2017. Top to bottom they look like solid addition to CUSA as much as I hate to see us be a landing pad for FCS teams.

I agree with everything you've said. I was far from thrilled when it was announced they were joining. I didn't want to add any 1-AA teams, and their name recognition is very lacking, at least when it comes to quality football. But their attendance is phenomenal--they have a waiting list for season tickets. Unless something seriously changes, their 30k seat stadium will be packed every game from the day it opens.

Should be an instant contender in the East with the departure of ECU. Marshall will bring Rakeem Cato back, and MT is going to be strong as usual. Other than that, they should be able to beat alot of the others on that side of the conference.

I disagree with this. People were saying the same about Western Kentucky, which had been a dominant team at the 1-AA level. It's a big jump up, and very few win right off the bat. Their QB looks pretty big-time though from the one game of theirs I watched this year--he might be able to turn a couple Ls into Ws. But I don't see them as being a legit contender for the East title.

NorthTexan95 · November 18, 2013

I agree with everything you've said. I was far from thrilled when it was announced they were joining. I didn't want to add any 1-AA teams, and their name recognition is very lacking, at least when it comes to quality football. But their attendance is phenomenal--they have a waiting list for season tickets. Unless something seriously changes, their 30k seat stadium will be packed every game from the day it opens.

I disagree with this. People were saying the same about Western Kentucky, which had been a dominant team at the 1-AA level. It's a big jump up, and very few win right off the bat. Their QB looks pretty big-time though from the one game of theirs I watched this year--he might be able to turn a couple Ls into Ws. But I don't see them as being a legit contender for the East title.

I agree with your points. I live in Richmond, VA which is about an hour or so from Old Dominion so I'm really hoping we get a lot of road games at Old Dominion starting next year. in fact, the sales guy for the elevator company we use is a booster of theirs and he said he would take me to a game.

They have everything you would want in a team coming up. For a long time they didn't have football even while many fans were demanding it. It finally took hiring the right President for football to start and they've done very, very well on and off the field. I think they'll struggle at first and could see them finishing .500 in conference next year if things go well for them. They are excited about their young QB.

Even though they've recently made some big improvements to their current stadium (including a big end zone facility) they are making plans to build a brand new stadium on the other side of campus. To me that shows a great commitment and I know they have some money to back it up. There's a lot of talent in that area and no professional sports teams other than minor leagues. Give them three years and they could be a very tough team to play.

BillySee58 · November 18, 2013

Yeah, they've had some really solid basketball teams over the years.

As far as football is concerned, they've been very impressive on the recruiting front and they have played very well this year on the field. The east could anyone's next year with MUTS, ODU, Marshall, and maybe even WKU all having a shot. Throw in potentially FAU who is having a quietly solid season and it could be a real competitive division.

North Texas Shep · November 18, 2013

They seem to do a great job bringing up talent. The transition to CUSA should be a good one for them. There football program and basketball programs are both good. I can not wait to beat them!

adman · November 18, 2013

in fact, the sales guy for the elevator company we use is a booster of theirs and he said he would take me to a game.

What kind of business has you buying elevators?

ChristopherRyanWilkes · November 18, 2013

What kind of business has you buying elevators?

NorthTexan95 · November 18, 2013

What kind of business has you buying elevators?

A building contractor would have a need for multiple elevators. However, we have just one elevator in our building but we're required to have it inspected twice a year and we have them come in twice a year for maintenance. Of course, when our building got hit by lightning he came in person to give me the bad news ... $11,000 repair bill. Fortunately, our insurance covered it.

I remember Rick V once said he wished he didn't have to have elevators in the new stadium and I understand. They are expensive to install and expensive to maintain.

Edited November 18, 2013 by NorthTexan95

Chief Rising Eagle · November 19, 2013

I was very impressed with the ODU head football coach and qb when they came down for the C-USA Preview. They were Intelligent, confident, and articulate. Old Dominion appears to be aware of the opportunity it has before it. They also seem to be committed to building their football program the right way and seem to have the money needed in order to do it right. I think ODU is a standup university and will be an excellent addition to C-USA.

I've been aware of ODU for years simply because of their basketball program.