FB: Old Dominion Athletic Conference

Started by admin, August 16, 2005, 05:13:40 AM

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Ralph Turner

#20595
Quote from: jknezek on May 29, 2017, 10:13:44 PM
Congrats to the Guilford golf team. Quite a finish!

On another note, another 7 team conference added a member. The MIAA sucked it up and brought in Finlandia. If you want to know how far other conferences are willing to go, Finlandia to Adrian is 565 miles, 9:23 hours by Google maps. Albion is 9 hours away, Alma is 445, 7.5 hours, 530, 8:55 from Hope, 553, 9:12 from Kalamazoo, 8:41, 526 from Olivet, and 586, 9:34 from Trine.

So a conference whose previous longest road trip was probably something like Trine to Alma, 2:11, 145 miles, just picked up a team probably close to 9 hours, average, from the rest of the conference. Would you rather do an OOC road trip to New England once a year or lock in this kind of conference member until they find another option?

Just for kicks, Trine to W&L was 535, 8:44. They are actually closer to W&L than to their new conference member. Shame the ODAC just lost a 7 team conference they maybe could have worked with, even given long trips. Alma came to W&L the year before Shenandoah joined, so it shows the MIAA maybe would have been amenable.

FWIW, Finlandia is more "Michigan" than Trine!  ;)

tigerFanAlso2

Jk

sorry the ladies got beat but they showed well

To me the MIAA move is prove that getting a 4 game ooc schedule is basically impossible. No other explanation.

jknezek

Quote from: tigerFanAlso2 on May 31, 2017, 12:34:57 PM
Jk

sorry the ladies got beat but they showed well

To me the MIAA move is prove that getting a 4 game ooc schedule is basically impossible. No other explanation.

They did. The two teams to beat them this season contested the final. Hard to argue with that kind of season. And the team that beat them worse, won. Seems logical to me, even if that's not how sports always works!

And yes, the MIAA move is absolutely indicative of the trouble a 4 game OOC represents. We are all in agreement this is a bad thing for the ODAC.

jknezek

Thomas More just left the PAC following this year. I wonder where they are heading. No announcement yet, but I can't imagine they are aiming to be an independent.

tigerFanAlso2

are they a fit for the odac ? would they be joining the league Centre participates in ? I agree, being an independent is no place to be.

jknezek

Quote from: tigerFanAlso2 on May 31, 2017, 04:33:55 PM
are they a fit for the odac ? would they be joining the league Centre participates in ? I agree, being an independent is no place to be.

I don't think they have the academic chops the SAA is interested in. Speculation is they are going DII on the PAC board. Are they a fit for the ODAC? I don't know. Like I've said before, I really don't think the ODAC is going to accept another full sports member. It's 7.5 hours roughly according to google maps to go to Guilford. Less than 500 miles. Long trip, but not like Finlandia in the MIAA...

hasanova

#20601
I've been thinking of options for an 8th conference member ... as well as options for a 4th OOC game.  Thinking about, but not finding, many answers.  The ODAC is geographically challenged in some ways because there are no DIII programs in WV except Bethany (although some of the DII schools probably ought to be DIII) and none in SC.  There are only five in NC for football and four are in the USAC.  Assuming no current member will start football (LC are you listening?), here are a few thoughts:

  • I bet Methodist would consider it if approached.  I don't think any other current NC DIII school would be on the ODAC's radar (GCP, NCWC and now Brevard).
  • Whatever happened with Georgetown's (KY) move to the NCAA?
  • I drove to Marietta for GCQ's NCAA basketball appearance.  It's literally the other side of the Ohio River bridge from WV on I-77.  It's doable for an every two year OOC away football commitment for an ODAC member, but Marietta is in the 10-team OAC so only one OOC opportunity per year.
  • Any chance Mary Washington would start football?

SaintsFAN

Quote from: jknezek on May 31, 2017, 04:27:37 PM
Thomas More just left the PAC following this year. I wonder where they are heading. No announcement yet, but I can't imagine they are aiming to be an independent.

Maybe we know more today.  The BOT is meeting today.  Maybe they head South - I think North is more likely, though.  There were talks with the MIAC - this shows they were exploring all options, me thinks. 
AMC Champs: 1991-1992-1993-1994-1995
HCAC Champs: 2000, 2001
PAC Champs:  2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016
Bridge Bowl Champs:  1990-1991-1992-1993-1994-1995-2002-2003-2006-2008-2009-2010-2011-2012-2013 (SERIES OVER)
Undefeated: 1991, 1995, 2001, 2009, 2010, 2015
Instances where MSJ quit the Bridge Bowl:  2

SaintsFAN

Quote from: jknezek on May 31, 2017, 04:35:56 PM
Quote from: tigerFanAlso2 on May 31, 2017, 04:33:55 PM
are they a fit for the odac ? would they be joining the league Centre participates in ? I agree, being an independent is no place to be.

I don't think they have the academic chops the SAA is interested in. Speculation is they are going DII on the PAC board. Are they a fit for the ODAC? I don't know. Like I've said before, I really don't think the ODAC is going to accept another full sports member. It's 7.5 hours roughly according to google maps to go to Guilford. Less than 500 miles. Long trip, but not like Finlandia in the MIAA...

I mean, you have to at least kick the TMC tires if you're a league who may be looking for an institution to join.  Academics may be closer than one would think.  They will instantly improve, in all 21 sports, any conference they join.  And that would maybe be something they are weighing now. 
AMC Champs: 1991-1992-1993-1994-1995
HCAC Champs: 2000, 2001
PAC Champs:  2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016
Bridge Bowl Champs:  1990-1991-1992-1993-1994-1995-2002-2003-2006-2008-2009-2010-2011-2012-2013 (SERIES OVER)
Undefeated: 1991, 1995, 2001, 2009, 2010, 2015
Instances where MSJ quit the Bridge Bowl:  2

jknezek

#20604
Quote from: SaintsFAN on June 01, 2017, 07:41:04 AM
Quote from: jknezek on May 31, 2017, 04:35:56 PM
Quote from: tigerFanAlso2 on May 31, 2017, 04:33:55 PM
are they a fit for the odac ? would they be joining the league Centre participates in ? I agree, being an independent is no place to be.

I don't think they have the academic chops the SAA is interested in. Speculation is they are going DII on the PAC board. Are they a fit for the ODAC? I don't know. Like I've said before, I really don't think the ODAC is going to accept another full sports member. It's 7.5 hours roughly according to google maps to go to Guilford. Less than 500 miles. Long trip, but not like Finlandia in the MIAA...

I mean, you have to at least kick the TMC tires if you're a league who may be looking for an institution to join.  Academics may be closer than one would think.  They will instantly improve, in all 21 sports, any conference they join.  And that would maybe be something they are weighing now.

The SAA does not seem to be looking for members, unless they want to kick Trinity out... again.

As for the ODAC, I think the sticking point would be there are simply too many members already in many sports. If TMC was looking for a football affiliation, the ODAC would be stupid not to jump at them with both hands, even if it means bringing in a program that will likely dominate the league. I don't see much in TMC's academics that would have them stick out too far from some ODAC members, but the ODAC has never really made a huge set of bones about academics. The conference has been about private liberal arts schools in a geographic proximity.

That is different than the SAA, which has included an academic peer institution clause in their mission statement from the get go.

Ralph Turner

Quote from: jknezek on June 01, 2017, 09:03:32 AM
Quote from: SaintsFAN on June 01, 2017, 07:41:04 AM
Quote from: jknezek on May 31, 2017, 04:35:56 PM
Quote from: tigerFanAlso2 on May 31, 2017, 04:33:55 PM
are they a fit for the odac ? would they be joining the league Centre participates in ? I agree, being an independent is no place to be.

I don't think they have the academic chops the SAA is interested in. Speculation is they are going DII on the PAC board. Are they a fit for the ODAC? I don't know. Like I've said before, I really don't think the ODAC is going to accept another full sports member. It's 7.5 hours roughly according to google maps to go to Guilford. Less than 500 miles. Long trip, but not like Finlandia in the MIAA...

I mean, you have to at least kick the TMC tires if you're a league who may be looking for an institution to join.  Academics may be closer than one would think.  They will instantly improve, in all 21 sports, any conference they join.  And that would maybe be something they are weighing now.

The SAA does not seem to be looking for members, unless they want to kick Trinity out... again.

As for the ODAC, I think the sticking point would be there are simply too many members already in many sports. If TMC was looking for a football affiliation, the ODAC would be stupid not to jump at them with both hands, even if it means bringing in a program that will likely dominate the league. I don't see much in TMC's academics that would have them stick out too far from some ODAC members, but the ODAC has never really made a huge set of bones about academics. The conference has been about private liberal arts schools in a geographic proximity.

That is different than the SAA, which has included an academic peer institution clause in their mission statement from the get go.
Associated Colleges of the South
Everyone except Oglethorpe!

Look at the domain name for the web site.

http://colleges.org

Birddawg79


hasanova

Quote from: Birddawg79 on June 06, 2017, 04:14:06 PM
87 days till kickoff!
I know ... making plans for my first visit to Alabama!

jknezek

Quote from: hasanova on June 07, 2017, 10:35:08 AM
Quote from: Birddawg79 on June 06, 2017, 04:14:06 PM
87 days till kickoff!
I know ... making plans for my first visit to Alabama!

9/2 huh? If we aren't out of town on Labor Day I may try and meet you down there. Huntingdon has a nice small stadium. Not sure where they tailgate any more since I believe the school sold the land the previous spot sat on. However, the two active Huntingdon fans over in the USAS boards are real nice guys. I've met them both, shared their tailgates and their favorite game watching spots. I'm sure they can fill us in on the details. Montgomery itself has some good and bad spots. It's not my favorite city, but Huntingdon sites in a nice little historic area. Not far from a few FCS and FBS schools if you want to see if you can make it a day/night double header.

jknezek

"However, Southern Virginia has made overtures to the Old Dominion Athletic Conference, which would be a better fit geographically, and would fill a need the ODAC has for an eighth football program. And there has long been a delicate balance in the CAC between public and private institutions. If Southern Virginia leaves, which could happen soon after this new league's official announcement, York would be the only private institution left in the CAC."

http://www.d3sports.com/notables/2017/06/new-conference-shuffle-coming