FB: Old Dominion Athletic Conference

[HansenRatings]

Just posted on Twitter: 2025 Conference Preview

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[rmc1982]

rmc1982, Macon -- were either of you at Pedro's Breakfast? If so, anything to share?

I didn't go but a bunch of my Football Alum friends went. Pedro never reveals much ANY TIME he speaks about his team but privately we are cautiously optimistic we return to the playoffs and get at least one home game. Im not hearing much YET- in a week or so we probably will scrimmage CNU or someone similar- then we may know more. We return a good number of kids and ,as any of you know who follow ODAC Football, Pedro runs a pretty tight ship and turns out young men who make us all proud-on and off the field! GO JACKETS!!

[thescottharris]

Regarding FloSports, it's a distribution deal. The schools are still 100% responsible for production. 

Alas, I have watched my last online stream of any ODAC teams. This is basically the final nail in the coffin for that. But all the other nails that sealed the coffin is a whole other topic that I could go on and on about and this is not the proper place to do it, plus I doubt any of your care anyway lol.

Alas, unless I was told or remember incorrectly, schools are going to be required at some point to improve production values. Lynchburg might be mostly in the clear there already given what they do but even some of their stuff won't meet the requirements I remember being told. 

But that's a requirement that could prove to be pretty challenging for at least some of the schools if not most to all.

I know when I was at Hampden-Sydney I frequently struggled to staff the bare bones operation. Like you think I was happy to run a crappy one-camera setup with maybe one announcer - if I'm lucky - for anything outside of football and basketball? No, but I would often struggle to properly staff that. When the basketball team became a dumpster fire I was literally begging people to work. Like literally out here using child labor (legally, of course) because I couldn't get anyone else to work.

Now it will eventually have to eventually be like 4 cameras? And we're talking a school here that generally only has two games going in one day. 

What's a school going to when they have like basketball, baseball, softball, lacrosse, tennis, etc. all running on the same day? Get the coaches to collectively work together on scheduling so it doesn't screw over the athletics comms departments that are likely going to continue to be the one having to 100% carry the burden of having to make all this happen? That will be a cold day in hell when that happens.

[Pat Coleman]

Yes, as you get into the later years of the contracts, the production from the schools has to escalate. That's consistent with their other contracts.

[rmc1982]

Just got word from inside our program that we will scrimmage CNU tomorrow but Pedro will NOT take many starters. I know hes trying to get a look at some of these new faces against somebody other than ourselves PLUS he doesent want them ( or whoever else may be watching) to see what we have just in case we have to play them later down the road like we did a couple of years ago in the playoffs( In a game we came dangerously close to losing, if you remember) All in all Pedro has never been one to show his cards, especially early, if you know what I mean. The threat of injury in a meaningless game is also real, especially for our starters that he already knows what they can do. I'm also not a big fan of this move to FLO Sports, but I'm familiar with them since our Grandson's games at the Univ of Dallas are all on there ( The SCAC went to FLO some time ago)The feeds have been good but ours were already good for major sports.I think this move was for a lot of other sports that don't get as much recognition and like Thescottharris Im not so sure its a great move!

[y_jack_lok]

^^^ Yes, I remember that close call vs CNU in the playoffs a couple of years ago. I wonder if CNU employs the same approach to the scrimmage, holding back players deemed likely to start. It certainly makes sense to me.

Have you been subscribing to Flo Sports in order to watch your grandson? If so, then the move by the ODAC doesn't affect you, which I think is part of their strategy -- to gobble up conferences then promote their accessibility to all of them. Of course, before Flo came along they were accessible for free. Like so many have mentioned in their comments, this move will impact the casual fans (especially parents and their high school age students) who might have been watching to check out schools' teams they could be interested in attending. Overall, the move to Flo is most likely to reduce viewership of D3 games and harm the division in the long run.

[y_jack_lok]

rmc1982, any news on yesterday's RMC/CNU scrimmage?

[Macon]

Just noticed the online roster for RMC.  102 returning players (a very healthy number), but only 27 freshmen (a little light compared to a normal group of 35 or so).  The roster info for individual freshmen is lacking, so maybe it's not a final roster.  One of the freshmen is Will Arruza, following in his big brother's footsteps.

[rmc1982]

Still havent found out much about the scrimmage, but one of my buddies that lives close to the COTU and goes by practice occasionally( hes retired)was gone this weekend. Maybe Ill get a report today or tomorrow. Didnt know Pedro had posted a roster- THANKS MACON!!

[rmc1982]

I just went online and it SAYS the 2025 roster but when you look its the 2024 roster- maybe theyre updating it now.

[Macon]

It's there, go to pull down menu, refresh with 2025 roster.

[y_jack_lok]

I just went online and it SAYS the 2025 roster but when you look its the 2024 roster- maybe theyre updating it now.

When I do the refresh Macon suggests I don't get the 2025 roster. But if I go to the 2023 roster, then go to the 2025 roster, it shows up. Weird, I know. If past years are any indication, they likely won't make it "live" for about another week.

[Donnie17]

The roster shown has a lot of errors. It lists players no longer with the team and is missing some new players. I bet you are correct in that we will not see the correct roster until next week.

[y_jack_lok]

The roster shown has a lot of errors. It lists players no longer with the team and is missing some new players. I bet you are correct in that we will not see the correct roster until next week.

Sounds like you have some inside information. I expect they don't post the roster until a few days before the first game due to the possibility of some attrition that you allude to.

[rmc1982]

I finally got it to come up but it wont really be live until next week, per my sources