ODU Basketball, A Year On The Bubble

Michael Langston reflects on they physics of ODU's basketball season and looks forward to the Monarchs' upcoming appearance in the NIT:

The Old Dominion Monarchs, the basketball team of my alma mater, will play Charleston Southern Wednesday in the NIT. They earned that bid by being named one of the first four out by the committee on Selection Sunday. So begins a season's denouement.

Old Dominion, The Last Domino

Since I last left you Da'Rick and Tyrann failed drug tests, Isaiah Crowell was caught riding dirty. Petrino crashed his motorcycle, Phillip Sims and Lafonte Thoroughgood came home, Gus Malzahn left for Jonesboro, and Urban Meyer decided a year (much of it as a broadcaster) was enough time spent with his family. Sure, there is plenty that I'm forgetting but these are the stories that wrap-up what always makes for an entertaining offseason in the South. However, even with all that news, the biggest story (outside of Happy Valley) of the offseason was conference realignment. It just so happens that my school, Old Dominion University, pulled the plug on the move from FCS to FBS. So, I figured we could take a look at how this happened, the reaction to the news and its future impact on a program just years removed from its rebirth.

The How:
Early on in life we all learn that each action has a equal or bigger reaction. But for some reason, especially when it comes to conference realignment, we often forget this fact. In June 2010, when Colorado jumped ship to the Pac no one thought it would affect the Virginia centric CAA. However, it was the first in a number of dominoes to fall that ultimately ended with VCU moving to the A-10, Georgia State moving to the Sun Belt, Old Dominion moving to CUSA, Rhode Island reversing course and the combo of Albany and Stony Brook switching to the CAA for football only. Don't believe me, just follow the timeline.

Georgia State starts their transition immediately, ending any chance at postseason glory (their chances were already low). Over two seasons of play, the Panthers have lost to Division 2 and NAIA programs. Their most recent loss, a 33 to 6 drubbing at the hands of HBCU and MEAC member South Carolina State. A program that is struggling so bad financially, they are considering dropping down to Division 2. Clearly Georgia State, the program with an all-time record of 9-14 (.375), is ready for FBS football. VCU leaves the CAA for the A-10 immediately, though that won't matter until November.

Credit: Mace and Crown

The move for ODU begins in 2013 when all Olympic sports (the ones sponsored by CUSA anyhow and those haven't left for CUSA already) join the league, with the football team starting the mandatory two-year transition the same season. The delay is in order to allow the football team one last chance at an FCS Championship. This has resulted in all ODU sports being ineligible for all CAA autobids for the various NCAA sports, a decision that has led to plenty of criticism from fans and journalists.

Reaction:
Since May, the response from students, alums, athletes, recruits and fans has been overwhelmingly positive. This cannot be more evident in the fact that between the beginning of the CUSA rumors and the announcement (about 10 days) donors pledged $3 million for the ODAF.

However, it hasn't all been positive and the concerns are legitimate. Old Dominion will leave a Virginia centric league for one with teams as far away as 2,000 miles. That type of travel will increase expenses, put more demand on student-athletes (and band members), and lower the chances for rivalries to exist outside of the eastern division. Increased ticket prices is another concern, which may be inescapable due to increased demand and expenses. However, President John Broderick and AD Wood Selig have promised no increases in student fees and limited gradual increases for ticket prices for season and single-game tickets. The added expense of playing FBS football has been estimated at $2 million per year. This estimation covers the increase in football scholarships, a new women's sport (plus the schollies) to satisfy Title IV, travel increases and expected increase in coaches salaries.

 

Future/Summation:

Wood Selig and John Broderick have everyone in town excited for what this transition will bring to our great institution. Bobby Wilder has recruited his tail off, already landing 21 commitments in the 2013 class with 17 of those players being 3 or 2 star recruits. At the same time last year, they had three, all unranked. They have already won recruiting battles against notable programs Cal, Temple, Purdue and Illinois as well as future conference mates La. Tech, Marshall and ECU. Situated in the middle of one of the richest recruiting grounds in the country with just 2 FBS state schools to compete with (Comparatively, North Carolina has 6 and Ohio has 8) and breaking support records on an annual basis, the future is a bright one for Old Dominion.

LCB Picks: SEC/VA Games of the Week

Editors Note: This season, on top of the usual SEC picks, we will be picking the best games on the Virginia D-1 slate. We, as in the LCB, all spent our formative years in Virginia. So, we probably should have been doing this all along. 

On Friday night, Oregon crushed UCLA 49-31 to win the first ever PAC-12 Championship game, earning a spot in "The Granddaddy of Them All," the Rose Bowl. LaMichael James rushed for 219 yards, helping his team roll and giving himself a leg-up in the Heisman race. But this was all news to me. Tonight, I took my fiancee out to eat, came home, took the dogs on a jog, and then started preparation for my upcoming finals. It was a fruitful night. However, when I logged on to write this preview I noticed update after update of the UCLA-Oregon game. To my surprise, it was tonight. Like most my age, I have a fairly busy schedule. However, I still feel like I'm just as likely to hear about a game of this magnitude through word of mouth as I am to see a commercial (which I didn't, at least until the game was finished). I had no clue this was happening and even though I could care less that I missed it. (The fact that UCLA got in a conference championship with a 6-6 record, just 1 win more than the "sky is falling" Tennessee Vols, and a fired coach is laughable at best.) I do have a lot of questions; What went wrong with their advertising campaign? Was this on TV? ABC, ESPN, VS, Animal Planet? Am I the only one that had no clue this game was happening? I can't be, right? Am I developing an east coast bias? Whatever the answers are, we all know that the PAC-12 Championship Game is another reminder of why we should all be thankful for the SEC.

SEC Championship Game
(12) UGA v (1) LSU @ 4:00 on CBS:
Many are saying if LSU loses they are still a lock for the BCS Title game, which is impressive. Not quite as impressive as who they've beaten and how they've done it, but impressive nonetheless. However, if Georgia wins and locks-up the automatic bid, the SEC could get four teams into BCS games. LSU, Bama, and UGA would be locks; with Arkansas having a pretty good argument towards their inclusion. This has to scare the other conferences, right? If you add USC to the equation, five teams in the SEC are eligible for a BCS game (though, they have no shot at a BCS game). No matter how you feel about the absurdity of not having playoffs is, it's still an impressive accomplishment for a conference.

Did you know Glamour Shots slogan is:
"We Bring Out Your Best ... Then We Take Your Picture"
Aaron Murray does!

To make matters worse for the non-SEC, it's clear the SEC East is suffering through a down year and yet they have two teams (that's more than most conferences) in the top 14 of the BCS rankings. This domination by the SEC is only going to get worse in the next couple of seasons. Florida will get better, Vandy is building something, UT will return, and the new guys (aTm and Missou) should be in a decent spot to contend. The SEC will continue to get better, until the rest of the conferences defect from the BCS and force a playoff; which has to be the only way to slow down this train. I like the Dawgs in the upset. Apart from them playing a seudo-home game and knowing Aaron Murray is the best QB LSU will face this season, I don't have much of a reason to believe this will happen. Just call it an inkling. UGA 28, LSU 24.

VA Games of the Week
ODU v (3) Georgia Southern @ 1:00 & JMU v (2) North Dakota State University @ 4:00 on ESPN3/Game Plan:
While trolling the message boards this week, I saw one question that stood out to me: "Would you rather your school make it to the Final Four or win a FCS Championship?" As you would guess, most of the answers revealed what sport that poster preferred. However, it's a fairly good question. If your team makes it to the Final Four, they gain national notoriety for the school, boost admissions, boost athletic donations (simultaneously helping the non-revenue sports), and you get a month of lifelong memories. But, you don't even win a Championship and your teams' coach is probably going to leave in the near future (See; Larranaga, Jim). However, if you win an FCS national championship, your school wins the most legitimate National Title in college football, gains a possible catalyst towards a jump to the BCS, a boost (albeit smaller) to athletic donations, and you get a month of lifelong memories. But noone that didn't/doesn't attend an FCS school cares/knows and while it may be more legitimate than the BCS Title game, it still doesn't include all of Division 1.

For me, I'd take the championship. Only because ODU is on the verge of announcing a major expansion to Foreman Field and they're "this close" to making the jump. I believe a FCS Title would be all they need to speed up the process.

Once again, no picks, but I am interested in what other "mid-major" fans would rather have; Fourth Place or First? CBS, Sports Illustrated, & ESPN or ESPNU?

LCB Picks: SEC/VA Games of the Week

Editors Note: This season, on top of the usual SEC picks, we will be picking the best games on the Virginia D-1 slate. We, as in the LCB, all spent our formative years in Virginia. So, we probably should have been doing this all along. 

Last weekend, around 22:00 EST, for the first time in my life I was joyous due to a UT win over Vandy. Over the years, the game was a mortal lock. The hiring of James Franklin appeared to have ended all of that. Vandy started turning teams over, hitting harder and playing four quarters; they finally started making teams earn a W over them. They thumped Ole Miss, Kentucky and all of their OOC opponents. But more importantly, they took Arkansas, Georgia and Florida down to the wire; inspiring many to claim that Vandy had surpassed the Volunteers. It even led Clay Travis to gather his followers, pitchfork in hand, to come for Derek Dooley's head (a man he claimed just last year would lead the Big Orange back to the promise land), so he could be replaced by Franklin.

This reasoning is clearly idiotic and the reason Tennessee got itself where it is today. The "time is now" attitude is what led UT to fire Phil Fulmer and hire Lane Kiffin. Which, of course, led UT to brash statements, back-alley dealings and even more resentment throughout the SEC. Even worse, that hire jeopardized the very future of the program. It's also why they hired Derek Dooley. Saddled with an uncertain future and a recent history of voluminous player arrests, the program needed cleansing. Derek Dooley has succeeded in that aspect in just under two seasons. They've dropped off the radar of the AP rankers, but, they too, have dropped from the Fulmer Cup standings. Now, that the tarnish is finally starting to dissolve, Clay Travis wants to fire Derek Dooley, who hasn't even finished his second season. To jump the gun and fire him now would be a bigger mistake than hiring Lane Kiffin ever was. It would set a precedent in Knoxville, one Raider and Redskins fans have become accustomed too; win today or you're out. We all know how well that mentality has treated both teams over the past decade.

Mark my words; the Vols will be back. It might not be under Dooley, but he will have a hand in their resurgence. Four years is what he deserves and what he must get. If he doesn't, the gap will continue to shrink between Nashville and Knoxville. And, for someone who is finally glad UT beat Vandy, I can't think of a worse thing. Now that I got that off of my chest, lets get to the picks.

SEC
(3) Arkansas v (1) LSU @ 2:30, Friday on CBS:
As a fan, there are two ways to look at this game. You can root for Arkansas to win, in order to create a three-way tie in the SEC West. This would, I believe, send Alabama to the SEC Championship, thanks to the weird tiebreaker rules in the SEC. This would end with the SEC possibly definitely sending three schools to BCS games, causing the ADs of non-SEC schools into a mode of jealousy driven panic and hopefully it would be the final straw to bring the playoff system we all desire. Or you can root for LSU to win, go to Atlanta, beat the Dawgs, and play Bama in the BCS title game. It all depends on how much chaos you'd like the BCS to deal with. For me, chaos reigns supreme and I'll be pulling for the upset. Arkansas 20, LSU 17.

VA
(6) Virginia Tech v (24) UVA @ 3:30 on ABC/ESPN2:
I spent Thanksgiving with my fiancee's family in Charlottesville. The main topic was, of course, this game. I asked them what they thought were the keys to the game. The answers I got were well thought out, concise and thoroughly pessimistic. The keys according to her family, who have been to every home UVA game this season, are as follows: UVA needs to shorten the field/win the field position battle, protect the ball, score on the few opportunities they will get from Tech, keep it a low scoring affair and find a way to make Logan Thomas uncomfortable. These are of course important to every team (outside of Arkansas and the low scoring aspect), every game. But these keys are even more important when it comes to this game, as UVA is clearly outmatched talent-wise (Directly attributed to the Al Groh era). If they can keep VT on the right side of the 50 and maybe even turn them over, UVA stands a shot. I hope. I'll be pulling for the upset. I'm just not sure how much faith I can put in a team that needed OT to beat Idaho and lost to Southern Miss at home. VT 24, UVA 17.

Elsewhere in the Commonwealth:
The 17th ranked Norfolk State Spartans travel the six miles to play the 9th Old Dominion Monarchs at the Spartans old stomping grounds and ODU's home field (Foreman Field). They'll bring the Legion and 1600 of their fans. The Monarchs will be hosting with 17,500 of their fans and the best mascot in all the land. It's going to be loud. It's going to be fun. It's even being referred to as the "Battle of Norfolk" and is clearly a rivalry in the making. This will be the first FCS playoff game for both teams, though it's taken NSU much longer to make it than it has the 3 y/o Monarchs. The game is sold out and should be a dandy. I'll be there, clad in blue and silver. I won't pick a winner. But I will say this, a MEAC team hasn't won a playoff game since 1999 (knock on wood).

Also, JMU (for some reason) travels to Richmond, Kentucky, to play EKU. The Dukes should roll, but they should also be hosting this game. So, who knows what'll happen? You can watch this one on ESPNU (the rest of the FCS games will be on ESPN3). Enjoy your Thanksgiving weekend, everyone.

LCB Picks: SEC & VA Games of the Week

I had plans. Plans that consisted of previews for the SEC, NFL, and all of the D-1 college football teams that call Virginia home. These plans weren't that lofty. To be honest, with one dedicated afternoon, these could have become a reality. But life continued to get in the way and now all of these squads are foreign to me. Meaning all of the season previews would have been my crib notes of another writers' work and essentially useless. But now that we're one week deep, I am finally confident enough to tell you that Oregon can't match the speed and size of a top tier SEC team and that Virginia Tech could be in position to go the BCS National Championship the same season their most well known dog fighting alumnus will fall just short of the Super Bowl (just as long as they can get past those pesky Pirates of East Carolina).

Editors Note: This season, on top of the usual SEC picks, we will be picking the best games on the Virginia D-1 slate. We, as in the LCB, all spent our formative years in Virginia. So, we probably should have been doing this all along.

SEC Game of the Week
(3) Alabama v (23) Penn State @ 3:30 on ABC:
This game was picked for obvious reasons; it's Bama versus Penn State. It also happens to be the only SEC game with two ranked teams this week. I had the chance to watch a decent amount of both teams' games last week, enough to tell me Alabama will make it back-to-back seasons with wins over the Nittany Lions. Both teams played lesser opponents, Kent State for Alabama and Indiana State for Penn State. Both teams showed some weaknesses, most notably, behind center. Alabama's QBs combined for four interceptions, which would be a huge concern if they didn't have Trent Richardson and a top three defense. However, State's QBs struggled to recognize the defensive fronts and blitzes of Indiana State, a huge concern considering there not even considered an FCS power. Bama 33, PSU 20.

VA Game of the Week
Old Dominion v Georgia State @ Noon:
This really isn't that great of a match-up. Both teams are still in their infancy and building on their successes slowly but surely. However, I had to make this the pick game for a couple of reasons. First, Georgia State is coached by none other than Bill Curry. Yes, that Bill Curry. Secondly, Georgia State was forced to use a punter to fill their starting QB vacancy last week and their keeping with him. Thirdly, Georgia State plays in the Georgia Dome. Lastly, I go to Old Dominion. Now, let's expand on everything but my choice of college.

Bill Curry, seriously? The man has won a National Championship, coached in Super Bowls, and has whatever cache being an ESPN announcer brings. It boggles the mind that he isn't coaching somewhere on the FBS level, especially when this guy is still employed.

The punter/QB situation brings up even more questions. Does he still get to punt? Does he still wear a soccer cleat on his kicking foot? What are the chances in a third-and-long/shotgun formation situation that he accidentally punts the ball? I hope the answer to all these are yes, yes and 100%. As for the Georgia Dome. I'm not amazed they play there, after-all, they need somewhere to play. But I can't help but think how depressing this stadium must look with under 20,000 fans in the stands. It has to resemble a Marlins home game, right? Anyways, Old Dominion wins 28-17.