TL;DR is below, but read the entire thing: http://hamptonroads.com/2013/10/va-tech-odu-likely-begin-longterm-footba...
Virginia Tech wants to play a long-term, home-and-home football series with Old Dominion that could lead to the Hokies coming to Norfolk three times over the next 12 years, said John Ballein, Tech's associate athletic director for football operations.
Tech is already scheduled to play a 2-for-1 series with ODU that brings the Hokies to Norfolk in 2018 and calls for games in Blacksburg in 2017 and 2019.
Ballein said in addtion, he will propose a home-and-home series with games in Norfolk in 2022 and in Blacksburg in 2023. Assuming the ACC doesn't increase the number of conference games to nine, Ballein said Tech also wants to return to Norfolk again in 2024 and for ODU to play in Blacksburg in 2025.
What do you think?
Comments
Seriously, though, probably a good thing in terms of recruiting. Playing right in the talent-rich 757 area will be great.
I was just about to post that. First reaction - "Ew". Second - "well, that actually might make sense"
Yep, the more I think about it, the more I like it. Can you imagine the legitimate story we can tell the highly touted recruits?
1. Be a member of a prominent national team.
2. Your coaches are legendary.
3. Come home to play a couple of times over your college career, in front of your friends and family.
Eat that, Time Cop!
#2 might be moot unless Bud Foster becomes head coach. Beamer will be 70 (almost 71) when we first play ODU in 2017.
True, but that's the assumption I was making. Even if Beamer retires from active coaching, Bud sticks around (oh for the love of all that is good and holy, please) and Beamer assumes his role as special assistant to the AD (which is in his contract now) and continues his legacy, albeit from a bit of a distance.
There's no way Bud Foster doesn't become head coach of Virginia Tech football come CFB's retirement. I have a 2006 orange effect shirt that I will literally eat if that doesn't happen. I mean, I will let the community decide how I eat it, but it will be eaten.
Easy there big guy. You know this will be out there for perpetuity. And forever.
That's how convinced I am that it's exactly what's going to happen.
as much as I think everyone here would LOVE for that to happen, it's hard to believe that is actually going to happen. When F.Beamer steps down and S.Beamer takes his place you'll be eating that shirt..
(I wouldn't make you eat it, but a promise is a promise)
If Shane gets the head coaching job I will be beyond furious. He hasn't proven his worth as a head coach and I don't believe any other team in the country would consider hiring Shane as a FBS level head coach right now.
I wholeheartedly agree...but strange things can happen
I would rage eat my shirt.
I'm excited to play more games in the Commonwealth
On one hand, one would think it would be nice from a recruiting standpoint to have multiple games in Hampton Roads over a set number of years.
However, if ODU were to beat us once or twice (chances are they may), not sure it would be good for the perception of the program.
The optimistic Hokie in me thinks that we'll have our offensive $hit together by then and we'll roll. The reward of added exposure to recruits is worth that risk IMO.
This is a great idea..ODU might become more of a threat to the Hokies then LOLUVA has recently. Also, with the high tempo spread offense that ODU plays; it could actually help prepare the defense to face Acc teams that have a similar style on offense. This will be big for recruiting obviously and will give the Hokies more exposure to the 757!
ODU better become a powerhouse or this is gonna get really annoying. All jokes aside, how long is the ECU series actually scheduled for? I know it feels like 100 years, but there has to be an end date coming up soon.
I believe it was originally ten years
This is all for recruiting. Genius move really.
About 20 other people beat me to this. Genius people really.
I am not a fan of this, or any other long term series against inferior competition (including ECU). Sign the 2-1 Series with them and Sign a 12 year deal with WVU. I understand playing a cupcake or two every year but why lock in with one?
To recruit the 757, man. That place is a gold mine for talent
Well by then, ODU will be FBS. So if you're going to play a cupcake, play an FBS cupcake that is in state and all of a sudden you have a huge recruiting push. Florida makes a living doing it. Texas schools do too, so why not? Better than an FCS team so I say go for it.
they are already fbs
Not until next year. They are a transitional team this year and still considered FCS when it comes to number of wins needed for bowl eligibility for FBS teams that beat them.
1 up for Freaks and Geeks....especially Bill
Bill is my favorite and this is my favorite episode (where they switch the party keg with a non-alcoholic beer and Bill gets drunk watching Dallas by himself).
you are all the best
Thanks. You're certainly welcome, good sir.
Anyone ever watch Party Down? Same actor gets massively stoned in an episode.
Freaks and Geeks on TKP. Just when I thought I couldn't love this place any more...
What a GREAT recruiting tool. I think this is an awesome idea, ...so long as we win.
God, I hope I get stationed back in Virginia..
How about the AD push for 9 game conference schedule and Louisville as our "rivalry" game.
Not a fan of this, even though I live in Va Beach. The more we legitimize ODU as a Div 1 football program, the more they will build a legitimate program and impact our recruiting in the 757 and 804. Additionally, Forman field holds less than 25k seats - not sure this is platform Tech should choose to play on a regular basis (as if it was equal to an 50k atmosphere and ticket gate).
I would have preferred we kept the 2 for 1 arrangement both financially and from a strategic viewpoint.
I feel like they're recruiting was going to legitimize them regardless, based on location alone. If anything I feel like this exposure will keep us relevant in the 757.
Traveling Hokie fans would buy all those seats.
NON-traveling Hokie fans would buy all those seats.
i remember reading somewhere that odu plans to significantly expand their stadium by the time they host us the first time. i need to go find the article though.
EDIT: they are going to have a 30k seat stadium by the time we play at their place according to this article. I guess that's not really a significant upgrade after all.
http://hamptonroads.com/2013/08/odu-envisions-new-30000seat-football-sta...
Well, percentage-wise, it's a 20% increase, which ain't too shabby. Maybe they're just sweetening the pot for UVA to swap stadiums with them so that UVA can have more than a "partial sell-out".
Plans are already in place to build a new stadium at ODU!
Link?
And what will they do with the one they just renovated and expanded?
ODU is going to rise in time anyways. The only thing that will probably hold them back is if Norfolk does not allow ODU to buy the land between the railroad tracks (it really needs to happen over time). This would allow Norfolk to have the buffer (railroad tracks) for security. Having that land will let ODU make a legitimate stadium.
I know they have to make a bigger stadium going into the C-USA so I quickly went to wiki
"ODU has announced plans to build a new on-campus football stadium, with seating for 30,000 expandable to 45,000."
ODU will surpass UVA in football in no time if each continues their path. VT needs to play ODU now to send the message that they are in charge of the state of Virginia.
Could see this as a decent tailgate for Hokies in addition to the great recruiting tool.
And, it's closer to the $EC model of scheduling. Instead of playing them. Play like them. Flattery, imitation, etc.
As someone originally from Norfolk, this is something I can get excited about. I wish they would do the same for basketball as well.
I think the recruiting tool argument is being a bit overstated here. We aren't going to invite a recruit to an away game. And It's not like we don't already have huge exposure there. I don't see a recruit going to what frankly sounds like a mediocre match up and that having much of a sway in their decision. There will probably be some local media hype, but a great recruiting tool? The only benefit I see is that the coaches are already in town to do some recruiting on Sunday.
I think telling the players they will be playing in their own back yard, giving friends and extended family a chance to see them without having to travel to Blacksburg is huge. But that is just my opinion and I am just a simple man trying to make it in the universe.
Haha. Yeah I understand that point, but do you also consider playing at Charlottesville High every other year a great recruiting tool for players in the Hooville area? Granted that's not exactly a hot bed of talent, but that's where I'm coming from.
The 2:1 series with ODU is the right idea. 1:1 es no bueno.
I agree, but it seems like ODU was only going to entertain that offer once.
I've heard that Odu is pulling some kids. Apparently it's more true that recruits would help build something there, compared to some other va school.
It does make sense because NCAA Football '14 has VT-ODU listed as a "rivalry" already. Might as well bring the game to life!
I understand the recruit aspect and all. But will this be a good win to a committee that is assessing our season if we are in the event of fighting for a spot in a 4 team playoff? Will they take a team of equal ability and achievements and put them in over us because maybe they played an OOC game vs a major conference and we played ODU? As long as the rest of our schedule is good I am ok with it i guess or as long as ODU has their shit together by then.
Up until this point, the strategy for scheduling has been to schedule:
- 1 major BCS opponent
- 2 mid-level Div 1-A opponent
- 1 Div-1AA/lower level Div1-A opponent
As long as ODU satisfies one of the latter two, I think we'll be fine.
That said, since the BCS is being disbanded after this year, the scheduling strategy might change slightly. Either way, we cannot load up on just high level "BCS" caliber teams for the out of conference schedule. We'd never survive a schedule like that.
Well, of course everything should still trend toward a good strength of schedule in hopes of making the playoffs when the time comes.
In that light, I guess the best-case scenario is for our conference opponents to be better. And it looks like it's trending that way already.
Right. If we win the ACC, even with a loss or, maybe even two, to high-level OOC opponents (say, Alabama and Ohio State), the playoff still becomes feasible.
At the rate of their progression right now, I'd say they will be counted as a solid win by the time we actually start playing. They have the air raid down, they just need to recruit better on defense and they will be a very solid team. This program is only a couple years old and has already come a long way fast, I can't wait for this series.
I've got a crap ton of ODU alumni friends, and I keep telling them how VT-ODU is going to be THE rivalry of VA. ...VT-UVA is going to the wayside. ...at which point one would hope they just go the B1G and stink it up there. (just kidding, I love beating those guys up on an annual basis)
I am looking forward to this rivalry starting..... It will make it way easier for me to see VT play as I live in Va Beach
For those of you thinking ODU is going to quickly rise to power and leap UVa as our in-state rival, I would offer the example of South Florida.
They started a program in 1997, joined FBS in 2001, and even rose as high as the #2 ranking in 2007. Many people reasoned that south Florida is a hotbed of high school football talent and South Florida didn't have the same admissions standards as their local BCS-level competitors (Florida, FSU, Miami, etc). How could their meteoric rise be stopped? Well, they lost 3 straight games, ended up finishing that season unranked, and never quite got over the hump under Jim Leavitt. He was let go after a player abuse scandal (though I'd guess many people around the program thought USF should have taken the next step and had plateaued under Leavitt), and South Florida has gotten significantly worse ever since.
Did any of those advantages- recruiting hot bed, lower admissions standards- change that drastically? Not really. It seems the most important factor in South Florida's success was coaching. So yeah, I think it's way too early to say ODU will experience some sort of meteoric rise up the FBS ranks due to similar advantages. If Mike London (or Lane Kiffin, Randy Shannon, Charlie Weis, Mike Locksley, etc) has proven anything, it's that recruiting alone can't make a great, or even mediocre, football team.
quickly rise to power and leap uva? they dont have to get much better imo.
here is some food for thought - the 757 and more specifically norfolk, chesapeake, and va beach is one of the highest populated areas in the USA without a proper MONEY sport playing professionally or a college team for that matter. they have tried for years to get something going.
ODU could be that big deal sports program that the 757 should have. The potential is there as its basketball program is already respectable. Now I really do not expect ODU to become a top 25 power house out the gate and it will probably take 10-20 years for them to grow to be a consistent FBS school. To not see the potential would be dumb of VT, or anyone else, to do.
I realize UVA has been lousy more often than not lately, but it's not like ODU has been to a bowl game or even won a FCS title (yeah even London pulled that off). ODU only has 5 FBS schools on the schedule this year and they are 0-3 against them so far. Personally I still think UVA has more potential than ODU for the next decade, especially if the CFB landscape continues to change and we start to look at super conferences.
So sure, we can all acknowledge the potential, but how does that even affect our long term planning? As others have pointed out, it could give us extra exposure to the 757, but could also make us appear to be comparable programs if we suffer a loss to them. Truth is we don't really know what effects ODU will have on our program (much less who our head coach or AD will be in 10 years). It seems silly to worry about at this junction.
What does them not having won a FCS title or going to a bowl game have to do with anything? The program is only 4 years old and went 9-2, 8-3, 10-3 and then 11-2 in their first four seasons with playoff trips in the last two years. This years team was ineligible for anything and will probably be an immediate contender in Conference USA next year. I would say they are similar to ECU, just a little behind on defense. I'd say right now, ODU would probably beat UVA, so I'd say it is fair to say with their potential and UVAs decline(or steady trend of not doing anything) that ODU will be a better program in the near future. Who knows, if UVA does leave the ACC, ODU would probably be a great replacement.
Has anybody heard of ODU-UVA scheduling any games against each other?