[ATrain]

Just posting b/c I found the comment quoted below to be interesting:

ODU is way behind its mid-major competition in the football facilities arms race, which affects recruiting, the lifeblood of any program. The L.R. Hill Sports Complex was a fine FCS facility – and it became instantly obsolete when the Monarchs moved up.

ECU’s Murphy Center, an opulent, 54,000-square-foot facility, is light years ahead of what ODU can offer. Marshall and Appalachian State recently added indoor training facilities and other mid-majors, including Florida International, are building indoor facilities. Even Liberty University, an FCS school, is planning an indoor facility, which ODU has no plans to build.

http://pilotonline.com/sports/college/o ... 18d31.html

[ballcoach15]

ODU should have never gone FBS. Same goes for Coastal Carolina. Neither school has the facilities.

[olldflame]

ODU should have never gone FBS. Same goes for Coastal Carolina. Neither school has the facilities.

At last ODU has a substantial and energized fan base. Coastal,............. not so much.

[Humble_Opinion]

I was just in the process of mentioning those very issues ODU faces BYD. Being from the area and having spent a good amount of time on that campus, I can tell you firsthand that it's going to be difficult for them to expand the size, scope and quality of their football facilities. They are okay in basketball and the other sports. But for a school that appears to be making the push to be a football power, those issues will be more difficult to overcome than most, as football facilities tend to take up the most space in terms of land, and it's not as if they can just build a new stadium where the current one sits.

[ballcoach15]

I hope to someday see ODU and CCU come crawling back to FCS.

[ATrain]

The one good thing ODU has going for it, football-wise: location in the 757 football hotbed.

[Humble_Opinion]

The one good thing ODU has going for it, football-wise: location in the 757 football hotbed.

This is true.

On a semi-related note to this, the area did just lose two of the best coaches it's seen at the HS ranks. Chris Scott of Ocean Lakes and Richard Morgan, the HC of Oscar Smith High School. In particular, Morgan announced a few weeks ago that he's leaving OSHS and taking a job as a HC at Marietta High School in GA. This guy knows how to be a consistent winner. I worked at the school and have family there as well, and they all rave about the culture he created. One of responsibility and team-first thinking. This quote does a good job of summing up his impact:

Morgan, 46, took a program that was middle-of-the-pack and transformed it into a perennial national power. The Tigers have won 82 consecutive Southeastern District games and at least a share of 12 consecutive district regular-season championships. He also led them to state titles in 2008 and 2011 and two other appearances in the state final.

http://pilotonline.com/sports/high-scho ... 5e189.html

[olldflame]

This is the sort of thing we talk about with second tier state schools moving up. There is so much red tape in attempting to build what you need. The stadium problem is huge for ODU. They really thought the waterfront stadium was a slam dunk...now, not so much.

ODU has all of the potential in the world. Huge market, energized fan base, fun place to go to school. Their urban geography coupled with Norfolk's unique problems (surrounded by water, major and worsening flooding issues, Federal ownership of land) have made it difficult. They need to get moving if they don't want to lose valuable momentum.

They are still a big school in a big market in a relatively wealthy state, with a mostly in-state fan base. They will always be better off than Coastal, a medium sized school in a medium market in a very poor state with a lot of out of state students and alumni.

Your summation of Coastal's situation is spot on. I don't see things working out well for them in FBS, even in the lowly SBC.

[Humble_Opinion]

This is the sort of thing we talk about with second tier state schools moving up. There is so much red tape in attempting to build what you need. The stadium problem is huge for ODU. They really thought the waterfront stadium was a slam dunk...now, not so much.

ODU has all of the potential in the world. Huge market, energized fan base, fun place to go to school. Their urban geography coupled with Norfolk's unique problems (surrounded by water, major and worsening flooding issues, Federal ownership of land) have made it difficult. They need to get moving if they don't want to lose valuable momentum.

They are still a big school in a big market in a relatively wealthy state, with a mostly in-state fan base. They will always be better off than Coastal, a medium sized school in a medium market in a very poor state with a lot of out of state students and alumni.

Your summation of Coastal's situation is spot on. I don't see things working out well for them in FBS, even in the lowly SBC.

Not to point out the obvious, but two of the three problems ascribed to Coastal could just as easily be ascribed to LU. That being our existence in a medium-sized market and the fact that a majority of our students and alumni are "out-of-state". And while SC has a long way to go in terms of it's wealth, I can say, I was very surprised at the transformation of Charleston on a recent visit I had about 4 months ago. The last time I had visited was about 10 years ago. It's a night and day difference now.

[ballcoach15]

If LU got into right FBS conference, I think everything involved with LU athletics would "take off" and reach heights no one ever dreamed possible.

At the softball tournament in Florida last week, LU fans there out numbered every other team except Alabama.
For the record, I don't think anyone draws more fans than the Crimson Tide. I went to North Carolina for a game between Tar Heels and Tide 2 years ago. Alabama fans in Chapel Hill probably out numbered Tar Heel fans 20-1, at Tar Heels home field.

If LU went big time, I think fan base would greatly increase everywhere.

[olldflame]

This is the sort of thing we talk about with second tier state schools moving up. There is so much red tape in attempting to build what you need. The stadium problem is huge for ODU. They really thought the waterfront stadium was a slam dunk...now, not so much.

ODU has all of the potential in the world. Huge market, energized fan base, fun place to go to school. Their urban geography coupled with Norfolk's unique problems (surrounded by water, major and worsening flooding issues, Federal ownership of land) have made it difficult. They need to get moving if they don't want to lose valuable momentum.

They are still a big school in a big market in a relatively wealthy state, with a mostly in-state fan base. They will always be better off than Coastal, a medium sized school in a medium market in a very poor state with a lot of out of state students and alumni.

Your summation of Coastal's situation is spot on. I don't see things working out well for them in FBS, even in the lowly SBC.

Not to point out the obvious, but two of the three problems ascribed to Coastal could just as easily be ascribed to LU. That being our existence in a medium-sized market and the fact that a majority of our students and alumni are "out-of-state". And while SC has a long way to go in terms of it's wealth, I can say, I was very surprised at the transformation of Charleston on a recent visit I had about 4 months ago. The last time I had visited was about 10 years ago. It's a night and day difference now.

All true, yet we can draw 20,000 to the Bill for the right opponent, while the beach chickens did cartwheels when they had 8000 and change. Our fan base, both students and community, is on a totally different level.

[thepostman]

We also are a private school so we don't depend on in state money. There really aren't many similarities between us and coastal. Which is why they are moving up and we aren't as odd and short sited as it may seem.

[BJWilliams]

The one good thing ODU has going for it, football-wise: location in the 757 football hotbed.

This is true.

On a semi-related note to this, the area did just lose two of the best coaches it's seen at the HS ranks. Chris Scott of Ocean Lakes and Richard Morgan, the HC of Oscar Smith High School. In particular, Morgan announced a few weeks ago that he's leaving OSHS and taking a job as a HC at Marietta High School in GA. This guy knows how to be a consistent winner. I worked at the school and have family there as well, and they all rave about the culture he created. One of responsibility and team-first thinking. This quote does a good job of summing up his impact:

Morgan, 46, took a program that was middle-of-the-pack and transformed it into a perennial national power. The Tigers have won 82 consecutive Southeastern District games and at least a share of 12 consecutive district regular-season championships. He also led them to state titles in 2008 and 2011 and two other appearances in the state final.

http://pilotonline.com/sports/high-scho ... 5e189.html

Scott is still in the area...he moved over to Bishop Sullivan I believe

[Humble_Opinion]

He did... but that's a private school of course. I thought it was a bit of an odd move to be honest.

[ballcoach15]

Sometimes I wonder how CCU was FCS, and not D2 or 3 with their crummy stadium that seats 8,000. Heck I know of high school stadiums that seat more than that. I thought there was an NCAA rule that required a FCS school to average 15,000 fans in order to even be considered for FBS.
I hope CCU crashes at D1 level and tries to come back to FCS and nobody takes them.

[Purple Haize]

I will predict that the move to FBS will be the financial demise of CCU

[olldflame]

I will predict that the move to FBS will be the financial demise of CCU

Not sure I would go so far as to say demise, but I believe they will struggle.

[Purple Haize]

I will predict that the move to FBS will be the financial demise of CCU

Not sure I would go so far as to say demise, but I believe they will struggle.

That's a given. It's why I went with bold prediction I

[ballcoach15]

When CCU starts "going under", they will probably beg BSC schools to help them out.

[BJWilliams]

Btw, I don't mean to be that guy ballcoach, but CCU has always been D1...now they've been D1-AA/FCS from inception, but they've always been D1

[Purple Haize]

Too late

[Sly Fox]

I think you guys are overthinking what it takes to be viable as a G5 school. They will certainly find it challenging and are not likely to make the type of impact in the Belt that we have seen from App State & Georgia Southern. But the fact those last two have managed to successfully transition gives Coastal hope. Of course those two schools had significantly stronger fan bases and track records.

[Purple Haize]

I think you guys are overthinking what it takes to be viable as a G5 school. They will certainly find it challenging and are not likely to make the type of impact in the Belt that we have seen from App State & Georgia Southern. But the fact those last two have managed to successfully transition gives Coastal hope. Of course those two schools had significantly stronger fan bases and track records.

I think you under play this

[youngflamer]

Please tell me how can Old Dominion University start football in 2009 and after only four years playing FCS football achieve a 38-10 record. In 2013, they then moved up to the FBS and joined Conference USA. We started football 43 years ago, we're still playing FCS and have gone to the playoffs only one time and we play in the Big South Conference with powerhouses like Gardner Webb, Charleston Southern, etc. We have more funds, better facilities than any other conference schools, plus a national platform. Money and great facilities don't bring playoff invitations, wins do. Something needs to change. (Posted this in football before I saw this forum.)

[rogers3]

Please tell me how can Old Dominion University start football in 2009 and after only four years playing FCS football achieve a 38-10 record. In 2013, they then moved up to the FBS and joined Conference USA. We started football 43 years ago, we're still playing FCS and have gone to the playoffs only one time and we play in the Big South Conference with powerhouses like Gardner Webb, Charleston Southern, etc. We have more funds, better facilities than any other conference schools, plus a national platform. Money and great facilities don't bring playoff invitations, wins do. Something needs to change. (Posted this in football before I saw this forum.)

Maybe part of that is the higher profile ODU already had when they started their football program. They are also traditionally a much larger school in the heart of Virginia's best po of talent.