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Dolgevillefootballfan
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Old Dominion
Preview segment: The Old Dominion Monarchs
Last season: Much like North Texas in Conference USA, Old Dominion finished the 2021 season at 6-7. But also like North Texas, the Monarchs won their last 5 regular season games to make a bowl.
Now consider this! Thanks to the COVID pandemic, Old Dominion didn't play football AT ALL in 2020! And they STILL made a bowl in 2021! Great job by Ricky Rahne and his players. Now what will happen when they move to a new conference?
Good news: 17 starters from last year's miracle team are back, including RB Blake Watson, QB Hayden Wolff, and great line play.
Bad news: ODU has questions in the secondary that must be addressed, and it wouldn't hurt for them to find more pass catchers.
Key games:
9/10 @ East Carolina (ODU's non-conference slate is a weird one, as they'll take on the Pirates in-between games against Virginia Tech and Virginia.)
9/24 vs. Arkansas State (ODU's first conference game as a member of the Sun Belt.)
11/5 vs. Marshall (Ah! In their first year in the Sun Belt, the Monarchs will see a familiar face. ODU almost stunned Marshall last year.)
11/12 vs. James Madison (I can totally see this as ODU's "Rivalry Week" opponent for many years to come.)
Bottom line: Earlier, I screamed about USC and UCLA moving to the Big 10... mainly because the move doesn't make any sense. Why would you leave a historic conference like the PAC-12 to PLAY CONFERENCE GAMES AGAINST ILLINOIS WHICH IS ABOUT 2,500 MILES AWAY FROM WHERE THEY ARE?!
But Old Dominion's move to the Sun Belt, now THAT makes sense; ODU can develop better regional rivalries this way. And with so many players from last year returning, expectations for the Monarchs are high. But Sun Belt offenses are a different animal than C-USA offenses, so if ODU wants to compete in Year 1, their secondary have BETTER be prepared.
Preview segment: The Old Dominion Monarchs
Last season: Much like North Texas in Conference USA, Old Dominion finished the 2021 season at 6-7. But also like North Texas, the Monarchs won their last 5 regular season games to make a bowl.
Now consider this! Thanks to the COVID pandemic, Old Dominion didn't play football AT ALL in 2020! And they STILL made a bowl in 2021! Great job by Ricky Rahne and his players. Now what will happen when they move to a new conference?
Good news: 17 starters from last year's miracle team are back, including RB Blake Watson, QB Hayden Wolff, and great line play.
Bad news: ODU has questions in the secondary that must be addressed, and it wouldn't hurt for them to find more pass catchers.
Key games:
9/10 @ East Carolina (ODU's non-conference slate is a weird one, as they'll take on the Pirates in-between games against Virginia Tech and Virginia.)
9/24 vs. Arkansas State (ODU's first conference game as a member of the Sun Belt.)
11/5 vs. Marshall (Ah! In their first year in the Sun Belt, the Monarchs will see a familiar face. ODU almost stunned Marshall last year.)
11/12 vs. James Madison (I can totally see this as ODU's "Rivalry Week" opponent for many years to come.)
Bottom line: Earlier, I screamed about USC and UCLA moving to the Big 10... mainly because the move doesn't make any sense. Why would you leave a historic conference like the PAC-12 to PLAY CONFERENCE GAMES AGAINST ILLINOIS WHICH IS ABOUT 2,500 MILES AWAY FROM WHERE THEY ARE?!
But Old Dominion's move to the Sun Belt, now THAT makes sense; ODU can develop better regional rivalries this way. And with so many players from last year returning, expectations for the Monarchs are high. But Sun Belt offenses are a different animal than C-USA offenses, so if ODU wants to compete in Year 1, their secondary have BETTER be prepared.