UNC Charlotte pulls out of Nov. game against ODU

[Harry]

IRVING, Texas

Payback can be hell.

A week after Old Dominion cancelled a football game at UNC Charlotte slated for 2014, the 49ers retaliated by cancelling a game at ODU scheduled in less than four months.

Charlotte officials called off a Nov. 16 game at ODU on Monday, said sources who attended Wednesday’s Conference USA football media day in suburban Dallas.

Adding insult to injury, Charlotte replaced ODU on its schedule with James Madison, the Monarchs’ archrival the last two seasons in the Colonial Athletic Association. Charlotte and JMU will play on Sept. 21 in Harrisonburg and then in Charlotte in 2014, reported the Harrisonburg News Record.

Meanwhile, Eastern Michigan and ODU have apparently agreed to a 2-game series. Eastern Michigan’s press guide indicates ODU will host the Mid-American Conference team on Sept. 13, 2014, then travel to Eastern Michigan on Sept. 5, 2015.

ODU now has three of four non-conference games scheduled for both 2014 and 2015, including a home and home series with North Carolina State.

ODU athletic director Wood Selig and coach Bobby Wilder declined comment on the Charlotte game. Charlotte coach Brad Lambert said he had no information on the 2013 game.

However, the football press guide ODU distributed to the media Wednesday morning listed the opponent for Nov. 16 as “TBA” and did not list Charlotte among ODU’s opponents.

The cancellation leaves ODU with the difficult task of finding a team to play on short notice. No Division I teams appear to have an open date on Nov. 16, so ODU may be forced to schedule a Division II or NAIA school.

Read more: http://hamptonroads.com/2013/07/unc-charlotte-pulls-out-nov-game-against-odu

[JesseMartin]

Well, this certainly may jumpstart their CUSA rivalry a bit. Plus I think as much as we look to San Antonio gaining some momentum quickly, in the eastern division of the conference I have a sneaking suspicion that ODU will be the one expected to grow their program rapidly. Their season ticket numbers lend credence to a strong alumni and overall support and networking base that I think can give them the boost needed to pull in some great recruits very quickly in their first few years in FBS (if FBS lasts that long). If their coaching is at least decent I expect ODU to be kicking some serious ass very quickly. Maybe Charlotte did this to retaliate for the cancellation of the other game, maybe not, but I think they will be on the receiving end of some crazy games for their first few years as conference mates.

[outoftown]

I guess this will be 'on' from the first time they play each other as FBS, which will almost certainly be a mandated conference game (in 2015 i guess, I lost track of the timelines for realignment). I sure would not like to be the comissioner who has to decide who gets to play at home first.

Now this much division, I don't know if it is good cause it creates rivalries, or if it will create a problem because conference mates don't talk to each other, but I fear it is more the latter

Edit: reading the article It seems it got updated:

Old Dominion salvaged what appeared to be a disaster on Wednesday by scheduling a home game with Campbell this fall and adding a road contest at Vanderbilt in 2014.

UNC Charlotte stunned ODU officials this week by canceling a Nov. 16 game in Norfolk, less than four months before it was to be played.

ODU athletic director Wood Selig said senior associate athletic director Bruce Stewart convinced Campbell, a member of the Pioneer League, to move a game with Davidson in order to play at ODU.

It will be the fifth straight season in which the two have played.

In addition, ODU will play at Vanderbilt in 2014 and has scheduled a home-and-home series with Eastern Michigan of the Mid-American Conference in 2014 and 2015.

http://hamptonroads.com/2013/07/unc-charlotte-pulls-out-nov-game-against-odu

Edited July 25, 2013 by outoftown