The most courageous scheduling last Saturday was not by one of the sacrificial lambs (ie, UNLV took $1.3 million to the bank for their beating at Ohio State) but by the Wake Forest Demon Deacons.
Wake Forest became only the 2nd Power 5 school to travel to Boone North Carolina to take on Appalachian State. This was the 23rd meeting between the two schools from the western part of the state, separated by only 92 miles, but the first since 2001.
Former coach Jim Grobe discontinued the series, citing the need for Wake Forest to do everything in its power to get to 6 victories and becoming bowl eligible. His fear in scheduling the Mountaineers was well-founded since App State had beaten Wake in both the 1998 and 2000 games. Before App’s recent ascent to FBS status, the Mountaineers were fearsome enough to beat Michigan and garner multiple 1-A national championships.
While the Odyssey admires Grobe, we absolutely hate the thinking that ended the series for 15 years. College football is so much the worse for not doing everything in its power to promote regional rivalries. This is doubly so when college football attendance is declining in a number of circles. Many reasons for such decline exist, led by high ticket prices, the glut of televised games, ever improving TV quality and increasing entertainment options on the Internet.
Dave Clawson, the Wake coach, said that the previous week’s opponent, Utah State, just did not generate the same amount of interest as the Deacons’ upcoming trip into the hills. We like to think karma came into play Saturday. After a sluggish first half, the Wake offense revived and took a late 20-19 lead in a frenzied atmosphere.
Appalachian State lined up for a game-ending and potential game-winning 39-yard field goal. Blocked!! Wake Forest survived in a thriller but, truly, college football was the biggest winner in Boone.
The Odyssey appreciates others as well in the endeavor for regional non-conference tilts. Special shout outs go to Michigan State and Mississippi State. The Spartans have visited both Central Michigan and Western Michigan this decade. Notre Dame should take note as the Irish is taking an extended sabbattical from its history-filled, 77-game series with MSU after Saturday’s victory in East Lansing. Notre Dame’s annual contests with Purdue and Michigan have also been shamefully interrupted. It appears the Fighting Irish would rather play Duke and Wake Forest.
The Odyssey was in Mobile in 2014 when a stellar Mississippi State team played at South Alabama. To date, this has been the most electric atmosphere ever at a USA game. Earlier this month, the Bulldogs visited Ruston to play Louisiana Tech. Fantastic! We also LOVE this year’s start of a 13-game contract between Virginia Tech and Old Dominion. While the two schools are not geographically close (the drive from Norfolk to Blacksburg is almost 5 hours), Virginia Tech’s decision to play Old Dominion regularly is not riskless in terms of the recruiting wars.
The Odyssey is calling out Arkansas. Please schedule Arkansas State!! We know that Frank Broyles thought that Arkansas State was only slightly preferable to the plague, but your great coach has passed on. So should your thinking.
Memo to Alabama: Do you really think your juggernaut program will suffer if you schedule Troy, South Alabama, or, especially, UAB?? C’mon, is it too much to ask to do right by your states’ fans?