The Virginian-Pilot
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Old Dominion University president John Broderick said he is all for expanding the Football Championship Subdivision tournament field from 20 teams to 24, if it is for the right reasons.
Broderick will reconvene today with a four-member committee of university presidents tasked with exploring expanding the field.
And after watching his own school's team advance to the second round of the playoffs last month, Broderick is motivated by the idea of improving the system.
"If expanding the field enhances the tournament, then I'm for it," Broderick said. "But it has to make sense. We don't want to add teams to the tournament just for the sake of adding teams."
In ODU's third year of football, it was selected as an at-large participant in this season's tournament.
The Monarchs defeated crosstown opponent Norfolk State 35-18 in front of a sellout crowd at Foreman Field, then lost in the second round at third-seeded Georgia Southern.
Broderick is serving the committee with Weber State's F. Ann Millner, Coastal Carolina's David A. DeCenzo and committee chair Bill Meehan of Jacksonville State that has been tasked with exploring the expansion issue.
Sam Houston State and North Dakota State will meet Saturday in Frisco, Texas, in the FCS title game.
Broderick's task force will meet in Frisco today. On Friday, presidents and athletic directors will arrive for the FCS Summit.
Members of the NCAA and television executives are expected to be on hand as well.
In June, Broderick joined the NCAA Presidential Advisory Group and he will join the NCAA's board of directors in April.
As for the potential expansion of the FCS playoff field, Broderick said the tournament needs to "create excitement."
"I was right there with our own team for our two playoff games and I can tell you it was very entertaining," Broderick said. "That entertainment needs to translate to the television audience.
"...With television, it's simple: If TV thinks it has an entertaining product, it will show it. We have to do a better job of packaging and positioning this tournament."
Rich Radford, (757) 446-2463, rich.radford@pilotonline.com
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Playoff Expansion
Could be a good thing. Im glad that our ODU president is in on the discussions. One grand improvement would be to have the visual coverage moved from ESPN3 to ESPN2. That is my only suggestion. Alot more folks would tune in.
This is all well and good...
But what you need to do is settle down and concentrate on eventually moving into the BCS. It will take time and money, but that is where the real money is. That is what it is all about: money. And please... don't start with "it's for the kids" garbage...LoL
BCS?
Good grief...we've only been playing football for 3 years. Enough with the BCS talk. How did going BCS work out for Western KY? They get killed by every D-1A team they play. What conference do you think ODU can go to? We are a SMALL media market. The major conferences want schools in Major Media Markets. Let's just enjoy what we have for the foreseeable future! GO ODU!!
Mr President
The only thing that needs to be expanded is your football stadium, and get ODU out of CAA which is in bed with VCU
Football
Expand the stadium? Yes. Get the CAA Basketball Tournament out of the Richmond Coliseum? As soon as possible, buy out the contract, go somewhere else anyway, ANYTHING!!!