RFC Summer Semester--Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC)--(NCAA Division III)

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2011 Final Standings

Looking back: Like in the last post on the NCAA Division II West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WVIAC), the NCAA Division III Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) also had one of those so-called "silly seasons" in 2011.  The main difference between the ODAC and the WVIAC, aside from the obvious difference in divisions, is in the won-lost records.

Three teams, Washington & Lee, Hampden-Sydney, and Randolph-Macon, all finished last season with eight wins each.  While W&L and H-SC both finished ODAC action with identical 5-1 league records, it was their dramatic 42-35 win over the Generals that gave the Tigers the automatic bid to the NCAA Division III playoffs.  Taking away Hampden-Sydney's first round playoff loss to Centre, the aforementioned trio finished with a combined overall regular season record of 24-6 (.800). R-MC finished third in the ODAC at 4-2 in conference play.

Looking ahead: Shenandoah joins the ODAC from the USA South Athletic Conference as a full-time member this season.  As for on the field, barring any multiple serious injuries on any of those teams, expect the trio of Hampden-Sydney, Randolph-Macon, and Washington & Lee to do battle for the ODAC title in 2012.

 2012 Predicted Order of Finish (2011 overall record in parentheses)

1. Hampden-Sydney (8-3):  The Tigers senior class finished 35-4 in taking home the ODAC title in 2011, the program's third in the last five years.  This year's seniors will have a tremendous task in building on that winning tradition.  Believe it or not, H-SC head coach Marty Favret needs 11 wins to join the 100-win club.  In order to get there in 2012, though, the Tigers must win at least 11 games, something this program has never accomplished in its long, storied history. 


2. Randolph-Macon (8-2):  Despite ending the 2011 season with three straight wins, including a win in the season finale over H-SC in the "Game", the Yellow Jackets found themselves on the outside looking in when postseason play started.  The 2012 season opener at defending Centennial Conference champion Johns Hopkins could shed light on the kind of season the Yellow Jackets might have.

3. Washington & Lee (8-2):  In the last two years, the Generals have had a combined record of 16-5 overall, including a D-III playoff berth in 2010, as well as a combined 11-1 mark in ODAC play during that span.  Still, a loss to Hampden-Sydney in the 2011 finale not only denied them their second straight undefeated season in conference play, it also cost the Generals a trip to postseason play.  While they hope to get back there in 2012, they must navigate their way through a tough schedule that includes a home game against D-III playoff participant on September 15, as well as key ODAC games against Randolph-Macon and Hampden-Sydney on October 13 and November 3, respectively.  Both of the contests will be at home for W&L as well.


4. Emory and Henry (5-5):  The Wasps started the 2011 season at 4-1, only to lose four straight games, before crushing Guilford, 30-6, to finish 2-4 in ODAC play, as well as finish at .500 for the second straight season.  In order to get back above the .500 mark for 2012, E&H must avoid the lengthy losing streaks that have forced it to settle for back-to-back mediocre seasons.  But getting that elusive winning record will be anything but easy, as the Wasps will face six teams that had winning records themselves last season.


5. Bridgewater (Va.)--(6-4):  With the exception of a 7 p.m. game at Guilford on October 11, all of the Eagles 2012 games will be played at the same time: 1 p.m., local time.  Their longest trip of the season will be on Opening Day, as they travel to Western Pennsylvania to face St. Vincent on September 1.  It will also include home games against Hampden-Sydney and Washington & Lee, as well as a late-season visit to Randolph-Macon.


6. Shenandoah (6-4):  The Hornets finished a respectable 5-2 in their final season as a member of the USA South Athletic Conference.  But they might be hard-pressed to repeat that feat in their first season in the ODAC, as they take on the likes of Christopher Newport, Hampden-Sydney, Randolph-Macon, and Washington & Lee, just to name a few.


7. Catholic (5-5):  The Cardinals limped to a 1-5 finish in ODAC action last season, losing their final two contests by a combined 10 points.  The late season slide followed a 3-0 start, with all of those wins coming by a combined nine points.  In fact, winning close games became a habit for CUA in 2011, as all five of the Cardinals victories came by nine points or less.  Now, if they could only find a way to win more conference games in 2012.


8. Guilford (2-8):  The Quakers look to move up in the ODAC standings after finishing 1-5 in conference play last season.  That followed a winless 2010 campaign.  One of the highlights of the 2011 season came on September 3, when the Quakers crushed archrival Greensboro, 27-7, to snap an 11-game losing streak that dated back to the final game of 2009.