Scheduling question for start ups

[Monarch Nation]

Please forgive my ignorance, but a question has come up on the CAAZone about ODU football and scheduling. Basically, since ODU will be a start up in 2009, and will play as an independent until 2011, what type of teams are permissible for us to schedule? More to the point, are club football teams permissible? And is there a rules section for NCAA FCS football that us fans new to the sport can go to so we can answer these questions with simple research and not take up bandwidth with questions like these?

[MR. CHICKEN]

RALPH.....WHERE'S RALPH????.............:confused:.....AWK!

[BlueHen86]

I don't know the rules, but if the link below works it should take you to results from when Villanova restarted it's program in 1985.
http://www.cfbdatawarehouse.com/data/div_iaa/atlantic10/villanova/yearly_results.php?year=1985

[TheValleyRaider]

Well, you can schedule whoever you want, it's your team. Club teams would be a terrible idea, even if they are allowed. I'd wager your first schedule has lots of D-II teams and regional FCS opponents. Coastal Carolina would be another good model to look at. Of course, ODU will be immediately eligible for the playoffs, but will want a weaker schedule to possibly grab some wins and build support for the team.

[TexasTerror]

SELA would be another great example...

Played several schools from the sub-Div I ranks as well as a few SLC foes and SWAC foes as they made their way on up...

[Monarch Nation]

Thanks guys. The question came up on another message board when a fan from a school that has a club football team suggested putting them on the schedule. It seemed to me a bad idea, since club teams aren't NCAA sanctioned. Better the DIIs and D IIIs than what is essentially a DIV.

Thanks for the link to Villanova. Interesting to see their immediate success.