By Harry Minium
NORFOLK, Va. – Old Dominion and James Madison haven't met on the football field since Nov. 17, 2012, when the Monarchs claimed a 38-28 victory in Harrisonburg.
A lot has changed in the decade since, when Barack Obama was president and the current ODU football players were in grade school.
But one thing that hasn't changed is the intense rivalry that has existed ever since between ODU and JMU football fans.
It all began in 2011 when ODU upset the Dukes, 23-20, by blocking a last-second field goal attempt in a driving rain at Foreman Field.
A year later, the Monarchs claimed the mythical CAA title by winning in Harrisonburg – even though the CAA banned ODU from winning a trophy because the Monarchs were headed for Conference USA.
While absence makes the heart grow fonder is usually a spot-on narrative, in this case "absence makes the dislike grow more intense" is a more accurate description of fans of both schools as the teams prepare for Saturday's 1 p.m. game at S.B. Ballard Stadium.
Barbs, some friendly and some not so friendly, have been passed back and forth on social media. And the JMU-ODU game is currently the hottest ticket in town.
The game sold out S.B. Ballard Stadium's 21,944 seats a month ago. Tickets are available on stubhub.com but you'd better be ready to shell out some cash – tickets are going for as much as $382 on stubhub.com
And that's just for one ticket.
Need I remind you, once again, of the value of purchasing ODU season tickets? You could have purchased two tickets for all six ODU home games for less than the price of that one ticket on stubhub.com
ODU defensive tackle Alonzo Ford, who went to Varina High School just outside Richmond, has a former teammate and other friends who play at JMU.
"Coming out of high school, I was recruited by both schools," he said. "That gives you a little edge because I met with the coaches of the other team. A lot of guys on our team have friends at JMU. It's a big rivalry."
Asked how many friends have asked him for tickets to the game, he smiled and said "a lot of people."
Same here. I've been inundated with requests. My sense is that JMU will eventually supplant Virginia Tech as the rival that ODU fans and students will look forward to playing every season.
An aside here: Your best bet to snag a ticket is to head out to Wild Wing Café in Chesapeake Wednesday at 7 p.m. for head coach Ricky Rahne's radio show. Ted Alexander, voice of the Monarchs, will give away four tickets to the person who first guesses the correct answer to an ODU trivia question.
Rahne, who was the quarterbacks coach at Vanderbilt in 2012, has heard from Monarch fans how much this game means.
"I think anytime you're playing an in-state rivalry, it's going to mean a little bit more to the community," he said at his weekly press conference. "The interesting thing about this rivalry is that it hasn't been played that often.
"You would think this game has been played 20 or 30 times. But it hasn't."
That's because in 2012, both schools headed in different directions.
JMU went on to become a Football Championship Subdivision powerhouse, winning the 2016 national title and finishing second twice.
ODU moved up to the Football Bowl Subdivision, and the Monarchs and have since had experiences you only have playing major college football.
ODU has been to two bowl games and won the 2016 Bahamas Bowl. ODU has also hosted North Carolina and N.C. State and Virginia Tech twice, and has future home games with Virginia, Wake Forest and Virginia Tech.
ACC teams don't play on the road against FCS programs. And both times the Hokies came to Norfolk, the Monarchs prevailed.
JMU fans have long expressed the desire to move up. It finally became possible with the conference realignment that occurred over the last year. ODU and JMU both joined the Sun Belt Conference in July.
As a result, nearly every contest between the schools became a conference game. For the ODU football team, Saturday's game will be the first time they've played an in-state conference rival since that victory in 2012 at Bridgeforth Stadium.
"When you're playing a conference rival, it always means more," Rahne said, adding that he thinks the JMU-ODU rivalry will only increase in intensity as the years go on.
That's one reason why TowneBank, which is headquartered in Hampton Roads but has outlets across Virginia, is sponsoring the TowneBank Royal Rivalry Challenge. For every Monarch win against JMU in any sport, ODU accrues a point and vice versa, and a half point for every tie.
At the end of the 2022-23 season, the school with the most points will claim the Royal Rivalry trophy for a year.
ODU and JMU were once heated rivals in men's and women's basketball when both schools were in the CAA, and that surely will be the case again.
Did you notice in intensity on the field in Foley, Alabama when the ODU women's soccer team defeated JMU Sunday for the Sun Belt championship? Not sure I've ever seen coach Angie Hind's team play with such tenacity.
Both football teams have had their ups and downs this season. ODU (3-6 overall, 2-3 Sun Belt) upset Virginia Tech at home and crushed unbeaten Coastal Carolina, 49-21, on the road, but is on a three-game losing streak.
JMU (5-3, 3-2) spent a week in the Top 25 after winning its first five games, including an upset of Appalachian State in Boone, North Carolina. But JMU has lost three games in a row since.
ODU is still in the hunt for a bowl bid, although the Monarchs must win three in a row.
There will be no postseason play for the Dukes because of an NCAA rule that requires teams transitioning up to FBS sit out at least one season.
JMU coach Curt Cignetti says his players remain determined to make a point by finishing first in the Sun Belt East, even if they can't technically win the title.
"We have a lot to play for," he said, "And we have our rival coming up this week. Our guys will be juiced. We'll be ready to go.
"I know that the people who support our program, who care about our program, believe this is a real big game. And because we're in-state rivals and we compete recruiting, this is a real big game."
Rahne said the fact that both teams have lost three in a row will only add to the intensity of the contest. And did I mention that JMU is a 7 ½-point favorite?
"Like us, they're going to probably be pretty ticked off and ready to go," he said. "Their coaches are going to be ready, and their players are going to be ready.
"It's going to be two teams that have their jaws set to get on the right side of the ledger."
"I think we both wish," he added, "that we were playing this game tomorrow."
A ton of fans on both sides would agree.
Contact Minium at hminium@odu.edu or follow him on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram
Minium: ODU and JMU Haven't Played Football in a Decade, but it's Still an Intense Rivalry
