By David Asbury
A buy-game against a ranked CFP team.
Do you smell that? That's the smell of cash. $1.3 million bucks just hit ODU football's bank account. That's how much the Indiana Hoosiers are paying the Monarchs to open the season. It is just shy of the $1.5 million South Carolina paid the Monarchs in 2024. It is more than Ricky Rahne's salary so this game alone pays for our head coach. And you know what else is cool about that? We can win and still keep the cash. But that might be very hard against a team that made it to the College Football Playoffs last year.
Indiana's Memorial Stadium is known as the "Rock." Photo attributed to JYDecker licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
The Hoosiers are coached by a familiar face, Curt Cignetti, who coached the James Madison Dukes in 2022 and 2023. During that period he went 2-0 against the Monarchs including a very close 30-27 win in Harrisonburg in 2023. In 2024, IU hired Cignetti and he brought along 13 of their most talented players and nabbed a number of Sun Belt athletes including former Monarchs Terry Jones Jr. and Shawn Asbury II (no relation).
His first season in IU was a SPECTACULAR first season going 11-2 and making the CFP. Indiana's two losses? Ohio State and Notre Dame, the two teams that played in the CFP Championship. With this success, Cignetti and the Hoosiers agreed to an eight-year contract worth $8 million a year.
This offseason Cignetti and Indiana were in the quarterback market and landed a talented one in Fernando Mendoza from California. The 6'5, 225 lbs. redshirt sophomore was one of the most coveted quarterbacks available in the transfer portal. His 2024 statistics at Cal were impressive: 3,004 passing yards, 16 touchdowns, just six interceptions, 68.7% completion rate. His younger brother Alberto, already on the Indiana roster, played a role in the recruitment. Mendoza is an NFL-caliber quarterback. ESPN draft analyst Jordan Reid considers him a "potential riser" and has given him a 12% chance of being the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. This may be the best quarterback ODU has faced since... ever? Also, don't miss former ODU quarterback Grant Wilson on the Indiana sideline. He is likely third string behind both Mendoza brothers.
Mendoza will have a top offense around him too. The offensive line will have 3+ returning starters and be better than last year's line. Roman Hemby from Maryland is a top get in the portal and 757-native Kaelon Black returns for a solid running game. Meanwhile the receivers are stacked. Wide receiver Elijah Sarratt also returns, after coming over from JMU with the coaching staff. He is a monster and led the Hoosiers with 53 catches, averaging over 18 yards per pop with eight scores.
Wide receiver Elijah Sarratt caught 8 catches for 139 yards and a touchdown against ODU while playing for JMU in 2023. Photo attributed to Bobak Ha'Eri licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license.
While the offense underwent significant changes, the defense retains its core leadership. All-American cornerback D’Angelo Ponds (also a JMU transfer) returns after recording three interceptions and nine pass breakups in 2024. Two other defensive anchors also return in linebacker Aiden Fisher (team-leading 118 tackles) and defensive end Mikail Kamara (10 sacks, 15 tackles for loss). Kamara even turned down the NFL to return. In '24, the defense was second in the Big Ten in yards allowed per conference game (264). This is one of the best defenses in the entire country. Overall, IU has its eyes set on the college football playoff again. “We don’t want to be a one-hit wonder” became an unofficial motto. The Coaches poll already ranks them 19th in the country and they are likely to rise in those rankings. They really don't face a challenging opponent until traveling to Oregon in October. They absolutely have the potential to go 10-2 or better and make the playoffs again.
Prediction: IU 31, ODU 17
Look guys, this is not just a P4 team. This is a playoff team with multiple first round NFL draft picks on the roster. Vegas opened with the Hoosiers favored by 23.5 points. That's a lot, but the line has seen some movement going as low as 21.5. On Monday, Cignetti talked up ODU and the Sun Belt Conference in general. The only Monarchist picking ODU to win is Aaron (god bless him). But this game really will not mean all that much in the long run, other than a payday for the Monarchs. My message to Monarch Nation is to not fret over the outcome no matter what happens. If the Monarchs keep it close as they did against South Carolina last season, then we should all be happy and look ahead to NC Central. If the Hoosiers blow out the Monarchs? Whatever, let's go win the Sun Belt just like how Marshall won the Sun Belt after Ohio State blew them out last year. If ODU gets the upset and shocks the college football world? Well, let's just soak up what would be a top-10 all time ODU victory.
Regardless of the result, this game is an opportunity to identify our strengths and weaknesses and will serve us well as we work toward our goal of winning the Sun Belt. So once again, don't fret. We will get better this week.
But let's talk about ODU and the rest of the season for a bit. 2025 is the third season where I write a blog about the overall expectations of our beloved Monarchs. In 2023, I opined how every pundit was dooming on Old Dominion, but I said that was sleeping on the Monarchs who could shock the world with a 6-6 record. I was right and that's exactly what happened. In 2024, I wrote that the schedule was very tough but it was time for ODU to start competing for Sun Belt East. I would like to think I was right again because ODU did start competing for the Sun Belt and started with a 3-1 conference record. Unfortunately, the Monarchs then dropped three very close games in a row to App. State, JMU, and Marshall. Old Dominion finished with a 4-4 conference record. They were competitive but the 5-7 overall record was an understandable disappointment for most ODU fans.
So, what is my opinion of this upcoming season? Well, fans have been patient enough. It is time for the Monarchs to have its first winning season since 2016. The team is primed to do so with a lot of good returning production on defense and quarterback Colton Joseph returning on offense. With the continuity on the coaching staff, there is just no room for any more excuses. ODU must win and they can. Although the schedule is tough, it is not as tough as last year's. For starters, the Monarchs have a cupcake FCS team on the schedule for an almost free win which is a luxury they did not have last season. Then Marshall, App. State, Georgia State, and Costal Carolina all had much more significant roster and coaching turnover. If ODU can win those five games, they can secure a winning record by just two more wins. So, my official win total prediction is...drum roll please....seven. This early in the season, I see ODU losing to IU, VT, Liberty, JMU, and Ga. Southern and winning the remaining games to finish 7-5 (6-2 in SBC). Boca Raton Bowl here we come.
Share:
ODU Football - Week 1 Podcasts and Pressers