Old Dominion Monarchs football The Old Dominion Monarchs football team is the college football program for Old Dominion University in Norfolk , Virginia . The first iteration of the team created in 1930 was known as the William & Mary Norfolk Division Braves . The current Monarchs founded in 2009 compete at the NCAA Division I - FCS level . Beginning in the 2011 season , they joined the Colonial Athletic Association and added conference games to their schedule , prior to 2011 the team was Independent . Old Dominion football will be joining Conference USA , the NCAA ' s second most - emerging football conference , and consequently be moving up to the FBS , on July 1 , 2014 ( their other sports will join on July 1 , 2013 ) . History . 1930 – 1941 . William & Mary Norfolk Division Braves played football for eleven seasons ( 1930 - 1941 ) when the university was a two - year school , with a record of 62 - 19 - 4 . The program was discontinued due to a rule against freshman players and a 10 , 000 USD debt . Rebirth / Bobby Wilder Era . On June 14 , 2005 , the Board of Visitors approved with a 14 - 0 vote to create a new football team to compete at the NCAA Division I level , along with university ' s other sports teams , and to begin play in 2009 . On February 9 , 2007 , Athletic Director Jim Jarrett announced that Bobby Wilder , then the associate head football coach at the University of Maine , would be the head coach , and the team signed its first recruiting class in 2008 . As is the case with many new football programs , all players in 2008 were redshirt ed . These players , along with the recruiting class of 2009 and transfer players comprised the initial 2009 roster . Old Dominion began play in 2009 as an independent team at the Division I FCS level ( formerly I - AA ) , and joined the Colonial Athletic Association for the 2011 season . In 2009 , their first competitive season in 68 years , the Monarchs finished 9 – 2 . That was the best winning record ever for a first - year program in college football ' s modern era . The Monarchs were outscored by a total of only eight points in their two losses . Wilder ' s inaugural team finished the year ranked in the top ten in five FCS statistical categories , including second in sacks allowed , third in scoring offense , turnover margin and net punting . The 2009 Monarchs were ninth in rushing offense . In its first three years of competition after its rebirth , Old Dominion compiled a 26 - 7 record and earned a berth in the 2011 FCS playoffs , hosting , and defeating , crosstown rival Norfolk State . Also in 2011 , after playing 27 games in its " modern era " , ODU received its first Top 25 ranking on October 3 , coming in at No . 21 in The Sports Network poll . The Monarchs were ranked among the Top Ten after competing in 33 games . ODU was fifth in FCS attendance in 2009 , selling out all of their home games in the 19 , 782 - seat Foreman Field . Season tickets for the Monarchs ' inaugural season sold out quickly and the school had to refund 1 , 065 orders . Foreman Field , formerly the ODU field hockey and women ' s lacrosse teams ' home venue , was renovated to accommodate the new football program . Field hockey and women ' s lacrosse were relocated to the Powhatan Sports Complex . CAA Years : 2011 - 2012 . ODU finished 9 - 2 in their first season in the CAA , good enough for second place in the conference . Most media had picked ODU to finish near the bottom of the conference , however ODU outperformed those predictions and ultimately hosted a first round FCS playoff game . On the 26th of November , 2011 the ODU Monarchs beat their crosstown rivals , the Norfolk State Spartans , 35 - 18 to advance to the second round of the 2011 FCS playoffs . ODU then traveled Georgia to play the Georgia Southern Eagles in the second round of the playoffs where they lost 55 - 48 . Following the season the Monarchs finished 10th in the final poll . In April 2012 several reports linked ODU to possible conference realignment in FBS with the Big East and the C - USA and possibly beginning conference play as soon as 2013 . The Big East reports were silenced with the addition of schools University of Houston , University of Central Florida , Southern Methodist University , Boise State University , San Diego State University , and University of Memphis . However the C - USA was still interested in ODU after adding five new schools including University of North Carolina at Charlotte , Florida International , University of North Texas , Louisiana Tech , and Texas - San Antonio . It was officially announced that in 2013 that ODU will join C - USA for all sports . Despite being voted ineligible for the conference automatic bid and conference title the Monarchs finished atop the CAA with a 7 - 1 in conference record . By finishing the regular season 10 - 1 the Monarchs won an at large bid into the 2012 NCAA Division 1 FCS Playoffs . During the loss to Georgia Southern in the Quarterfinals , sophomore QB Taylor Heinicke passes Steve McNair for the most passing yards in a single season by an FCS quarterback with 5076 yards . He also became the first quarterback to eclipse the 5000 yard mark in a season as well as setting the record for most competitions in a season with 398 . Transition to the FBS ( 2013 ) . ODU began its transition to the FBS at the conclusion of the 2012 season . The Monarchs are going to spend 2013 as an FCS independent team and ineligible for the playoffs . Originally the 2014 season was supposed to be spent as an FBS independent before being fully accepted into the C - USA and both bowl and championship eligible . After a vote by the C - USA it was changed so that they would be eligible in 2014 for the conference title and a bowl berth . Rivalries . William & Mary - Battle for the Silver Mace . ODU played William & Mary on September 18 , 2010 in the inaugural meeting between the two schools . ODU lost 21 - 17 but proved that they could compete with the Tribe despite being only a second year program . Since 2011 the winner of the rivalry has been presented with a replica of the Norfolk Mace . ODU was the first to earn the trophy , winning by a score of 35 - 31 over the Tribe . The all time series is lead by ODU 2 - 1 . " Old Dominion victories are shaded ██ blue . William & Mary victories shaded in ██ green . " Norfolk State - Five Mile Rivalry . ODU and Norfolk State played for the first time on November 26 , 2011 in the first round of the FCS playoffs which resulted in a 35 - 18 Monarch win . Norfolk State and ODU announced a new deal for a home and away series in 2013 and 2015 to help fill out open game dates for ODU ' s transition to the FBS . " Old Dominion victories are shaded ██ blue . Norfolk State victories shaded in ██ green . "