Yet Another Conference Move: Old Dominion To Join C-USA

This won't send shock waves through the college athletic world but it is another blow to the Colonial Athletic Association.

Old Dominion will announce in a 2:30pm news conference today that they will leave the CAA and join Conference USA.  ODU is expected to join C-USA for the 2013-14 academic year.

For the second time this week the CAA has lost another signature basketball program, Virginia Commonwealth announced the Rams will join the Atlantic 10 conference.

Like most of conference realignment its about football and this move will be a huge step for the three year old Monarch football program and further upgrade ODU football who would join the Football Bowl Subdivision.

According to ESPN's Andy Katz, the Colonial may now pursue from a list of Davidson, Charleston, Boston University, and Stony Brook. If Georgia State and ODU can't participate in post-season tourneys next year, they'll only have seven active members to do so next season in all sports.

ODU has to pay a $250,000 exit fee and is leaving $400,000 on the table for the conference.

Here's early returns from our friends at WAVY-TV

Officials: ODU will join Conference USA: wavy.com

In a letter explaining the move, ODU President John Broderick said:

"While the university was not actively seeking a change, recent events necessitated an earlier consideration of our future, and in particular, for our football program. C-USA’s invitation provided the right opportunity at the right time to reclassify our football program and broaden the national footprint of our athletic program."

"While the university was not actively seeking a change, recent events necessitated an earlier consideration of our future, and in particular, for our football program. C-USA’s invitation provided the right opportunity at the right time to reclassify our football program and broaden the national footprint of our athletic program."