It’s really the stuff of video game Dynasty Mode dreams, where in short order a team goes from non-existence to prominence. Sure, on the console of your choice, it may be creating one from thin air and replacing UMass (because, UMass, right?) via Teambuilder instead of the hard work, practice, funding, and resource allocation that Old Dominion endured. And I don’t know if “prominence” in the video game version of NCAA Football is a 9-3 regular season and a Bahamas Bowl trophy, but this isn’t an XBox. This is reality.
It may not be a reality that blows the skirt up of Alabama or Clemson, but it’s the reality of a 9-win season and a bowl berth that Mid-American Conference fans would be happy to have.