After the loss that LSU handed WVU on Saturday Night, I had to do some pondering. Here are some of the questions and subsequent thoughts:
- Does this team have 10 wins in them? A: Yes. they do. The Big East is terrible. Pitt being the conference's biggest disappointment. The Mountaineers should win 9 or 10 games this year and go to a BCS Bowl game.
- Is Noel Devine still a candidate for the Heisman Trophy? A: Yes, but not a serious one. Odds are we wont be seeing him at the Heisman Presentation in New York. He needed to shine on Saturday night. It was his opportunity. The Heisman voters and committee do not care that he stubbed his toe. The LSU Defense held him to 37 yards on 14 att
empts. Those are not Heisman numbers. He will need to really bust it out for the rest of the season. And pray that he gets a lot of network talk.
- Is Head Coach Bill Stewart the right man for WVU? A: Yes. At this point in time, I still believe he is. The Mountaineers gave the LSU Tigers a good game Saturday night. I hear people saying the Mountaineers weren't prepared for that game. I disagree. They only lost by 6 points. The LSU defense just out played them. And as much as I like Geno Smith, he is still young. The kid made some mistakes. As did the offensive line. I do admit there were some questionable calls, but there always are. However, Coach Stewart has a good record, 22-9 career at WVU. And he has had some big wins. Namely: Oklahoma in the 2008 Fiesta Bowl, Auburn at home in the 2008 regular season, and North Carolina in the 2009 Mieneke Car Care Bowl. The loss to Florida State in this years Gator Bowl was disappointing. But to his defense, he and his team walked into a hornets nest in that bowl. They were playing Florida State in Florida for Bobby Bowden's last game. In hindsight, coming out with a win would have been a miracle. All that being said, if you want to argue that Offensive Coordinator Jeff Mullen should be canned, I wholeheartedly agree.
- Should WVU stay in the Big East? A: No. Get the hell out of that conference. Football is college's #1 revenue producer, and Big East Football appears to be going no where. WVU could have much better opportunities in another conference, hopefully the Big Ten or the SEC. The Big East conference schedule is too weak. So the options are to either beef up the non-conference schedule, which would take years, or get out of the conference. The Big East wants to expand, but the odds of them getting any big name teams are very low. Notre Dame will go to the Big Ten if they ever do anything. The Big East will expand with teams like East Carolina, Villanova, or Central Florida. Respectable programs, but not the competition WVU needs. The Big Ten has shown that conference television networks bring in big cash. Therefore, Conferences are looking to expand into Super Conferences. That makes the odds very good that the Big East will get raided again. If WVU is smart, they will make a move, preferably before the proverbial snowball starts to roll down the hill. Athletic Director Oliver Luck hasn't made any verbal commitments to staying in the conference, and I think that is smart. I also realize that consideration will be given to what other Big East Schools, namely Pitt, want to do. Although Penn St. didn't give Pitt or WVU any consideration when it headed to the Big Ten; a great move, by the way. I have to admit, I would really miss being a part of Big East Basketball, but we don't need it. We can get good television coverage and a high tournament seat in another conference.
Yes the LSU loss hurts. WVU could have won and didn't. But when you are getting ready to point fingers and cast blame. Remember who is really responsible. Evil Spock!!!
