Couch burning, what a concept. The media admonished WVU for it years ago. But instead of panicking, stopping it, and apologizing, we made it our own. Only Mountaineers would be so brash. I mentioned couch burning in a Facebook post a couple months back. A good friend of mine, who is a lawyer here in Alexandria, commented that, " You blog about hillbillies on TV being an unfair depiction, but couch burning is acceptably representative?" "Yes, it is." I replied. "It's a tim
e honored tradition. Hillbillies don't burn couches, Mountaineers do." One of my fraternity brothers then chimed in, "Hillbillies relax on their couches on their front porch. Mountaineers burn them." My lawyer friend attended William and Mary. She probably pictures WVU football fans as a collection of half naked, drunken hillbillies running around acting like savages. I actually picture her team's fans as a collection of blazer and khaki wearing preps, sipping tea and yelling expletives such as "Bully", "Balderdash", and "Ruffians" during the game. And when the quarterback throws a touchdown, some slick haired senior in an oxford shirt with a sweater tied around his shoulders yells, "Good show old man!". Actually, her perception of WVU is closer to the truth than my perception of William and Mary. In reality, I am sure the experiences are similar, just on a different scale.I don't think any couches will be burning this football season. It's just not going to happen. The Mountaineers are a good team. They are going to have good record. But the awful truth is that the Mountaineers are in no position for glory this year. I watched the last two games. WVU beat UNLV 49 to 10, which they should have. WVU beat South Florida 20-6, which they should have. Yes, I know South Florida has beaten WVU in the recent years. But they just do not have the offensive weapons that they had before. They are in a transitional year. No one is burning a couch after those wins. And look at the rest of our schedule: Syracuse, Connecticut, Cincinnati, Louisville, Pittsburgh, and Rutgers. Not a ranked team among them. The only two that have winning records are Syracuse and Rutgers, both at 4-2.
Yeah, it's ugly. The Big East is so weak this year that it is dragging WVU down like an anchor. There is one sad truth about the 2010 football season for West Virginia. The Mountaineers entire season is being defined by their one loss to LSU. And thank God LSU is winning. They are currently ranked 9th in the BCS. WVU is currently ranked 20th. Where as the Big East is the anchor that drags us down, LSU is the buoy that keeps us afloat. When WVU and LSU played, it was a close game. And LSU's high ranking is the only thing right now that gives WVU any credibility. The Mountaineers would be riding high if they had won that one. But hindsight is 20/20.
The Mountaineers can not afford to stumble on any of the remaining games. And Cincinnati makes me nervous. I feel that they are the most dangerous team left on WVU's schedule. At least it's a home game. Pitt is not a guaranteed win either. The game is in Pittsburgh, and our arch rival will be fired up to play us. They will want to send Wannstedt out with a bang. I think he is done at Pitt. And he should be.
WVU needs to win the Big East, which they should. The Big East Championship would send them to a BCS bowl game, where they will face stiff competition. If they can dominate through the rest of this schedule, it will be a fun New Years. But we still wont burn a couch. We need to turn to another team for that this year. Give me a reason Huggy Bear!
