Jock-ularity, jocularity, jocularity

WVU may be one of the final programs to begin spring practice, but WR Jock Sanders was in mid-season form when meeting with the media.


You gotta love it when Noel Devine pops in for a little love during the interview, and Sanders is really into the Batman and Superman reference. How long until HC Bill Stewart Tweets about this?

PS: If you don't get the headline then you're not a M*A*S*H fan.

Big Ten playing the big bully

There is no way the 'Eye would be happy if Tony Barnhart's outlandish speculation comes true. I'm in no position to question Barnhart's sources or his own instincts when it comes to seeing into the Big Ten's future.

The scribe is one of the best college football guys around.

But does it make sense for the Big Ten to make the leap from 11 to 16 teams? Barnhart seems to think so. It would play well into B10 commish Jim Delany's ego as it has been rumored that this is his way to put a final stamp on his legacy.

Of course Barnhart's fact/fiction has the B10 raiding the Big East of Pittsburgh, Syracuse, Connecticut and Rutgers. The fifth and final addition would potentially be Notre Dame. This would all but doom the football sect of the Big East, and relegate West Virginia, Louisville, Cincinnati and South Florida will either be left for dead or hope the ACC or SEC scoops them up in an effort to not fall too far behind Delany's dream conference.

More realistically, the four remaining Big East teams would find a home in lesser conferences or try their best to salvage what's left by seeking new members from Conference USA and elsewhere. But maintaining BCS status will not happen.

The SEC doesn't need to overreact, but instead of taking what's left of the Big East it could look at adding Miami, Florida State, Clemson or even Texas.

All of this seems a little crazy, but remember what WVU's Bill Stewart said not too long ago, and Tony Barnhart wouldn't just throw out this crazy plan without some solid information. Right?

Stewart sings 'Country Roads'

Does anyone think Bob Huggins would act like this if West Virginia's football team was playing for a BCS Championship?

Fortunately for Huggy Bear his singing voice is safe as long as Bill Stewart is the head man at WVU. I know fans adore him for his down-home appeal and his unfettered love of the state. But was it necessary to head downtown and sing John Denver's "Country Roads?"

Stewart was performing mainly for locals as most of the students were off campus for spring break (HT: ESDSBS). That was good news for the Morgantown Fire Department as couch burning was kept to a minimum.

But is this really what the second highest paid person at WVU should be doing on a Saturday night. Guess I'd like him to concentrate on WVU's special teams a little more?

Way to bury the lead

Anyone who has ever watched WTAP-TV, a small NBC affiliate in Parkersburg, W.Va., understands that the reporters are green, overworked and underpaid. But if you get an exclusive interview with the head football coach from the state's flagship university do us all a favor -- don't bury the lead.

In a more than 11-minute interview with WVU's Bill Stewart, the TV head waits until the 7:13 mark to ask the big question -- his thoughts on Big Ten expansion. Stewart's response is somewhat surprising. He thinks the Big East is kaput. Here's what he said:

“It’s exciting, it’s disheartening as well. Exciting because the ACC, the SEC, the Big Ten and the Big 12 and Pac-10 — the ones out West won’t impact us but the Big Ten could. They’ll pick a couple of our teams. The SEC and ACC will also do the same. I don’t know where we’re going to land. We could land maybe in three conferences, in the ACC, SEC maybe Big Ten. But right now we’re still Big East and we need to keep that focus. That’s the disheartening thing because when you break up the Big East contingency like we have, we have a lot of fun, a lot of rivals. I hate to see that end, but there is exciting times on the horizon with those new conferences. We’ll be in one of them — which one I don’t know. But that’s down the road a couple years I believe.”

What?

Look I've been saying all along that the super conference model is coming, but Stewart is talking crazy again.

If the Big Ten decides to stop at one school, let's say Notre Dame, then the Big East goes unscathed and commissioner John Marinatto can finally man up and start talking about BE growth.

Now I don't want to totally discount Stewart here. He may just know more than anyone else is letting on and he's just being honest. There are reports the Big Ten presidents and ADs are meeting to discuss growing by three to five. If that happens it will transform the college football landscape and make Stewart look a bit prophetic.

But where WVU lands, if this happens, will be interesting. The ACC is the better geographic fit, but the Mountaineers aren't a good academic fit. West Virginia is actually a great fit for the SEC. That would be interesting.

Hopefully the next time WTAP gets a scoop it should lead with it.

Bowl Preview: Konica Minolta Gator Bowl

Konica Minolta Gator Bowl
Municipal Stadium, Jacksonville, Fla.
West Virginia vs. Florida State
Date: Jan. 1
Time: 1 p.m.
TV: CBS
Line: West Virginia -2.5

About West Virginia (9-3): The Mountaineers of the sweater-vested and slightly confused Bill Stewart have been very close to being very good. They've also been very close to being very bad. Which I guess puts them about where they should be.

Intangibles:
Coach not retiring: -2
Chick as mountaineer: +2
Pat Lazear rap sheet: (redacted)

About Florida State (6-6): Bobby Bowwden is retiring (sniff, sniff) - about eight years too late of course. The 'Noles finally put together a somewhat effective offense this year and the pass defense sucked. geesh. Of course, FSU has no business being in this game but due to St. Bobby's "retirement" road show, they get a New Year's Day Bowl.

Intangibles:
Terry Bowden: -1
Tommy Bowden: -2
Jeff Bowden: -3
Dadgum: -1

Impact player: Noel Devine. This midget needs to get the ball more. Gotta feed the kids, ya know?

Bowl slogan: "We'll fill the seats no matter how ridiculous it may seem."

Little known fact: Chris Rix no longer plays for Florida State. I miss those days.

Watchability (1-5): 2.8

The pick: Florida State 28, West Virginia 24

You can relax now

With Urban Meyer's change of heart today that he'll just take a leave of absence as head man at UF, there are fans at many other places who are much more at ease today than just the Gator Nation.

These are the programs who can breathe a sigh of relief that their coach won't be shopping for a new home in Gainesville.

1. Dan Mullen, Mississippi State. Mullen may have only went 5-7 in his first year in Starkville, but he's Meyer bred, has a great offensive mind and could complete a near seamless transition. The Bulldogs can relax for now that Mullen will be back in 2010.

2. Kyle Whittingham, Utah. This would likely be Meyer's choice to replace him, but AD Jeremy Foley knows this is his call. Still, Whittingham would be a great pick and he's proven he can beat Alabama.

3. Bobby Petrino, Arkansas. This just feels like a horrible fit, but Petrino can flat out coach. He's slimy and no one can trust him (just ask the fans at Louisville). Just imagine what he could do with the talent in Gainesville. It's kind of scary.

4. Bob Stoops, Oklahoma. I don't really think he'd leave Norman for this job, but he'd have to give it some serious consideration. Sooner fans just have to get tired of hearing his name come up so often. The funny thing about this one is some ESPN talking head (I think it was Dr. Lou Holtz) who said they should consider his brother Mike at Arizona. That could possibly be the worst suggestion ever (surprised he didn't suggest Skip Holtz from East Carolina).

5. Jim Harbaugh, Stanford. I still think he's waiting to take over at Michigan after next year, but it would be hard for someone as competitive as Harbaugh to not consider going to Florida. Stanford fans want to remind everyone that Harbaugh just signed an extension, but what does that really mean today? The Gators would love this guy's moxie.

6. Kevin Sumlin, Houston. If this had happened there would have been a lot of surprised Florida fans. But Sumlin is well respected and many think he'll get a big-time job in the next year or two. His offensive mind may be better than Meyer's and Mullen's. Houston knows it can't keep Sumlin forever.

7. Chris Petersen, Boise State. Rumor is Petersen is not looking to upgrade from his gig in Idaho, but could he really turn down a choice job like UF? I think not. If you can win the way he has in Boise imagine what he'd do with the talent you can attract in Florida? However, Boise fans can relax because Petersen loves right where he is.

8. Gary Patterson, TCU. Both the 'Eye and the 'Eer are big Patterson fans, so we think this would have been one of the top three options for Foley. The Horned Frogs have been highly competitive during Patterson's tenure, and they play some of the best defense in the nation. He'd also be a great fit in the SEC.

9. Charlie Strong, Louisville. There's probably no one more pleased to hear Meyer will probably be back for 2010. Strong, who has taken the Louisville job, has remained in Gainesville to coach the defense in the Sugar Bowl. If not for the new job, Strong could have been a legitimate inside candidate. Now Strong doesn't have to consider reneging on Louisville.

10. Bill Stewart, West Virginia. I can dream right? He would give the Gators a chance to see what it would be like to have Bobby Bowden coach at UF. Stewart would also coach the superbly talented Gators to a second- or third-place finish and confuse the fans with random, unintelligible post-game comments.

Thank you Tyler Bitancurt

Bill Stewart better give PK Tyler Bitancurt a big hug. If he doesn't I will.

Bitancurt's 43-yard FG with no time remaining gave West Virginia a 19-16 upset victory over Pitt in the 102nd annual Backyard Brawl in Morgantown.

Once Stewart is done showing his affection for his kicker he should then go around and thank his defensive unit and DC Jeff Casteel. That was easily the WVU defense's best performance of 2009. They actually made Pitt QB Bill Stull look like the incompetent player of 2007 and 2008.

This win doesn't erase the bad taste of losing to Pitt in 2007 because the Panthers can still win the Big East and go to the BCS. But it does give the Mountaineers a chance to finish second in the conference with a win over Rutgers next week and a Pitt loss to Cincinnati.

Hello Gator Bowl.

But more importantly it is finally a signature victory for Stewart since he had the interim tag removed following an emotional win over Oklahoma in the 2008 Fiesta Bowl.

Are you kidding me?

Is this someone's twisted sense of humor or does someone really love WVU's Bill Stewart this much? Who cares. Just sit back and enjoy the wonderful tunes of Hall & Oates.

WVU fans hope so

If Bill Stewart says the Mountaineers are Jarrett Brown's team I guess we have to take him at his word. God, I hope so.

WVU depth chart 2009

We try to talk about anything and everything related to College Football. However, once in awhile I like to stick with our basics -- Ohio State and WVU. So here's the Mountaineers depth charge following spring practice.

Interesting to note that the two highly touted freshman receivers--Tavon Austin and Logan Heastie--are both listed at No. 2, while Bradley Sparks, who didn't throw a pass all spring, is listed as the back-up at QB. Don't forget, Sparks played receiver all last season.

WVU 2009 Depth Chart
Offense WR (X): Alric Arnett (r-Sr.), Logan Heastie (Fr.), Ryan Nehlen (R-Fr.)
SL (H): Wes Lyons (Sr), Carmen Connolly (Sr.), Jack Crow (r-Sr.), Deon Long (Fr.), Steadman Bailey (Fr.)
TE: Tyler Urban (So.), Will Johnson (Jr.), Scott Loving (r-Sr.)
LT: Don Barclay (r-So.), Matt Timmerman (r-Jr.), Levi Pardee (r-Fr.), Cole Bowers (Fr.)
LG: Josh Jenkins (So.), Chad Snodgrass (r-So.), Nick Kindler (Fr.)
C: Eric Jobe (r-Jr.), Joe Madsen (r-Fr.), Joe Rhein (r-So.), Jordan Weingart (Fr.)
RG: Jeff Braun (r-Fr.), John Bassler (r-Fr.), Ryan Spiker (Fr.)
RT: Selvish Capers (r-Sr.), Jon Walko (r-Sr.), Pat Eger (Fr.)
SL (S): Carmen Connolly (Sr.), Tavon Austin (Fr.)
WR (Z): Bradley Starks (r-So.), J.D. Woods (r-Fr.)
QB: Jarrett Brown (r-Sr.), Bradley Starks (r-So.), Coley White (r-Fr.), Ian Loy (r-Fr.), Eugene Smith (Fr.)
RB: Noel Devine (Jr.), Mark Rodgers (So.), Jordan Roberts (r-Fr.), Mike Poitier (r-Sr.), Daquan Hargett (Fr.), Shawne Alston (Fr.)
FB/TE: Ryan Clarke (r-Fr.), Rickey Kovatch (So.), Max Anderson (Sr.), Chris Snook (Fr.)

Defense
DT: Scooter Berry (r-Jr.), Chris Neild (r-Jr.), Larry Ford (Jr.), Jorge Wright (r-Fr.)
NT: Chris Neild (r-Jr.), Josh Taylor (r-So.), D.J. Shaw (Sr.)
DE: Julian Miller (r-So.), Larry Ford (Jr.), J.B. Lageman (r-Fr.)
SLB: Pat Lazear (Jr.), Zac Cooper (r-Sr.)
MLB: Reed Williams (r-Sr.), Anthony Leonard (r-Jr.)
WLB: J.T. Thomas (r-Jr.), Ovid Goulbourne (r-Sr.), Najee Goode (r-So.)
LCB: Brandon Hogan (Jr.), Kent Richardson (r-Sr.), Brantwon Bowser (r-So.), Lawrence Smith (r-Fr.), Pat Miller (Fr.)
SS: Sidney Glover (Jr.), Nate Sowers (r-Sr.), Trippe Hale (r-Jr.), Robert Sands (So.), Eain Smith (r-So.)
BS: Franchot Allen (Sr.), Nate Sowers (r-Sr.), Courtney Stuart (r-Jr.)
RCB: Keith Tandy (r-So.), Eddie Davis (r-Jr.), Guesly Dervil (Sr.), Brodrick Jenkins (Fr.), Benji Powers (r-So.)

Special Teams
PK: Tyler Bitancurt (r-Fr.), Josh Lider (Sr.), Cameron Starke (Fr.)
P: Scott Kozlowski (r-Sr.), Greg Pugnetti (r-Jr.)
KO: Scott Kozlowski (r-Sr.)
LSN: Cody Nutter (r-So.), Jeremy Kash (r-Jr.)
H: Jeremy Kash (r-Jr.), Carmen Connolly (Sr.)
KR: Brandon Hogan (Jr.), Eddie Davis (r-Jr.), Tavon Austin (Fr.)
PR: Brandon Hogan (Jr.), Eddie Davis (r-Jr.), Tavon Austin (Fr.)

Enough about Twitter

Jim Tressel is old school. He doesn't Twitter. Doesn't seem to know too much about it. I don't see him Tweeting soon. I think Tress will be just fine without joining the other coaches (Pete Carroll, RichRod, Bill Stewart, Tim Brewster and so on) who are Twittering. Wait. Shouldn't OSU Football SID Shelly Poe be doing this for him?

Interesting and Entertaining

Out scanning the blogosphere for interesting and entertaining stories that might interest our vast readership. May take me a little time since I'm also watching Lost. Here it goes.

Adda boy: Former Ohio State receiver Brian Hartline appears to be having LOTS of fun as he awaits the NFL Draft later this month. Many of you may find this appalling. I say let 'em enjoy college.

Second chances: Three former Iowa football players who left Kirk Ferentz and the Hawkeyes at semester have all resurfaced.

Bad news: Spring practice at South Florida took down another player as talented receiver Jesse Hester will probably be out until fall after injuring his ankle.

April Fools: The guys over at SmokingMusket.com have come to a conclusion about WVU coach Bill Stewart.

Mountaineer Maniacs: Speaking of WVU's Stewart, the coach gave a few hundred fans a special treat at a recent spring practice.

WAC on ESPN: The Western Athletic Conference has announced an 11-game schedule on ESPN and ESPN2.

Good move: With the East-West Shrine Game moving to Orlando in 2010, the Orlando Sentinel touts the positives of this change.

Will anybody be sober?

LSU's Tiger Stadium at night? You have got to be kidding me.

Well, in the fall of 2010 West Virginia will trek down south to face LSU in a night game. To quote the kids, "This is going to totally off the hook." (They still say that right?)

Picture this: About 80,000 totally blitzed cajun inbreds co-mingling with 15,000 liquored-up hillbillies. Sweet!!! ESPN will need a permanent crowd-cam, and Erin Andrews will think Rey Maualuga's sneak attack was consensual.

This is an outstanding non-conference match up. WVU is proving that its not afraid to play anyone anywhere. With Colorado and Auburn on the schedule in 2009, Michigan State in 2010-11 and Florida State in 2012-13. Of course the Mountaineers are saddled with playing in-state stepchild Marshall for what seems like an eternity.

LSU and Les Miles have also proven that they will take on all challengers also, unlike many others in the SEC who fear leaving the warm weather and comfort of the South. The Tigers face Washington this season and again in 2012.

Would have loved this game more during the Pat White/Steve Slaton era when the Mountaineers owned the SEC. But if HC Bill Stewart can get out of his own way WVU could continue its dominance over the nation's best conference.

I can't wait for this game. Maybe we should start celebrating now.

Let the cheating begin

According to a report on ESPN.com, former Auburn football coach Terry Bowden will return to the sidelines in 2009 at Division II North Alabama.

You thought Terry cheated at Auburn. Think what he'll do at a D-2 school. He'll take all those sneaky, back-handed lessons he learned from his papa and elevate his cheating to a whole new scale.

He won't be at North Alabama long enough to face the NCAA probe and future punishment. This is just an audition for Terry, who hopes to land a bigger, more profile D-1 job. He hopes to get the West Virginia gig if Bill Stewart steps down or is forced out. But don't count on that one (unless Gov. Manchin steps in again).

Bowden, 52, has an impressive resume. He arrives in Florence, Ala., with a 111-53-2 record. He should do well at North Alabama. The Lions went 12-2 last season and advanced to the semifinals of the D-2 playoffs.

With a few "minor" violations, Bowden can certainly get them to the title game.

WTF Bill Stewart

Really. I have no clue what his message is here. West Virginia can lubricate the entire world? Why would you want to? Are we talking world domination?

Guess I'm just tired of his pandering to the people of the great state of West Virginia in hopes it covers up his inadequacies as a football coach.

Post Turkey Day Live Blogging! Backyard Brawl

It doesn't happen. Pat White's last attempt sails out of the end zone. Pitt knocks off the 'Eers again. Not a good loss for WVU which had way too many key penalties, couldn't stop the run and had one huge turnover. How's that hire looking now, Governor? Just bass-ackwards. in the last two years, WVU has scored 24 points against their rival.

McCoy has thumped it down to the 1 and go-ahead TD for Pitt. A huge WVU facemask penalty not only cost them a FG attempt instead of a TD, but cost them about two minutes on the clock. Two-point conversions fails. 19-15 Pitt. Now WVU needs to score a TD in :52 with no timeouts.

A big holding penalty forces WVU to punt. Now McCoy is taking over and has the ball into WVU territory. Wow, great run by McCoy to convert another first down. McCoy does such an amazing job setting up his blockers and tacklers.

(On CBS, Arkansas is already up 14-3 on LSU. A year after a national title is the pressure already on Les Miles?)

Okay, got caught up in the Kiffin/UT news. Anyway - WVU gets the ball back and on a third and 10 in their own end makes the bizarre decision to throw the ball. For pete's sake, run a draw or a screen and punt. Instead, the ball is picked off. Pitt gets a short field and scores. Pitt decides to go for two, gets penalized and STILL decides to go for two for the 10 yard line. They fail miserable. 15-13 Pitt with 8 minutes left.

Both teams trade horrible interceptions, WVU gets the benefit of a poor pass interference call and turns it into three points. 15-7 WVU. Pitt has decided, for some reason, to give up on the run and lose this game with QB Bill Stull. Anyone remember LaSean McCoy???

Fourth and short, good play call and a bad pass give WVU the ball back.

The 'Eers are really going to miss Pat White. what a run. 12-7 WVU ahead after a botched extra point.

Nice drive by WVU, but ends in a FG after a dropped TD pass. WVU looking much more confident though.

Boy, LeSean McCoy is really, really good. More questionable play calling though as WVU picks off a pass on an unexplainable decision to throw a fade route in the end zone. Huge break for WVU. 7-3 at half.

WVU's defense adjust and forces a nice turnover and drives inside the Pitt 10, but a weird playcall on third down costs a TD. I don't mind the play as the backup QB came in, handed the ball off to Pat White in motion. White lobbed into the end zone for 6-8 Wes Lyons, I just didn't understand running it to the short side where White has little room to maneuver and inside the 5, where Lyons runs out of space in the back of the end zone. Anyway, 7-3.

Another impressive drive for the Panthers ends poorly after a holding penalty forces them into a field goal which misses badly. Still, WVU can't be enthused about the way their defense is playing right now.

Pitt looked strong on the first drive. Pretty sure WVU was not prepared for the downfield passing game. 7-0 Pitt and WVU has punted after hurting themselves with key penalties.

I thought about blogging last night's Texas-Texas A&M game, but I'm not sure A&M could be in the Texas high school playoffs. Best stat from last night: A&M has forced 12 three and outs - ALL YEAR. That's awful. Anyone remember the Wrecking Crew?

So, instead since I'm off work, I'll do the WVU-Pitt matchup.

The real black out

It's a simple philosophy. Hire the best person for the job. Race, gender, religion, etc. None of it matters. It's something I've always tried to do throughout my professional career.

So when The Black Coaches and Administrators released its Minority Hiring Report Card this week I expected it to say major-college football programs need to do a better job of interviewing and hiring minorities. The BCA even stated it would retain an attorney to provide free consultations for job candidates.

The Report also grades the college football programs on their hiring over the past year. One university none too pleased with its grade is West Virginia. Jennifer McIntosh, while speaking with Chuck Finder from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette took offense to the BCA giving WVU a failing grade.

"We do care here at WVU," said McIntosh, director of the Office of Social Justice. "This is very important. This isn't just publicity. This is how we genuinely feel. It's very painful because I work so hard to do what I do. You think I'd still be here if we weren't committed to this stuff? We have [athletic] coaches of diverse backgrounds. We have women in head athletic positions. I take strong objections to an F."

Hey Jen, you hired an old white guy who had a 9-25 record (.265 winning percentage) at 3 a.m. after an emotional Fiesta Bowl victory. No one even really interviewed Bill Stewart. Instead, the WVU administration kept saying that this was an on-the-job interview and they huddled in a hotel room and consummated the deal. The rest of the potential coaches were not too diverse either.

There were about five finalists for the position vacated by Rich Rodriguez, who left for Michigan. The only African-American candidate I can remember is Illinois offensive coordinator Mike Locksley, who a lot of fans were excited about. But he never received a legitimate shot at the job.

Other finalists who did receive serious consideration were all white. They were Florida assistant Doc Holliday (who is now on the WVU staff), former Auburn coach Terry Bowden, Central Michigan's Butch Jones and Florida State assistant head coach Rick Trickett, an assistant at WVU under Rodriguez. Clearly, all four of these men are more qualified than Stewart.

West Virginia's grade breakdown looks like this: A in search brevity, B in communicating with the BCA and others about minority prospects, C in candidate pool and F's for search committee without minority representation and for affirmative-action observance.

In Finder's article, Dr. C. Keith Harrison, the author and principal investigator in the report who is the director of the Paul Robeson Research Center for Academic and Athletic Prowess, said: "They got an F. They didn't follow the process. It's not real complicated."

Good point. But WVU officials still don't get it.

"Athletics is committed to providing employment opportunities to minorities and women," said outgoing AD Ed Pastilong in a statement.

Words don't excuse actions. It's time to face it. Stewart was the wrong hire for many reasons. No matter his skin color.

Observations from Saturday's Games (Nov. 8)

Sitting here watching Texas Tech-Oklahoma State I am gaining more respect for Graham Harrell with each completed pass. Also pissed that I don't have ESPNU and the Mountaineers are losing 20-7 at half to Cincinnati.

So with that in mind, here are my thoughts from Saturday's games (so far):

1. I got it now. WVU should fire its special teams coach. What's his name again? Stewart? The Mountaineers have the worst kickoff coverage in the nation and how did they open Saturday's game? They allowed a 100-yard return for a score. Great job.

2. Worse than I thought. Tennessee has been bad this season, but nothing like Saturday's 13-7 loss to a bad Wyoming team. That's right, the Cowboys who entered Neyland Stadium with a 1-5 record in the powerhouse conference Mountain West. Let's hear that SEC chant now.

3. Rose Bowl still in site. Of course Penn State is bummed after losing 24-23 at Iowa, but the Nittany Lions need to remember that a Big 10 title is still there to get as well as a much deserved shot at the Rose Bowl. This also allows the rest of us to avoid any guilt of being happy when an undefeated Penn State team is left out of the championship game. Thanks Iowa.

4. A little luck. That's what it takes to win a national title. I can't think of a team that won it all that didn't get a little somewhere along the way. Alabama didn't play its best at LSU, but an overtime win in that hostile environment is a good victory. I still think the Tide will fall in the SEC Championship, but Nick Saban is working miracles and is at least a year ahead of schedule.

5. Wake-up call. All week Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez was getting whipped by the media. He was short and pissy in press conferences. It was rumored the players and UM officials were growing tired of his selfish acts. So what team was that at Minnesota today? The Wolverines were playing great defense, appeared to be having fun and rolled to an easy 29-6 victory. Still don't like the man, but if they give him time Michigan will be unbeatable in a few years.

6. OAC supremacy. Talked about this earlier in the week, so for anyone who cares Mount Union took care of business and easily defeated Otterbein 49-20 in a great match-up of ranked Division III teams in Ohio. The Purple Raiders scored early and often and remain the No. 1 team in the nation and will win its 20th Ohio Athletic Conference championship. Each team has one regular season game remaining and both should advance to the playoffs in two weeks.

7. What are you waiting for Syracuse? It's time to join the other struggling Division I programs in your search for a new coach. You can let Greg Robinson finish out the year, but we all know he's done. End the Robinson experiment and give yourself a shot at a decent coach.

8. Love that 'Stache. Really? Pitt is bowl eligible? It's about time. For three years all we have heard is how great Dave Wannstache's recruiting classes have been. Not until the Panthers' 41-7 thrashing of Louisville Saturday had Pitt been eligible for a bowl. Now my concern is Pitt could actually become dominant in the Big East. Nah! The 'Stache will always blow a couple games a year.

9. ACC confusion. It was an interesting day in the ACC, but what's even more intriguing is that we're still not sure who'll be playing in the title game. I like Wake Forest (Atlantic Division) and North Carolina (Coastal Division) now, but don't count out Florida State (Atlantic) and Virginia Tech and Miami in the Coastal.

10. The worst. I don't want to pick on Washington State, but the Cougars are by far the worst team in a BCS conference (and possibly the worst Division I team). Wazzu allowed 531 yards of offense against a good Arizona team as the Wildcats rolled 59-28. The Cougars played one of their better games this season, but still became the first Pac-10 team to give up 500 points in a season. Even worse news, they still have three more games to play.

WVU lovefest again

West Virginia fans are too fickle for me. One good half against Auburn and a convincing 34-17 victory at home will do that. But is it justified?

Simply put, no. WVU may be clicking and could be the team to beat in the Big East, but that's what everyone was saying at the beginning of the season. Let's not forget how poorly the Mountaineers played in the first six games of the year. Sloppy against Villanova. Dominated by East Carolina (which isn't that impressive now). Poor decision making in a loss at Colorado. Tough wins against inferior competition (Rutgers and Syracuse).

Where the Mountaineers are headed over the final six games of the Pat White era will become a little clearer after WVU plays at UConn Saturday. If Bill Stewart can stay out of the way and West Virginia takes care of business then the rest of the season could be interesting. Don't think for a second that UConn isn't ready for this game. Just look back a year ago and you'll remember that the Huskies were whipped on a frosty afternoon in Morgantown 66-21. At the time, WVU looked like they were a lock for the BCS championship. Then came the Pitt game and the rest is history.

But if the Mountaineers pick up a good win on the road and all of sudden WVU becomes that team that no one wants to play because of the White-Noel Devine-Jock Saunders trio. And the Mountaineers are in the driver's seat with a 2-0 mark in the Big East and their destiny in their own hands. Stewart should be able to come up with horrible, cliche-ridden quotes over the next few weeks to describe the WVU situation.

My fear is the real WVU was what we saw the first six weeks, and maybe Auburn is just a bad team playing in a good conference. So what does that really say about WVU?

Not so instant analysis

When my team plays I don't blog. I'm watching (complaining or cheering). My fellow blogger, 'Eye, has so wisely pointed out that West Virginia wasn't supposed to run all over a mighty SEC team like Auburn. But the Mountaineers did. And they've been doing it for years now.

Pat White and Noel Devine were dominating and almost unstoppable, Dorrell Jalloh is still spinning away for Tiger defenders and doing a little dance to celebrate.

Finally, that was the offense that all WVU fans have been expecting this season under first-year coordinator Jeff Mullen. I still question a few calls, but that's to be expected (still not sure that fourth-quarter misdirection play with Jock Saunders was real bright).

What has been the most impressive part of the Mountaineers up-and-down season has been the defense. This was supposed to be the weak link. Coordinator Jeff Casteel has done an outstanding job with this group. Sure, they play a little too much of the bend but don't break approach, but they dominated Auburn in the second half (I know Auburn's offense is horrible).

Still an impressive come-from-behind win on national TV that could give WVU the confidence it needs as it gets ready for the heart of its Big East slate. It's a much better position than Auburn right now, who is spiraling out of control and could finish with a losing record.