By Bill Nestor
The countdown has officially begun for diehard West Virginia University football fans. There are just seven weeks until old nemesis Penn State rolls into town to get the season underway.
Last season was a successful season for the Mountaineers and Head Coach Neal Brown. It was a pivotal year for Brown because of the pressure from all sides to produce a winner. After a one and two start, WVU went eight and two the rest of the way, including a 30 to 10 win over the University of North Carolina in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl. The Mountaineers won four of their last five and momentum was with Brown and Company heading into the off-season
Mountaineer Nation had to show a great deal of patience through the winter, spring, and summer. During that wait, there were a few distractions to draw interest. These include a roller coaster ride that was the men’s basketball season, Mark Kellogg’s impressive first year run at the helm of the women’s basketball program, the record-setting baseball season in Randy Mazey’s last year as the head coach, and the pursuit and hiring of Darian DeVries (we will talk more about him in the weeks to come) as the new leader of the men’s basketball team.
The Gold and Blue Spring Game has been the highlight since that 20 point drubbing of the Tar Heels, but that was way back on April 27. Sure, it was a nice touch to bring back Pat White and Pat McAfee as coaches, but fans are in need of a football fix to get them to Aug 31.
This past week they received their present, and once again it wasn’t what they were looking for. The Big 12 Football Preseason Poll came out last Tuesday and the Mountaineers were in the middle of the pack. A year ago, West Virginia was picked 14, which didn’t do Brown any favors around the Mountain State heading into the campaign.
Brown used the less than lofty preseason ranking as a motivational tool and it galvanized his squad.
Similar to kids on Christmas Day, Mountaineer fans eagerly await the moment where they discover what they are going to get. WVU fans were even more excited this year because of the departure of Oklahoma and Texas. The big bad Sooners and Longhorns have long been national powers and are always at the top of every list. With them out of the picture, a loftier ranking would surely be in store.
The Eagles warned us about the new kids in town in 1976 and in 2024 it’s Utah in its first year in the Big 12 that has been chosen as the top dog. Kansas State is second, followed by Oklahoma State, Kansas, and fellow newcomer Arizona is fifth. Iowa State comes in at sixth, West Virginia made the list at seven, followed by the University of Central Florida, Texas Tech, and Texas Christian University to round out the top 10.
The remainder of the rankings are as follows 11) Colorado 12) Baylor 13) Brigham Young University 14) Cincinnati 15) Houston and 16) Arizona State.
Utah received 906 points compared to WVU’s total of 581. That is a substantial gap that won’t set well with those around the program. It’s not only the numerical ranking that counts, but also the perception of the closeness of the quality of the programs and where they currently stand. Brown will tell everyone in the media to “take it easy” but behind closed doors the poll will once again serve as motivational material.
That will do it for now! Until next week . . . take care and God Bless!