Go Mountaineers!
I can officially declare that I am at peace with WVU football. My expectations, my hopes, my dreams were high this winter with the Mountaineers. They were going into their last regular season game as the number two ranked football team in the nation behind the University of Missouri. WVU was actually in a better position for the BCS national championship than Missouri because Missouri had to beat Oklahoma in their conference championship game (which Missouri ended up losing) and all we had to do was beat Pitt. Things we really looking up for WVU but things could not have gone any worse.
Pitt played its best football game of the year and WVU forgot to show up for the home game in front of a crowd of 60,000 plus sofa-burning fans. WVU lost 13-9 and any chance for the so called national championship. They were still awarded with a BCS Fiesta Bowl game on Jan 2 against Oklahoma but the shock would take several days to wear off that WV would not play in the big one. BTW if you do not already know this…I hate PITT! Okay, I feel a little better now. But that was not all the bad news for this team from Morgantown, WV.
It seemed that after all the good things their head coach, Rich Rodriguez had accomplished there was this little matter of the University of Michigan needing a new football coach and the temptation of lots a money. Rodriguez took a clandestine offer within a week of the Pitt debacle (did I mention I hate PITT?) and ran to embrace his new team leaving WVU without a head coach.
Anyway, to speed things up a little the following few weeks between RR bolting to Ann Arbor and the Fiesta Bowl there was this need to find a new head coach. While many names were bantered around very quick a new one was not hired before the game last night so the interim head coach, Bill Stewart took his opportunity and shocked the nation. How do I know this? ESPN ran a national poll before the game to see who the people believed would win and 84% voted Oklahoma would win and win big (49 states voted for the Sooners and only little WV voted for the Mountaineers). The final score...WVU 48 Oklahoma 28. David beat Goliath! There, I made a biblical reference.
Today, Bill Stewart’s interim head coach title was dropped and he is the official head coach with a great group of players returning next season. Whew, I am exhausted. What a rollercoaster ride it has been these last few weeks but with the win and Coach Stewart now at the helm I am at peace with the college football world...even though I still hate PITT.
Roger, over and out!
