Bill Stewart, West Virginia Mountaineers Primed to Bring Home Hardware

Bill Stewart took the West Virginia head coaching position on an interim basis following the departure of Rich Rodriguez in December of 2007.

Under the advisement of stud quarterback (and 2008 Fiesta Bowl MVP) Pat White, West Virginia hired Stewart full-time following the Mountaineers' emotional victory over Oklahoma.

The following season brought along a certain height of anticipation and wonder as to how Stewart would fare following a coach who brought the Mountaineers to the brink of a national championship appearance. 

The reviews have been mixed.

Stewart led the Mountaineers to back-to-back nine-win seasons, including a bowl victory.

For most, this would suffice as a solid two years for their program. Yet the Mountaineer faithful, following two top-10 finishes prior to Stewart's hiring, have been skeptical of Stewart's ability to coach the team to a title.

He may change that perception this season.

Coach Stewart has recruited well in his two seasons as the head man and finally has a team this season that can and will compete for a title.

With 17 returning starters on both sides of the ball and a rapidly maturing quarterback in Geno Smith, the Mountaineers are a "sexy" pick to win the Big East title and even compete for a national championship should the dominoes fall in their favor. 

Noel Devine is back to lead the Mounties on offense along with his other height-challenged lightning bolt Jock Sanders. Bradley Starks and Tavon Austin lead a young but talented receiving group that will be looking to boost its production from a year ago, and the offensive line seems much improved despite the concerns on the right side.

As for the defense, well, it's stifling.

The Mountaineers were a hard-nosed defensive team a year ago but tended to slip at times. This season the defense is foaming at the mouth at the chance to shut down opposing offenses and should be successful at doing so.

J.T. Thomas heads a strong and mean linebacking corps, and Julian Miller and Chris Neild will be forces on the defensive line, while Brandon Hogan and Robert Sands will be the shutdown guys at corner and safety.

Despite all the talent that WVU brings back this upcoming season, many have predicted the Mountaineers will finish second in the Big East standings behind hated rival Pittsburgh.

Others have even selected UConn to finish ahead of the Mountaineers, a team they've never beaten.

A number of publications have ranked the Mountaineers in the national top 25. The Mountaineers look to start the season ranked 24th.

The schedule bodes well for the Mountaineers to seek a 10-plus-win season. The 'Eers open up against Big South member Coastal Carolina before two rivalry games against Marshall and Maryland.

Then comes the big test.

West Virginia will travel to LSU in the final week of September, where both teams could come in ranked in the top 20 and unbeaten. Should West Virginia get by LSU, the only thing standing in their way for a perfect season would be their conference rivals—more specifically, Pittsburgh.

With many other teams in the league rebuilding or working with new staff and players, the Mountaineers-Panthers game on November 26 could be a de facto "Big East Championship Game," although many have predicted this the last two seasons without it coming to fruition.

According to Stewart, he feels a lot more comfortable this season and likes the work ethic and intensity he has seen from his team. 

Of course, he loves his team's talent too.

Many WVU players have stated that a Big East championship is not all they're working for this season; a national championship is the ultimate goal.

Although it will be difficult given WVU's preseason ranking, Stewart believes his team's talent can compete with anyone in the nation, and he might be right.

That talent will be on display this weekend as the Mountaineers step out on the field for the first time in 2010, beginning their quest for a Big East championship and, more importantly, a national title.