BCS Rankings 2010: Breaking Down the West Virginia Mountaineers
It's highly unlikely West Virginia's players and coaches sat around all day concerned about where the Mountaineers would rank in the first BCS Rankings 2010.
But it's still a big day, and WVU's players (and probably a few coaches) still watched the announcement on ESPN Sunday night.
What does it mean today? Not much. The Mountaineers shouldn't be worrying about BCS Rankings too much, since they would need a avalanche of changes to even allow WVU to get into the championship game discussion.
How They Got To This Point
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West Virginia opened the season ranked 24th in the USA Today Coaches' Poll and was considered the No. 2 or No. 3 team in the Big East by most experts.
After a 3-0 start and a No. 21 ranking, the Mountaineers slipped out of the Top 25 following a close, hard-fought 20-13 loss at LSU.
Since that loss, the Mountaineers cruised past an undermanned UNLV 49-10 and fought off a scrappy South Florida 20-6. Now West Virginia is enjoying its highest ranking at No. 19.
Best Win
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It shouldn't be considered a great win, but when the Mountaineers rallied from a 21-6 deficit in the fourth quarter to pull out a 24-21 victory in overtime, coach Bill Stewart avoided the most embarrassing loss in school history.
QB Geno Smith led WVU to two scoring drives of more than 90 yards and connected with Jock Sanders on a two-point conversion to even force OT.
Once the season is complete, this game should rank a lot lower.
BCS Ranking
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The Mountaineers totaled .181 points in the BCS Rankings, putting them at No. 20, one spot ahead of South Carolina with .1555 points, and one spot behind a two-loss Texas with .2214.
West Virginia is the lone Big East team in the rankings and worked its way back into the polls following a victory over UNLV last week and improved to 5-1 following a 20-6 victory over South Florida Thursday night.
WVU's strength of schedule isn't going help the Mountaineers climb the rankings quickly, but if they go 11-1, it will help the Big East gain a modicum of respect.
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Too High or Too Low?
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When you consider where the Mountaineers rank in the coaches’ poll and the Harris poll (19th in both), which are both part of the BCS formula, the ranking is about what you'd expect.
Even when you consider WVU's preseason predictions, it would be hard to argue that anyone in Morgantown can be upset where the Mountaineers are sitting today.
Remaining Schedule
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Oct. 23, Syracuse at WVU
Oct. 29, WVU at Connecticut
Nov. 13, Cincinnati at WVU
Nov. 20, WVU at Louisville
Nov. 26, WVU at Pittsburgh
Dec. 4, Rutgers at WVU
Potential Pitfall
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The Big East may be the laughingstock of the BCS conferences this season, but the Mountaineers have two tough road contests that could prove costly.
First is an Oct. 29 showdown at Connecticut. The Huskies are 3-3 and have not lived up to the high expectations of being a Big East front runner. However, the Huskies have been gunning to beat WVU since it joined the conference. Pulling the upset would be huge.
The other pitfall is Pitt. Dave Wannstedt's team has ruined the Mountaineers' season before, and playing at Heinz Field the day after Thanksgiving is sure to be another hard-fought game.
Intangibles
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West Virginia has the strongest defensive unit in the Big East, and the Mountaineers can ride that unit to a conference title. WVU's 3-3-5 stack is tough to prepare for, even for programs that see it every year.
QB Geno Smith has also proven to be a leader on offense, and he's a cool customer. He's also one of the nation's most accurate throwers.
It may even be time to lighten up on coach Bill Stewart and offensive coordinator Jeff Mullen—two guys who have taken a lot of heat from fans.
Analysis
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WVU hasn't won a Big East crown since 2007, but everything is lining up just right for Bill Stewart to finally win a championship as head coach.
The BCS rankings really aren't that important to the Mountaineers. No Big East team is going to play for a national championship. All West Virginia cares about is winning the Big East and representing the conference in a BCS bowl game.
There are still some challenges on the schedule, but West Virginia should be 11-1 at the end of the season.
Bowl Projection
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The Mountaineers will face the ACC champion in the Orange Bowl. It may not sound like a great TV game, but WVU fans travel to bowl games...especially ones in warm climates.
Miami in January sounds pretty good.
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