WVU Football: Breaking Down the Mountaineers' 2011 Schedule

West Virginia's 2011 football schedule was recently released, and after an initial look at the slate, it's not clear what kind of season the Mountaineers will have.

WVU's first five games are all non-conference matchups. The most anticipated game of the bunch is when LSU travels to Morgantown on Sept. 24. The Mountaineers nearly pulled off an upset in a night game at LSU last season. The Tigers offense will have to play much better in 2011 to avoid an upset at Mountaineer Field.

The other four games are very winnable.

West Virginia should take care of business with "rival" Marshall on Sept. 3 and Norfolk State on Sept. 10, as both games are home contests. Dana Holgorsen, head coach in waiting, couldn't ask for two better opponents to unveil his new offensive scheme. The home fans should be excited and a 2-0 start is all but a certainty.

On Sept. 17 comes the Mountaineers first real test, as they travel to College Park for a game with Maryland—a middle-of-the-pack ACC team. However, the Terrapins are coached by former UConn coach Randy Edsall, who is well aware of WVU's tendencies. Still, Edsall hasn't had much success against West Virginia, so the Mountaineers should pull out a close road win.

Since LSU is considered an SEC favorite and one of the top BCS Championship contenders, it's hard to see how WVU pulls off this upset. The Mountaineers offense may be up to the challenge, but the defense lost some key components that could be the difference in this game.

WVU closes out its non-conference schedule with Bowling Green at home, so the Mountaineers should enter the Big East season with a 4-1 record.

While the Big East is still the joke of the BCS conferences, the league is stronger with improving Syracuse and Louisville teams. Working against the Mountaineers is the task of playing four tough Big East games on the road. OK, three. Rutgers is still down and the Scarlet Knights won't challenge WVU.

The Mountaineers will win the three home games against Connecticut (Oct. 8), Louisville (Nov. 5) and Pittsburgh (Nov. 25).

So claiming another Big East crown will be decided in three road games—at Syracuse (Oct. 22), at Cincinnati (Nov. 12) and at South Florida (Dec. 1).

Considering the major upgrade made during Skip Holtz's first season with the Bulls, the title will likely be decided in Tampa in December.

Final prediction: WVU 9-3, 5-2