LSU vs. West Virginia: Are the Mountaineers BCS Bound?

We learned two things on Saturday in Morgantown, W. Va: The LSU Tigers are legitimate championship contenders and the West Virginia Mountaineers are a very a good football team.

The Tigers' defense has been absolutely dominant through the first three games of the season, but QB Geno Smith took this game as a challenge.

The WVU offense proved it was very talented, with 533 yards against one of the top dogs in the SEC.  

Les Miles' defenses are historically very tough and this year is no different. The team is absolutely loaded and there at least eight members of the defense that have a chance at the NFL.

LSU CB Tyrann Mathieu is one of the best players in the country, and he was all over the field in this one. This young playmaker is filling in nicely for first-round draft pick and now Arizona Cardinal, Patrick Peterson.

Despite his presence, WVU was able to have tremendous success through the air.

If not for a kickoff return for a touchdown, WVU would have had a good shot at tying the game, and possibly pulling ahead. All the momentum was lost after this play. Understandably so, when playing the now No.1 team in the country.

After the game, the team learned a lot about themselves.

Dana Holgorsen's offense makes it so the defense has room for error. Granted, 47 points is entirely too much, however, WVU likely will not face another team with the weapons LSU possesses. The defense showed poise in the third quarter led by Bruce Irvin, Keith Tandy and Julian Miller.

One flaw for the Mountaineers is their youth tends to show its face at inopportune times.

This was especially evident in special teams. The LSU punter had an amazing game and he consistently put the WVU offense in terrible field position.

Time after time, Smith and the offense started with the ball inside the 20, heck, inside the 10. That really makes things difficult in the underdog role.

Looking forward, WVU’s schedule is much more favorable.

With the next potential loss not coming until a Thanksgiving weekend matchup against hated rival Pittsburgh, Holgorsen's team will be heavily favored in every game for the next several weeks.

This leads me to my next point, the BCS. With one loss, the Mountaineers have a sure shot at a premier BCS bowl. This would make the first BCS bowl since the Rich Rodriquez era. 

With Smith, Tavon Austin and Stedman Bailey leading the offense, the Mountaineers can compete with anybody. Moving forward, it will be exciting to see how their chemistry improves.

One thing is for certain, the Big East needs to step its game up.

The future looks bright once again in Morgantown, and Dana Holgorsen and Geno Smith are the reason why.