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[SIZE=+2]Mountaineers can forget about national title, radio host says[/SIZE]
Jacob Messer
Daily Mail sportswriter
[SIZE=-1]Tuesday September 05, 2006[/SIZE] MORGANTOWN -- West Virginia football fans might argue otherwise, but Colin Cowherd swears he has nothing against their beloved Mountaineers.
"Those people probably think I hate their program," said Cowherd, an ESPN Radio personality whose expertise is college football. "I don't. I hate their conference. I don't hate the Mountaineers; I hate the Big East."
Why? Because the Big East Conference is weaker than Popeye without his spinach since Boston College, Miami and Virginia Tech bolted for the Atlantic Coast Conference, Cowherd would say.
Forget the fact that the Big East started the season with a 7-1 record last week. Cowherd would argue that seven wins in eight games doesn't mean much when three of them come against Division I-AA members McNeese State, Rhode Island and Eastern Kentucky and three more come against I-A cupcakes Kentucky, Marshall and North Carolina.
WVU has finished atop the Big East standings three consecutive seasons and probably will make it four in a row this year.
Put the Mountaineers in the Big Ten or the Southeastern Conference, however, and they would fare no better than "third or fourth," Cowherd said, because they don't have the overall talent or depth of the top-tier teams in those leagues.
And, yes, he knows WVU beat Georgia in the Sugar Bowl.
"That was West Virginia's biggest game in a decade," said Cowherd, who argues that the Mountaineers can beat a national power in a single-game situation but not a bunch of national powers in a four- or five-game stretch. "That was Georgia's seventh-biggest game last season. Look at the schedule. They play Auburn, Tennessee, Florida, LSU.
"A bowl game is supposed to be a reward. Georgia didn't want to play a home game against West Virginia. I don't believe it was fluke. I believe West Virginia can play with the big boys. But West Virginia was focused for that game. Georgia wasn't."
Nevertheless, Cowherd calls WVU "a legitimate top 15 program."
In fact, Cowherd predicts the Mountaineers will finish the regular season with an undefeated record but won't play for the national championship.
Instead, Cowherd thinks two one-loss teams -- Auburn, Florida, Ohio State, Notre Dame and Southern Cal are among his possibilities -- will make it to the Bowl Championship Series final over WVU.
"How am I supposed to vote WVU above one of those teams," Cowherd asked, "when I know those other teams have better players and play better teams?"
Again, don't get the wrong idea. Cowherd thinks highly of WVU Coach Rich Rodriguez ("a premier coach") and the Mountaineers, especially sophomore sensations Patrick White and Steve Slaton ("two great, great players").
But?
"They play in the Big East," Cowherd said. "When you play in the Big East, you have to schedule some big-time, out-of-conference teams to make up for it. You need to schedule at least two very meaty games. You don't have to play Ohio State and Michigan, but you need to play at least one of them."
The Mountaineers don't do that this season. Their out-of-conference schedule features Marshall, Eastern Washington, Maryland, East Carolina and Mississippi State.
"They don't play anybody," Cowherd said.
Cowherd suggests WVU use USC as a model in the future.
"USC knows the Pac-10 is weak," said Cowherd, whom Sports Illustrated named its 2005 Radio Personality of the Year. "They go out of their way to play a brutal out-of-conference schedule."
WVU, he said, needs to do the same.
And, please, don't use the excuse that schedules are made years in advance.
"That's bull crap," Cowherd said.
"There are a million teams that would love to play West Virginia. They don't have to play Eastern Washington."
Cowherd, by the way, attended Eastern Washington, the Division I-AA team that will travel to Morgantown this weekend to take on WVU.
The Eagles and Mountaineers will face off Saturday at 1 p.m. in a soldout game that won't be televised.
"Even though Eastern Washington has produced some great players and fine broadcasters, West Virginia can name the score this weekend," Cowherd said. "Don't get me wrong. I love my Eagles. But that will be a bloodbath. They may surrender in the third quarter."
[SIZE=+2]Mountaineers can forget about national title, radio host says[/SIZE]
Jacob Messer
Daily Mail sportswriter
[SIZE=-1]Tuesday September 05, 2006[/SIZE] MORGANTOWN -- West Virginia football fans might argue otherwise, but Colin Cowherd swears he has nothing against their beloved Mountaineers.
"Those people probably think I hate their program," said Cowherd, an ESPN Radio personality whose expertise is college football. "I don't. I hate their conference. I don't hate the Mountaineers; I hate the Big East."
Why? Because the Big East Conference is weaker than Popeye without his spinach since Boston College, Miami and Virginia Tech bolted for the Atlantic Coast Conference, Cowherd would say.
Forget the fact that the Big East started the season with a 7-1 record last week. Cowherd would argue that seven wins in eight games doesn't mean much when three of them come against Division I-AA members McNeese State, Rhode Island and Eastern Kentucky and three more come against I-A cupcakes Kentucky, Marshall and North Carolina.
WVU has finished atop the Big East standings three consecutive seasons and probably will make it four in a row this year.
Put the Mountaineers in the Big Ten or the Southeastern Conference, however, and they would fare no better than "third or fourth," Cowherd said, because they don't have the overall talent or depth of the top-tier teams in those leagues.
And, yes, he knows WVU beat Georgia in the Sugar Bowl.
"That was West Virginia's biggest game in a decade," said Cowherd, who argues that the Mountaineers can beat a national power in a single-game situation but not a bunch of national powers in a four- or five-game stretch. "That was Georgia's seventh-biggest game last season. Look at the schedule. They play Auburn, Tennessee, Florida, LSU.
"A bowl game is supposed to be a reward. Georgia didn't want to play a home game against West Virginia. I don't believe it was fluke. I believe West Virginia can play with the big boys. But West Virginia was focused for that game. Georgia wasn't."
Nevertheless, Cowherd calls WVU "a legitimate top 15 program."
In fact, Cowherd predicts the Mountaineers will finish the regular season with an undefeated record but won't play for the national championship.
Instead, Cowherd thinks two one-loss teams -- Auburn, Florida, Ohio State, Notre Dame and Southern Cal are among his possibilities -- will make it to the Bowl Championship Series final over WVU.
"How am I supposed to vote WVU above one of those teams," Cowherd asked, "when I know those other teams have better players and play better teams?"
Again, don't get the wrong idea. Cowherd thinks highly of WVU Coach Rich Rodriguez ("a premier coach") and the Mountaineers, especially sophomore sensations Patrick White and Steve Slaton ("two great, great players").
But?
"They play in the Big East," Cowherd said. "When you play in the Big East, you have to schedule some big-time, out-of-conference teams to make up for it. You need to schedule at least two very meaty games. You don't have to play Ohio State and Michigan, but you need to play at least one of them."
The Mountaineers don't do that this season. Their out-of-conference schedule features Marshall, Eastern Washington, Maryland, East Carolina and Mississippi State.
"They don't play anybody," Cowherd said.
Cowherd suggests WVU use USC as a model in the future.
"USC knows the Pac-10 is weak," said Cowherd, whom Sports Illustrated named its 2005 Radio Personality of the Year. "They go out of their way to play a brutal out-of-conference schedule."
WVU, he said, needs to do the same.
And, please, don't use the excuse that schedules are made years in advance.
"That's bull crap," Cowherd said.
"There are a million teams that would love to play West Virginia. They don't have to play Eastern Washington."
Cowherd, by the way, attended Eastern Washington, the Division I-AA team that will travel to Morgantown this weekend to take on WVU.
The Eagles and Mountaineers will face off Saturday at 1 p.m. in a soldout game that won't be televised.
"Even though Eastern Washington has produced some great players and fine broadcasters, West Virginia can name the score this weekend," Cowherd said. "Don't get me wrong. I love my Eagles. But that will be a bloodbath. They may surrender in the third quarter."
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