WVU is fine right now. The Big XII title is within the Mountaineers grasp. All WVU need to do is reach out and grab it, and I think it could very well happen this season. All that's needed is to avoid shooting themselves in the foot, as usual.

(10-01-2015 04:45 PM)CliftonAve Wrote:  You forgot to mention Pitt and Syracuse. WVU played in the P5 before they did

Edit: also TCU

There wasn't a P5 then either. That started in 2014. Even UC, Houston, Memphis, Temple, SMU, UCF, USF, UConn were still AQ BCS in 2013 or equal as a P6 at that time.

WV has survived some coaching turnover the past 5 years and is looking to be back to their Big East quality.

Louisville is rebuiling after possibly peaking.

Rutgers, as always, is Rutgers


I don't see what more there is to say. All three teams are from a Power Conference and now in a new Power Conference. All three are performing about at their expected levels with Louisville probably a bit below their expectation.

(10-02-2015 07:28 AM)Hank Schrader Wrote:  WV has survived some coaching turnover the past 5 years and is looking to be back to their Big East quality.

Louisville is rebuiling after possibly peaking.

Rutgers, as always, is Rutgers


I don't see what more there is to say. All three teams are from a Power Conference and now in a new Power Conference. All three are performing about at their expected levels with Louisville probably a bit below their expectation.

Louisville is down this year without a doubt but we had 10 players drafted last season & lost 26 total. The Cards have about 14 seniors on the team. Recruiting is showing though that they haven't peaked but are reloading & are young this season (around 60 freshmen & sophomores).

(10-02-2015 09:05 AM)Lenvillecards Wrote:  

(10-02-2015 07:28 AM)Hank Schrader Wrote:  WV has survived some coaching turnover the past 5 years and is looking to be back to their Big East quality.

Louisville is rebuiling after possibly peaking.

Rutgers, as always, is Rutgers


I don't see what more there is to say. All three teams are from a Power Conference and now in a new Power Conference. All three are performing about at their expected levels with Louisville probably a bit below their expectation.

Louisville is down this year without a doubt but we had 10 players drafted last season & lost 26 total. The Cards have about 14 seniors on the team. Recruiting is showing though that they haven't peaked but are reloading & are young this season (around 60 freshmen & sophomores).

What puzzles Me most even with next seasons recruiting Where has the Florida pipeline gone ? We are doing great in Georgia which is funny after Bobby & the Falcons, but almost No Florida kids ..........!!!

The only schools (that I can recall) to move up from non-AQ status to what is now a P5 conference are TCU and Utah. I'd say they are both doing pretty well.

There are a number of schools who have moved from one AQ conference to another, and their success has been mixed. Their conference records in 2014 were:

Colorado........0-9
Nebraska.......5-3
Texas A&M.....3-5
Missouri.........7-2
Rutgers..........3-5
Maryland........4-4
West Virginia..5-4
Syracuse........1-7
Pitt................4-4
Louisville........5-3

Someone commented that West Virginia hasn't been lighting up the B12. I'm not sure why anybody would have expected that they would. The Big East was, along with the ACC, at the bottom of the AQ pecking order, while the Big 12 has been neck and neck with the PAC 12 for second place behind only the SEC. Still, they have largely held their own.

I wouldn't be surprised to see WVU win the Big 12 and make the playoff. Efficiency type rankings love them. I'm betting on them to win this weekend in Norman.

(10-02-2015 11:06 AM)Frog in the Kitchen Sink Wrote:  I wouldn't be surprised to see WVU win the Big 12 and make the playoff. Efficiency type rankings love them. I'm betting on them to win this weekend in Norman.

So am I, and I got my bet down long before the spread for this game dropped.

It took some time. But I'm glad Jeff Casteel rejoined RichRod in Arizona. Their defense sucks, while WVU's is leading the nation in some important categories. Tony Gibson has far surpassed his mentor.

Here's an interesting breakdown of WVU's 3-3-5 defense from Football Study Hall, which gives some insight as to how Dana and Tony Gibson turned things around in Morgantown.

How West Virginia is playing top 10 defense

(10-02-2015 11:12 AM)bitcruncher Wrote:  

(10-02-2015 11:06 AM)Frog in the Kitchen Sink Wrote:  I wouldn't be surprised to see WVU win the Big 12 and make the playoff. Efficiency type rankings love them. I'm betting on them to win this weekend in Norman.

So am I, and I got my bet down long before the spread for this game dropped.

It took some time. But I'm glad Jeff Casteel rejoined RichRod in Arizona. Their defense sucks, while WVU's is leading the nation in some important categories. Tony Gibson has far surpassed his mentor.

Here's an interesting breakdown of WVU's 3-3-5 defense from Football Study Hall, which gives some insight as to how Dana and Tony Gibson turned things around in Morgantown.

How West Virginia is playing top 10 defense

At this point last year we had very similar efficiency rankings and were also off the radar until beating OU. I could see a repeat for WVU.

WVU has an extremely tough month ahead, though- at OU, At Baylor, at TCU and OSU at home. Going to be interesting to see if their efficiency rankings are predictive or not like they were for TCU last year.

(10-02-2015 10:23 AM)CardFan1 Wrote:  

(10-02-2015 09:05 AM)Lenvillecards Wrote:  

(10-02-2015 07:28 AM)Hank Schrader Wrote:  WV has survived some coaching turnover the past 5 years and is looking to be back to their Big East quality.

Louisville is rebuiling after possibly peaking.

Rutgers, as always, is Rutgers


I don't see what more there is to say. All three teams are from a Power Conference and now in a new Power Conference. All three are performing about at their expected levels with Louisville probably a bit below their expectation.

Louisville is down this year without a doubt but we had 10 players drafted last season & lost 26 total. The Cards have about 14 seniors on the team. Recruiting is showing though that they haven't peaked but are reloading & are young this season (around 60 freshmen & sophomores).

What puzzles Me most even with next seasons recruiting Where has the Florida pipeline gone ? We are doing great in Georgia which is funny after Bobby & the Falcons, but almost No Florida kids ..........!!!

Yeah I'm surprised by that as well. Our recruiting is doing well throughout the southeast which is what he did last time but with a heavier Florida presence. Strong was overly Florida centric I think. Grantham maybe the reason for the Georgia focus. I do like how we are getting a more diverse recruiting class, from Georgia to California again.

(10-02-2015 11:45 AM)Lenvillecards Wrote:  

(10-02-2015 10:23 AM)CardFan1 Wrote:  

(10-02-2015 09:05 AM)Lenvillecards Wrote:  

(10-02-2015 07:28 AM)Hank Schrader Wrote:  WV has survived some coaching turnover the past 5 years and is looking to be back to their Big East quality.

Louisville is rebuiling after possibly peaking.

Rutgers, as always, is Rutgers


I don't see what more there is to say. All three teams are from a Power Conference and now in a new Power Conference. All three are performing about at their expected levels with Louisville probably a bit below their expectation.

Louisville is down this year without a doubt but we had 10 players drafted last season & lost 26 total. The Cards have about 14 seniors on the team. Recruiting is showing though that they haven't peaked but are reloading & are young this season (around 60 freshmen & sophomores).

What puzzles Me most even with next seasons recruiting Where has the Florida pipeline gone ? We are doing great in Georgia which is funny after Bobby & the Falcons, but almost No Florida kids ..........!!!

Yeah I'm surprised by that as well. Our recruiting is doing well throughout the southeast which is what he did last time but with a heavier Florida presence. Strong was overly Florida centric I think. Grantham maybe the reason for the Georgia focus. I do like how we are getting a more diverse recruiting class, from Georgia to California again.

Maybe it's the improved Academics !

(10-02-2015 11:42 AM)Frog in the Kitchen Sink Wrote:  

(10-02-2015 11:12 AM)bitcruncher Wrote:  

(10-02-2015 11:06 AM)Frog in the Kitchen Sink Wrote:  I wouldn't be surprised to see WVU win the Big 12 and make the playoff. Efficiency type rankings love them. I'm betting on them to win this weekend in Norman.

So am I, and I got my bet down long before the spread for this game dropped.

It took some time. But I'm glad Jeff Casteel rejoined RichRod in Arizona. Their defense sucks, while WVU's is leading the nation in some important categories. Tony Gibson has far surpassed his mentor.

Here's an interesting breakdown of WVU's 3-3-5 defense from Football Study Hall, which gives some insight as to how Dana and Tony Gibson turned things around in Morgantown.

How West Virginia is playing top 10 defense

At this point last year we had very similar efficiency rankings and were also off the radar until beating OU. I could see a repeat for WVU.

WVU has an extremely tough month ahead, though- at OU, At Baylor, at TCU and OSU at home. Going to be interesting to see if their efficiency rankings are predictive or not like they were for TCU last year.

The first 2 games in November for WVU are against Texas Tech and Texas. If WVU rolls through mid-November still unbeaten, you can probably chalk up that playoff berth and the Big XII title for the Mountaineers. I kind of doubt Kansas, Iowa State, or Kansas State would be able to derail WVU after the Mountaineers run that gauntlet.

(10-02-2015 12:37 PM)bitcruncher Wrote:  

(10-02-2015 11:42 AM)Frog in the Kitchen Sink Wrote:  

(10-02-2015 11:12 AM)bitcruncher Wrote:  

(10-02-2015 11:06 AM)Frog in the Kitchen Sink Wrote:  I wouldn't be surprised to see WVU win the Big 12 and make the playoff. Efficiency type rankings love them. I'm betting on them to win this weekend in Norman.

So am I, and I got my bet down long before the spread for this game dropped.

It took some time. But I'm glad Jeff Casteel rejoined RichRod in Arizona. Their defense sucks, while WVU's is leading the nation in some important categories. Tony Gibson has far surpassed his mentor.

Here's an interesting breakdown of WVU's 3-3-5 defense from Football Study Hall, which gives some insight as to how Dana and Tony Gibson turned things around in Morgantown.

How West Virginia is playing top 10 defense

At this point last year we had very similar efficiency rankings and were also off the radar until beating OU. I could see a repeat for WVU.

WVU has an extremely tough month ahead, though- at OU, At Baylor, at TCU and OSU at home. Going to be interesting to see if their efficiency rankings are predictive or not like they were for TCU last year.

The first 2 games in November for WVU are against Texas Tech and Texas. If WVU rolls through mid-November still unbeaten, you can probably chalk up that playoff berth and the Big XII title for the Mountaineers. I kind of doubt Kansas, Iowa State, or Kansas State would be able to derail WVU after the Mountaineers run that gauntlet.

What, you're not afraid of my Jayhawks?

I agree with your earlier post that said WVU is a good match for the Big 12. While they may be a geographic outlier, in other ways they're a good fit, and they did travel in good numbers to the Big 12 hoops tournament clear out here in the Midwest. I'm as skeptical as the next guy about the long-term future of the conference, but for now I am quite pleased with the current membership and the 10 team round-robin competition format. Geography is certainly an aspect in forming rivalries, but in the end it's competition on the field or court that's the major factor, and as WVU and TCU get more history within the conference, they'll develop more rivalries based on the competition itself.

(10-02-2015 12:37 PM)bitcruncher Wrote:  

(10-02-2015 11:42 AM)Frog in the Kitchen Sink Wrote:  

(10-02-2015 11:12 AM)bitcruncher Wrote:  

(10-02-2015 11:06 AM)Frog in the Kitchen Sink Wrote:  I wouldn't be surprised to see WVU win the Big 12 and make the playoff. Efficiency type rankings love them. I'm betting on them to win this weekend in Norman.

So am I, and I got my bet down long before the spread for this game dropped.

It took some time. But I'm glad Jeff Casteel rejoined RichRod in Arizona. Their defense sucks, while WVU's is leading the nation in some important categories. Tony Gibson has far surpassed his mentor.

Here's an interesting breakdown of WVU's 3-3-5 defense from Football Study Hall, which gives some insight as to how Dana and Tony Gibson turned things around in Morgantown.

How West Virginia is playing top 10 defense

At this point last year we had very similar efficiency rankings and were also off the radar until beating OU. I could see a repeat for WVU.

WVU has an extremely tough month ahead, though- at OU, At Baylor, at TCU and OSU at home. Going to be interesting to see if their efficiency rankings are predictive or not like they were for TCU last year.

The first 2 games in November for WVU are against Texas Tech and Texas. If WVU rolls through mid-November still unbeaten, you can probably chalk up that playoff berth and the Big XII title for the Mountaineers. I kind of doubt Kansas, Iowa State, or Kansas State would be able to derail WVU after the Mountaineers run that gauntlet.

Never sleep on KSU. On the road to boot. Even if WVU lives up to their early season efficiency rankings and is a true top 5 team, that will be a tough game.

(10-02-2015 12:56 PM)BewareThePhog Wrote:  

(10-02-2015 12:37 PM)bitcruncher Wrote:  

(10-02-2015 11:42 AM)Frog in the Kitchen Sink Wrote:  

(10-02-2015 11:12 AM)bitcruncher Wrote:  

(10-02-2015 11:06 AM)Frog in the Kitchen Sink Wrote:  I wouldn't be surprised to see WVU win the Big 12 and make the playoff. Efficiency type rankings love them. I'm betting on them to win this weekend in Norman.

So am I, and I got my bet down long before the spread for this game dropped.

It took some time. But I'm glad Jeff Casteel rejoined RichRod in Arizona. Their defense sucks, while WVU's is leading the nation in some important categories. Tony Gibson has far surpassed his mentor.

Here's an interesting breakdown of WVU's 3-3-5 defense from Football Study Hall, which gives some insight as to how Dana and Tony Gibson turned things around in Morgantown.

How West Virginia is playing top 10 defense

At this point last year we had very similar efficiency rankings and were also off the radar until beating OU. I could see a repeat for WVU.

WVU has an extremely tough month ahead, though- at OU, At Baylor, at TCU and OSU at home. Going to be interesting to see if their efficiency rankings are predictive or not like they were for TCU last year.

The first 2 games in November for WVU are against Texas Tech and Texas. If WVU rolls through mid-November still unbeaten, you can probably chalk up that playoff berth and the Big XII title for the Mountaineers. I kind of doubt Kansas, Iowa State, or Kansas State would be able to derail WVU after the Mountaineers run that gauntlet.

What, you're not afraid of my Jayhawks?

I agree with your earlier post that said WVU is a good match for the Big 12. While they may be a geographic outlier, in other ways they're a good fit, and they did travel in good numbers to the Big 12 hoops tournament clear out here in the Midwest. I'm as skeptical as the next guy about the long-term future of the conference, but for now I am quite pleased with the current membership and the 10 team round-robin competition format. Geography is certainly an aspect in forming rivalries, but in the end it's competition on the field or court that's the major factor, and as WVU and TCU get more history within the conference, they'll develop more rivalries based on the competition itself.

Yeah, I was a huge MWC fan even though we were a geographic outlier. Travel distance is overrated in terms of generating rivalries.

(10-01-2015 04:22 PM)Dasville Wrote:  Last three G5's to enter P5. I'm gonna say not much. Looks like more of the same.
WVU is out of place. Rutgers is bad (in many ways). UofL is searching for success.

I just don't see any more schools being called up.

WVU was never a "G5" or a "non AQ" for that matter. They played in the only conference with a winning record against the SEC with Boston College, Syracuse, Rutgers, Pitt, Virginia Tech, Temple, and Miami.
They went 3-0 in BCS bowls and have played for a national title. WVU is the most winningest program to not win a title.

(10-02-2015 12:56 PM)BewareThePhog Wrote:  What, you're not afraid of my Jayhawks?

Not until basketball season. And probably not that much even then. Press Virginia lives on!!!
Sorry about that.
IMO Bobby Huggins' team is going to give the Jayhawks fits again. WVU has given Kansas fits on more than one occasion.