It was only 12 years ago that WVU posted an undefeated season that led them to a showdown in the Sugar Bowl against Florida. West Virginia was five years removed from an undefeated season that pitted them in the Fiesta Bowl against Notre Dame for the National Championship. West Virginia was ranked #3 in that nation but then-coach Don Nehlen wasn't pleased with the Sugar Bowl bid. He wanted another shot at the national championship and clammered to the media every opportunity he got that WVU deserved a shot in the championship game. The word he threw around the most was Respect. WVU deserved Respect. What happened? WVU was clobbered 41-7 by a much better Florida team.
It was a real setback for WVU football and for Don Nehlen. He had put his reputation on the line by claiming WVU was ready for primetime and instead was embarrassed. WVU lost respect that it still hadn't reclaimed 12 years later. The loss, fairly or not, defined Nehlen's tenure at WVU...he could talk to the talk but he couldn't win the "big ones". That loss at the Sugar Bowl is one of the major contributors to fans so eagerly awaiting his departure in 2000. Don Nehlen did more for WVU football than any coach before him but he couldn't turn WVU into a national threat.
Enter Rich Rodriguez. A 3-8 season to start with, he turned the program around and has now led the 'Eers to 4 consecutive bowl appearances. However, the "can't win the big ones" label was starting to attach itself to the new coach. Considerable losses in the Tire Bowl followed by back-to-back losses in the Gator Bowl had Mountaineer Nation grumbling with the same criticism that plagued Nehlen. Add in the lack of respect for the Big East and you had a Mountaineer team that no one counted among the elite, or even higher end, of the college football spectrum.
WVU is in a bad spot...we don't have a powerhouse like Ohio State, USC or Texas. We don't have the tradition of a Nebraska, Oklahoma or Notre Dame. And we don't have the history of a Pittsburgh, Syracuse or Michigan. And WVU isn't bad enough to draw on the pity or novelty factor of a Vanderbilt, Northwestern or Marshall. We are in a boat...a good team in a bad conference that folds when the stakes are high. We're in the same boat as Oregon or South Carolina (pre-Spurrier). No one cares about WVU football.
But, that could change. WVU finally won a big one...the Sugar Bowl victory will resonate throughout college football land and people will take note of this squad. The BCS victory also increases the Big East's chances of maintaining it's BCS status for a few more years. WVU will finish 6th or 7th in the country and will start next year in the Top 15. WVU will also be the odds-on favorite to win their 4th consecutive Big East crown. Can WVU meet these lofty expectations? Who knows...in the past, when all eyes affixed to WVU, they collapsed under the pressure. But then again, that was before WVU won the "big one".
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