How big are these next two weeks for West Virginia’s football and men’s basketball teams? Take a look at what’s just around the corner.

Friday

Arkansas (7-4) heads to Baton Rouge to battle No. one LSU (10-1) Friday at 2:30 p.m. Darren McFadden and Felix Jones may be up to the tough task of running against LSU’s stout rush defense. However, the Bayou Bengals have been giving up quite a few points to their Southeastern Conference opponents lately. Kentucky beat LSU scoring 37 points, Auburn lost in the final five seconds managing 24, Alabama rang up 34 in a close loss and Ole Miss dialed in 24. That is the same Alabama team that just lost at home against UL-Monroe and the same Ole Miss that has yet to win a game in the SEC. Ole Miss gained 466 total yards which was 70 more yards than LSU had despite the loss. Another upset may be brewing that would be enormous for the Mountaineer’s cause.

West Virginia’s men’s basketball team (2-0) will battle No. seven Tennessee (3-0) in the Legends Classic tournament in Newark, N.J. Tip-off is set for 9 p.m. An early non-conference win over a quality opponent such as UT will bolster the Mountaineer’s NCAA tournament resume down the road. WVU head coach Bob Huggins can claim his first signature win since rejoining his alma mater against a top 10 team.

Saturday

No. 20 Connecticut (9-2) travels to Morgantown Saturday for the Big East championship game against No. three West Virginia (9-1).

WVU has a shot at its fourth Big East title in five years. A win Saturday would also clinch a BCS bowl birth. The Mountaineers smashed the Huskies 37-11 in 2006. West Virginia will hope to add another win to their 2007 campaign while maintaining their national title hopes. Kick-off is set for 3:30 p.m.

WVU will play again in the Legends Classic tournament on Saturday in Newark. They will play either New Mexico State or No. 15 Texas. Most of the Mountaineer nation will hope for a rematch with the Longhorns. Texas ended the careers of Kevin Pittsnogle, Mike Gansey and company in the sweet 16 of the 2006 NCAA tournament on a last second three-point basket. The game will begin at either 4:30 or 7:00 depending on the opponent.

No. two Kansas (11-0) and No. four Missouri (10-1) play at 8 p.m. The game was moved to Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, MO to accommodate the ticket demand. West Virginia will benefit by either of these teams losing, though Missouri is slightly behind WVU in the latest BCS standings.

Next Saturday

Winthrop will visit the WVU Coliseum at 1 p.m. to play against the Mountaineers. Huggstown will get another glimpse of its new coach.

WVU will host Pitt in the 100^th football Backyard Brawl at either 7:45 p.m. or 8 p.m. The Panthers may be the only thing standing in the way of WVU earning a spot in the BCS national championship game. West Virginia’s oldest rival would love nothing more than to spoil the party.

Mountaineer fans will be keeping a close eye on other conference championship games on this day. The Big XII title game could play a major part in WVU being able to slide into the No. two slot for their shot at the national championship. Oklahoma or Texas will have to spoil Kansas or Missouri’s hopes for championship glory.

If Arkansas is unable to get the job done, LSU must still pass a final test in the SEC championship game. Tennessee or Georgia will be licking their chops at a chance to ruin their conference brethren’s shot at a national championship. Georgia needs the Vols to lose at Kentucky to end up the winner of the East division. UGA would essentially have a home game in the SEC championship being played in the Georgia dome in Atlanta on Dec. 1.

Next Sunday

This could be the biggest day. The bowl selections will be made in the evening. If WVU can win their next two games, and get one more upset to swing their way, Mountaineer fans could be singing John Denver’s “Country Roads” all the way to New Orleans for a title shot. If all this action doesn’t get your heart pumping you may need to check for a pulse.

I’ve been on every college football site in the past couple of days and reading the plethora of articles about what needs to happen for my ‘Eers to go to New Orleans and play on Jan 7th.

It’s a pretty simple formula actually.

The Mountaineers win out.

We have to get the job done. First thing is first and we can’t get distracted.

This should be easy enough though. WVU is a 17.5 point favorite over UCONN. We have beat them in all 3 meetings. Slaton is back. Our Defense is doing much better than last year:

West Virginia will bring the country’s fourth-ranked defense into Saturday’s game, yielding just 289.3 yards and 17.3 points per game, down more than four points and nearly 50 yards from last season.

The pass defense is ranked 18th, yielding 195.6 yards per game. West Virginia leads the Big East in sacks (30) and has forced 28 turnovers, tied for 10th nationally. (Starkey - ESPN)

PLUS

Mizzou and Kansas both losing 1 game. This is very probable since they play each other this week, then the winner will play OU in the Big 12 Champ game. Like AngryEer says over at LWS.com.. cheer for OU! Personally I would like to see Mizzou win the Kansas game and then lose to OU in the championship game.
or
LSU loses one of its final two games. Again, very probable. LSU and Les Miles are all caught up in this Michigan coaching fiasco and with the way this season is playing out, who knows what will happen. LSU plays Arkansas this weekend and then the SEC Champ game (probably playing Georgia). I think/hope they are going to go into one of these games sleeping and distracted.

MINUS

The a-hole poll voters putting Ohio State ahead of us. I can see it happening. Everyone is out to try to trip us up in the polls. The once respected BCSGuru proved my point this week. After listening to him on Rivals Radio the other day it became clear to me that he’s a OSU fan. This guy must be in a contest with Herbstreit to see who can kiss more OSU ass. I think it’s a tie.

EQUALS

WVU Playing (LSU?) on Jan 7!!!!

Now what happens if all three of the above teams (KU, LSU, Mizz) drop a game? WVU goes into the #1 spot? Ohio #2? As crazy as this season has been I wouldn’t count anything out.

Consolation Prize:

Something to think about though is that if we beat UCONN and lose against PITT we still win the Big East and go to a BCS Bowl. That makes Saturday’s game even more important. We win Saturday, we are in there like swimwear.

Jeremy posted this in the forums and I thought it’s something we should discuss on the main blog because this morning I heard on the radio some jackass reporter interviewing Coach Rod and asking him about possibly going to Michigan! Luckily Rod just laughed it off and said he was wanting to talk about UCONN and not coaching BS. He also said he signed a long contract so he wasn’t worrying about that kind of stuff right now.

So, Lloyd Carr retires from Michigan. Les Miles seems to be the next in line there. Who will step in at LSU? How big a distraction will that be for the Tigers during their remaining games this season?

Also, what about the other potential vacancies?

• Texas A&M
• Nebraska
• Arkansas
• Auburn

A&M seems interested in Tuberville from Auburn. Who would Auburn want to hire then?

Here are some coaches that I think will be courted by those schools:

• Rich Rodriguez- He’ll be sought after by any and all openings as long as WVU keeps winning and seems to be open to entertaining offers.
• Jim Leavitt- His quick buildup of USF is impressive no matter how you slice it. He can recruit Fla. no matter where he would go.
• Randy Edsall- Similar to Leavitt, but hasn’t taken the Huskies all the way to No. 2 yet. Great coach and a young guy for this business too.
• Brian Kelly- Successful at any level of football. Kept Cincinnati on the right track and then some.

Lastly, how about any NFL teams interested in Rodriguez as a offensive coordinator? Just how much is football really changing? Will the new wave of college football leak into the pros eventually?

In yet another move to put WVU on the national stage, the WVU vs. UCONN matchup has been moved to 3:30pm!

AWESOME! This is the game we’ve all been waiting for. The game that will finally decide the Big East Champion and it’s all happening on National TV in Morgantown and it’s an evening game. Now we have an extra 3.5 hours to enjoy the build up to kicking UCONN’s ass… again.

Now who’s got me an extra.?!

I was looking for some info on Noel Devine and ran into this page on ESPN. It’s about a yearly mag they put out called NEXT. Noel Devine has been nominated to be the featured NEXT Athlete of 2008. This could be huge for Noel and WVU. So get over to this page and vote for him.

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It’s become a word synonymous with the 2007 college football season…unbelievable. Stanford upsetting USC in California, Appalachian State defeating Michigan in Ann Arbor. Eleven top 25 teams have now been beaten by unranked squads. It’s safe to say that this year has been filled with both exhilarating victories and crushing defeats, and the West Virginia Mountaineers have experienced both.At this point, every Mountaineer fan’s mind has reflected back on the South Florida game and thought, “What if…”. But I am a firm believer in putting the past where it belongs, and concentrating on the present, which happens to be a very odd one for West Virginia: playing UConn for the Big East Championship.

Yes, UConn. The same UConn team that has accomplished everything worth mentioning in their history in the past 8 years: from beating their first Division I-A opponent in 1999 to finally turning Division I-A Independent in 2000, to becoming a member of the Big East Conference in 2004. Unbelievable.

Tonight before kickoff, as my father and I were discussing the potential bowl options for the Mounties, he made a statement that has stuck in my mind since. “Ya know Allie,” he said, as he placed his hand on my shoulder and looked me in the eyes with the hopefulness only a Mountaineer fan can posses, “… it’s almost like destiny.”

As superstitious as I am, I refuse to flat-out state what he was referring to, but I’m sure many of you can make the deduction. After a season like this, I fully believe that anything is possible, and that college football is full of ‘Ifs’. If Kansas beats Missouri, and loses in the Big 12 Championship… If LSU loses to Arkansas or in the SEC Championship game… If. If all goes according to plan, meet me on Bourbon Street…

The dreaded #2 spot has proven to be a curse for the fifth time this year. Oregon falls to Arizona 24 - 34.

Dennis Dixon gets knocked out of the game early in the first quarter and the whole Oregon team imploded.

What does this mean for WVU? What does this mean for Pat White? Quite simply, EVERYTHING. This makes Saturday’s game vs. Cincy astronomical! We must win and win big. Pat White can move into the #1 Heisman spot. WVU can jump 2 spots in the BCS (of course this all depends on the rest of the league).

Huge Huge Huge! I love this game!!

Sorry this is a little late this week:

Let me know what you think in the comments:

The following letter might not be directly from West Virginia basketball coach Bob Huggins, but it might as well be. I attended his Bearcat basketball camp in the 8th grade and somehow gained the ability to channel his thoughts. This is what he thinks about Saturday’s game.

Bearcat fans,

I know it’s been over a two years now since I took the only show in town on the road, and there was even a pitstop in Manhattan, Kansas in between, but I’ve finally made it home and there are a few words of wisdom that I would like to impart on you before you get embarrassed by my Mountaineers on Saturday.

First, you suck. I can’t stand you. Any of you. You might think that after spending 16 years trying to make your school and city relevant that I would have gained at least a little bit of appreciation and respect for what you have to offer. As soon as I find out what it is that you have to offer, I’d be more than happy to consider showing you that appreciation and respect. Until then, you can be haunted by the future success you kissed away in August 2005.

I am the University of Cincinnati - or at least I was until you all let that evil she-bitch Nancy Zimpher buy out my contract. Sure, you want to blame it on my DUI? What the hell else do you want me to do in that city? Haven’t you realized how depressing it is? If watching the Reds or Bengals consistently suck isn’t enough, try going out for a night on the town and seeing that you’re surrounded by overweight pigs with bleach blonde lesbian haircuts choking down a couple of PBR’s. Who can blame a guy for getting drunk and trying to drive into the Ohio River? It was a last resort. I tried to get caught up in one of your 5 billion yearly drive-by shootings but had no luck.

But, this isn’t about me. We will have plenty of time for that when my Mountaineers kick the crap out of your sorry basketball team twice a year for the next quarter century. We’re here to talk about football, which is rarely the case in November in the Queen City. And by the way, what the hell kind of name for a city is that? I guess someone had already claimed Fairy Town.

Anyway, you should have taken a pointer from your cross-town snuggle buddy, Xavier, and done away with your football program years ago. You’ve averaged 4.8 wins per season over the past 20 years and, at one point, went 47 years without making it to a bowl game. When you add that onto the crap you’re throwing onto the basketball court these days, it makes one stop and really consider what you’re doing in the Big East.

So this year is different, huh? Everyone says this is another step in putting the Bearcats into position to compete every year. Well, consider this for a moment. Right now, your best player is a retread quarterback from a mediocre program whose last name happens to be my favorite kind of turtle neck. Could it be any more obvious that you miss me? You might as well just paint my face in the middle of the field.

And then you tell everyone that this team is special. And by special, I hope you mean in the Olympics kind of way. You’ve managed to lose to Big East bottom feeders Louisville and Pitt, something that even Syracuse didn’t do. Sure, Louisville was ranked in the top 10 at the beginning of the season, but when they are giving up 41 points a game and your super awesome offense can only manage 24, don’t you think there is a problem? And sure Pitt has been putting together big recruiting classes under Dave Wannestadt, but I wouldn’t consider them very good. But, then again, you can’t beat every 2-4 team you line up against, right?

So, suck it Bearcat fans. You think the Curse of the Babe was bad for the Red Sox faithful? Well, you no loyalty-having dirtbags, you ain’t seen nothing yet. Enjoy the curse of Huggins. It’s going to be a bitch.