National title-caliber team should overshadow Rodriguez soap opera

By Chris Preston  |   Wednesday, June 18, 2008  |  Comments( 0 )

West Virginia Mountaineers
Got something to say?

Sign Up and be the first to comment on this article!

Lost in the rubble that surrounds the bitter divorce between West Virginia University and former head coach/new Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez (a.k.a. Benedict Arnold in Morgantown) is just how good a team the Mountaineers are likely to still have in 2008 under new sideline skipper Bill Stewart. With Heisman candidate Pat White at quarterback, lightning-quick tailback Noel Devine, and two All-America linemen (Ryan Stancheck and Greg Isdaner) all returning, WVU will continue to feature the most feared running attack in all the land. While it’s true that seven of the 11 starters from last year’s suffocating defensive unit – ranked No. 7 nationally in 2007 – are no longer on campus, if their replacements even come close to matching last year’s effort, this could potentially be a national championship-caliber team.

Of course, as Mountaineers fans remember all too well, White and company had all but sewn up a bid to the BCS championship game a year ago before that unfathomable loss to a 5-7 Pitt team. Perhaps a healthy White – who missed most of the Pitt game after suffering an early injury – might have helped the Mounties squeak by not only the lowly Panthers, but also Ohio State in the title game. There are plenty of what-ifs, which explains why Rodriguez's decision to bolt town immediately after the embarrassing Pitt loss turned into the ugliest Former Coach vs. Passionate Fan Base saga since ... well, since Bobby Petrino’s latest job change.

But Rodriguez’s replacement, Stewart, has already proven he can prepare a team even when it has every reason to quit. Having squandered a shot at the national title by dropping an almost gimme home game to their archrival, the Mountaineer players could have easily packed it in against Oklahoma in last January's Fiesta Bowl. In fact, oddsmakers and analysts expected as much and pronounced the Sooners decided favorites last January. But the 48-28 drubbing the Mountaineers put on an Oklahoma team some thought was the premier outfit in the country provided plenty of evidence of Stewart’s abilities as not only a motivator but a game planner, too.

Time will tell whether Stewart can match Rodriguez’s considerable success at WVU. But as long as he has an offense that boasts the likes of White, Devine, Stancheck and Isdaner, Stewart has a shot at becoming the first interim-turned-head-coach to win a national title since, ironically enough, Lloyd Carr at Michigan.
Got something to say?

Sign Up and be the first to comment on this article! (0)

About Chris Preston

...Sorry, Chris Preston's bio is currently not available. Please check back soon!
read more
Article Tools Share!   |  RSS  |  Bleacher Report About Bleacher Report