FanHouse gathers around the TV to bring you insights from Bowl Season '08.
Pat White will go out pretty high up in West Virginia football history -- h'es somehow the only player in the history of the NCAA to win four bowl games, and in his final outing as a Mountaineer, he set a career high for passing yards (328) and tacked on three touchdowns to boot.
Hakeem Nicks -- who became a star wide receiver at North Carolina after Brandon Tate was injured -- picked up a hat trick too, registering three touchdowns and a ridiculous 217 yards, the 20th player to cross the 200 yard plateau in NCAA history.
Naturally, his blowup was aided by the absence of West Virginia cornerback Brandon Hogan, who was absent for "personal reasons" (it appears as if someone in his family is sick, because he's not suspended and there are "thoughts and prayers" being tossed around).
The game itself was equal parts insanity (i.e. offensive firepower) and poor decisions; two fourth down attempts -- the Tarheels near the goal line and the 'Neers on a fourth and one late in the fourth quarter -- encompass the latter. The former was more or less made up by the first quarter, which ended with West Virginia up 21-14 on the 'Heels. It's only insane, point totals aside, because it seemed like it happened on exactly five plays: Nicks with two huge touchdown catches and White throwing darts all over the field.
Prop Bets for the College Football Junkie is a weekly post that cares not for your silly point spreads. If you have the money and the gumption, we'll lay down a weekly gauntlet of propositions that'll take you from the penthouse to the outhouse faster than you can guess the number of times Lee Corso will say "not so fast my friend." As always, this is for entertainment purposes only.
$ Lou Holtz has put his foot in his mouth each of the last two weeks in the controlled environment of the studio. So what does ESPN do? Not suspend him for saying basically the same thing Jemele Hill said. No, they put him in front of a mic for three hours for the Thursday night game between West Virginia and Auburn. If there was ever a "give him enough rope" move by a broadcasting company, this is it. So naturally, we put the straight up bet to you loyal reader. Will Lou Holtz say something inflammatory? Yes, West Virginia jokes count!
$ Lets go with this. Let's say his does get suspended or fired. I'm not advocating it, because I enjoy him in his natural state or doing the pep talks. But let's face it, ESPN will have to do something if he has another slip up. Here's a multiple choice straight up bet that one of the following will happen if Holtz is fired:
-Mark May's perceived IQ will drop 50 points automatically.
-Trev Alberts will walk back into the Bristol studios with a "show me the money" look on his face.
-Regis Philbin will show interest, but someone will mention that the last guy was a Notre Dame guy.
$ Continuing with the same theme, Holtz won't sit idle for long. NBC would probably love to have him doing commentary on Notre Dame games. So we put the over/under on the number of times NBC will ask him to tone down the homerism in the first month at 10.
Yes, Bill that is a football. When you have it you should try to move it forward.
West Virginia came into today's game with Syracuse as a 24 point favorite. But somehow managed to keep the game much closer. The Mountaineers pulled away late thanks to a 92 yard run by Noel Devine to win 17-6. However, for most of the game, Bill Stewart willed his offense to three and out after three and out.
Coming into the season, Stewart was quick to poke fun at former West Virginia coach Rich Rodriguez and his love of the bubble screen. A play that drew the ire of Mountaineer fans for it's lack of production. But today, with Jarrett Brown filling in for the injured Pat White, West Virginia threw more bubble screens than I can count. Unfortunately for the Mountaineers, the results were the same. Mostly with little or no gain. On top of his love of a play that should be used as a change of pace rather than a staple, slow developing sweeps dominated the play calling.
Every once in a while someone will be caught in a picture so platonically something that he will forever more be that picture in the minds of people predisposed to think unkindly of that person: rivals, sometimes neutrals, and in the case of deposed ex-coaches, fans who suffered through the era about to be redacted.
It's a battle between the immolated -- West Virginia coach Bill Stewart -- and the meditated -- Colorado coach Dan Hawkins -- up in the Rockies. Our FanHouse partner in crime John Radcliff will be there in person, guitar (and moonshine!) in hand to strum out songs in support of his 'Eers and in annoyance of the Colorado faithful.
Good times.
Culturally we've got quite the unique matchup here as Colorado is sort of the flag-bearer for western, free-wheeling mountain folk of the Rockies going up against the eastern, free-wheeling mountain folk symbolically linked to Appalachia.
In football terms, we have two powers of the late 80's running modern offenses that have led to a revival of sorts.
As for us the festivities kick off around 8:30 Eastern, be sure to kick it with the clackety clack of sound of furiously fast keyboards College Football FanHouse gang after the jump.
Last week, West Virginia coach Bill Stewart wasn't all that worried about the change in altitude for this weeks game between the Mountaineers and Colorado.
"I just don't think that's a big problem. I think it's kind of comical,'' Stewart said Tuesday. "I lived out there for four years at the Air Force Academy and we were at 6,800 feet. Now, when we went on our retreat with Coach [Fisher] DeBerry, we went up to almost 10,000 feet. Now that's a problem. I jogged up there. But [at Air Force] I ran 100 miles a week, 50 weeks a year for four years.''
From what I've read this week, Stewart's opinion hasn't changed. I left West Virginia Sunday to attend the game, and have been staying at 8,000 feet above sea level in Conifer, CO (20 minutes from Red Rocks Amphitheater). And I can tell you that the change in altitude has a lot more effect on a persons body than just their ability to exert themselves physically. Given, Boulder is just 5,400 feet above sea level it might not have the same effect as where I am, but still you can't discount the effect it has. I've been plagued by horrible migraines and sinus problems since I arrived. The cure for this is keeping your body hydrated and a good supply of Ibuprofen. Even at that, it is still easy to get winded up here. Seriously, that's the last time I offer to take out the trash!
West Virginia has been experimenting with a piece of equipment, called a Hypoxico Chamber that simulates altitude changes. It's a piece of equipment purchased while Rich Rodriguez and former strength and conditioning coach Mike Barwis were still at West Virginia. Thus far, it is proving to be as valuable to West Virginia as the former coach. Which is to say, not at all. In order for the chamber to be of any value to an athlete, they would need to train in it extensively for days in a row to prepare for a game at higher altitude. And give that football teams have 85 players on scholarship, it's impossible to get everyone in for some training.
West Virginia traveled to Colorado yesterday to get and extra day to acclimate to the altitude. But if my own personal experiences are any indication, that wasn't long enough. I was out here in the spring and it took every bit of a week for my body to adjust. For West Virginia's sake, I hope I'm a rare exception.
Prop Bets for the College Football Junkie is a weekly post that cares not for your silly point spreads. If you have the money and the gumption, we'll lay down a weekly gauntlet of propositions that'll take you from the penthouse to the outhouse faster than you can guess the number of times Lee Corso will say "not so fast my friend." As always, this is for entertainment purposes only.
-Mark Mangino and Kansas play this Friday night at South Florida, and it is going to be hot and humid. Like 93 degrees and 100% humidity. I know it gets hot in Kansas, but the humidity can't be anywhere close. So naturally, we're putting the over/under on the number of pounds Mangino will lose from the opening kickoff to the last gun at 20lbs.
-Shots of Beanie Wells foot in pregame +/-5 just seems too easy and really not all that much fun. But the over/under on the number of references to the Pac 10 teleconference this week during the USC-Ohio State game at +/-3 could be entertaining, and a straight up yes/no on if the announcers will reference the part about condoms is one we can only hope for.
-The game this week between Michigan and Notre Dame isn't exactly living up to the history of this rivalry. The two teams combined to score 37 points against.....well.....no one really. So we put the over/under at 20 for the number of closeups of Weis/Rodriguez blowing up after a bonehead mistake on offense.
The College Football Songbook is a weekly feature in which we'll be making as much fun as humanly possible of the most embarrassing moments in college football. Through words, music, and related video we'll leave a lasting memory implanted on the brains of the vanquished that they are not soon to forget.
Ugh! I couldn't side step this one again. The show goes on, even when it's your team.
I love you, West Virginia player. I love you so much. Isn't this nice? What do you mean we're down three touchdowns?
Well, West Virginia just punted from midfield with seven minutes left in a game they're down three touchdowns, so it's time to write the requisite "boy, I bet Ed Pastilong wishes he didn't wake up on January third with a wicked hangover, the faint memory of something profane at three in the morning, and a contract signed by Bill Stewart" post.
So, yeah, I bet Ed Pastilong wishes he didn't wake up on January third with a wicked hangover, the faint memory of something profane at three in the morning, and a contract signed by Bill Stewart. We heard all fall about how Bill Stewart was a terrifically nice man who didn't yell at his players and boy wasn't that nice and new offensive coordinator Jeff Mullen would UNLEASH THE UNBELIEVABLE PASSING ABILITY OF PAT WHITE.
These are the fruits of magnificent freedom: 214 yards and three points against Eastern Carolina. Even Michigan managed more. As you might imagine, West Virginia message boards have turned into Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome and will feature heavily in This Week In Schadefreude.
And hey, how about East Carolina? If they run the table do they get a shot at the national title? They've got Virginia on their "tour of teams with Virginia in their name who want no piece of this," and if they take 'em out that's three BCS teams, two of whom should/might win their conference.
As FanHouse previews each BCS conference, the college football songbook will cast an unflattering light on each conference in the only way we know how. It's getting hot for Big East coaches.
FanHouse gathers around the TV to bring you insights from Bowl Season '08.
Yes, Bill that is a football. When you have it you should try to move it forward. 
Last week, West Virginia coach Bill Stewart 
I love you, West Virginia player. I love you so much. Isn't this nice? What do you mean we're down three touchdowns?
