#24 West Virginia Mountaineers

The seamless transition from the Rich Rod Era to the Bill Stewart Era is now complete as Stewart enters his 3rd year as Coach. Stewart has been successful so far, but something seems to be missing. After making it to 2 BCS Bowl games in his final 3 years on the job, Rich Rod, of course, bolted for The Big House. And although Stewart has led the Mountaineers to back to back Bowls (Mieneke Car Care and Gator Bowl), the yearning to be back in the BCS hunt is growing amongst the Mountaineer faithful.

This team has all the makings of a Big East Champion. 8 returning starters on defense gives them the most experienced returning D in the league. And the announcement that Noel Devine and Jock Sanders would stay for their Senior seasons was a late Christmas gift to the West Virginia fan base. I like everything about this team and I wouldn't be surprised to see them making noise in the BCS picture late in November...

So why don't I have them ranked higher, you ask? Simple. Inexperience at the most important position on the field. Sophomore QB Eugene "Geno" Smith has all the tools that the greatest WVU QB in history (Pat White) had. But tools alone wont be able to carry WVU through the upstart Big East schedule. He only has one career start.

One of the best things the Mountaineers have going for them is that 4 out of 5 of their offensive lineman are returning as is starting TE Tyler Urban. The running game should be stout, and I wouldn't at all be surprised to see Noel Devine amongst the Top 10 candidates for the Heisman come mid-October.

The early 2010 schedule sets up well for WVU, as they play Coastal Carolina, Marshall, and Maryland in the first 3 weeks. They should have plenty of momentum and rhythm going by the time they hit the end of September... Buttttt,
The "Circle the Calendar" game will come on September 25th, as the Mountaineers travel to Death Valley in Baton Rouge to take on The "Purple Machine" (aka LSU). A win there and the sky is the limit.

With new starting QBs at USF, Syracuse, Pitt, and Cincy, a Big East title is not out of reach... But Geno Smith will have to mature fast (and put that Gator Bowl beatdown from the Noles behind him) if the Mountaineers want a shot at a January 1st Bowl game.

Key Returners:
RB Noel Devine
WR Jock Sanders

Key Games:
9/25 - @ LSU
10/14 - USF
10/29 - @ Uconn
11/13 - Cincinnati
11/26 - @ Pitt
12/04 - Rutgers