Post by cviller on Dec 27, 2008 8:42:01 GMT -5
by dave poe, Parkersburg News
Today's a huge day for West Virginia University sports fans.
Not only do the Mountaineers meet North Carolina in the Meineke Car Care Bowl at 1 p.m., but about the time that game is winding down, WVU's basketball team will be in Columbus, Ohio, to take on undefeated Ohio State in a 4 p.m. tipoff.
I'm finding it hard to get fired-up for the Car Care Bowl.
After watching West Virginia play in a January bowl game each of the past five seasons, this seems like a consolation prize.
I'd much rather WVU be playing for the NC than playing NC.
Obviously, this has been a disappointing season that didn't meet our expectations.
Let's hope it doesn't end in yet another disappointment.
If it does, the Mountaineers will have lost five games this year, equal to the amount WVU lost in the last three seasons combined.
Let's hope Pat White and his fellow seniors, who have given us so many thrills, get to go out as winners.
There's nothing like winning your final game.
West Virginia fans rejoiced when veteran coach Don Nehlen, the man who put Mountaineer football on the national map, won his final game by beating Mississippi in the 2000 Music City Bowl.
Today's game is a lot like that one. It's not a huge game as far as the national standings are concerned, but it's a big game for the West Virginia program in general and the outgoing seniors in particular.
Plus, it's our final chance to see Pat White in a West Virginia uniform. No individual player ever has had such a major impact on West Virginia football. He's given us thrills on the field and been a model citizen and an outspoken advocate off of it.
This is a game West Virginia should win. North Carolina, like WVU, is 8-4, and unranked. It's a middle-of-the-pack team from the extremely disappointing Atlantic Coast Conference. Perhaps the winner will squeeze into the final top 25 rankings.
I'm much more fired up over the basketball game, for it represents a huge opportunity for the Mountaineers.
No one expects West Virginia to go into Columbus and beat the 15th-ranked Buckeyes. A loss in this game won't hurt WVU's NCAA Tournament chances, but a road win significantly would bolster the Mountaineers' postseason credentials.
West Virginia has won both its true road games. Its two losses - to Kentucky and Davidson - came on neutral courts in high-profile events.
WVU needs a signature victory. Yes, it opened some eyes by blasting Iowa in Las Vegas.
But that win doesn't compare to the impact an upset over Ohio State would have. OSU already is 2-0 against Big East teams, having beaten both No. 21 Miami and No. 7 Notre Dame.
A rare football-basketball doubleheader. The perfect day to be a couch potato.
Contact Dave Poe at dpoe@newsandsentinel.com