If ESPN were to conduct one of those unscientific polls that purport to gauge the pulse of the nation regarding Bill Stewart's chances of success as West Virginia's football coach, the results just might be similar to the one that preceded January's Fiesta Bowl.

No, it might not be a whopping 84 percent betting against the Mountaineers - or in this case, Stewart - but neither would it seem likely to see a landslide of support for WVU's new coach, whose hiring in the hours following West Virginia's 48-28 win over Oklahoma was seen by many as a knee-jerk reaction.

On the other hand, there is the Big East's annual preseason football poll that was released Tuesday. In that, the Mountaineers got even more support - almost 92 percent of the media vote - as the league favorite in Stewart's rookie season.

A contradiction? Well, perhaps. But Stewart isn't going through life with blinders on. He knows the difference between public opinion of him and his team.

"No, it's not a contradiction because the players in the arena win the football game,'' Stewart said. "That's quite an honor, but that's not about Bill Stewart. That's about Patrick White, Ryan Stanchek, Mortty Ivy, Reed Williams. That's what those 22 votes are about.''

Indeed, of the 24 media members taking part in the annual poll, 22 had WVU first on their ballot. South Florida and Pitt were given the other two top votes and West Virginia was second on one of those ballots and third on the other.

Stewart then took a second look at the vote totals and shook his head.

"I didn't know that,'' he said. "They picked us that high?''

Stewart seemed genuinely surprised that his team was a landslide favorite in the preseason poll, and that might stem in part from the criticism he has inevitably heard regarding his hiring. Virtually in the hours after West Virginia removed the interim tag from in front of his title following that emotional Fiesta Bowl win, the move was criticized as a feel-good measure by a school administration desperately trying to put behind it Rich Rodriguez's departure and a rather fractured search for his successor.

For his part, Stewart likens it to an optimist-pessimist debate and has no problem with those on the pessimistic side.

"There have been many things said. Let's be candid with each other. And that's what's great about America,'' Stewart said. "There are a bunch of people who say this is an emotional deal, an emotional hire. That's the greatest thing about America. We have a chance to not only express our opinion, but it's wanted and welcomed by society.

"The only comeback I have is that I also live in America. My glass may be half full. We have a chance - this staff, this team - to prove people wrong.''

Or, in the case of the media poll, to prove them right. Seldom does a coach have an opportunity to take over a program in such good shape. It's the nature of the beast that new coaches generally are charged with fixing things that have gone wrong and not building on prolonged success.

"What it tells you is that I've stepped into a very blessed situation and I'm probably the luckiest guy in the world,'' Stewart said.

He's not the only Big East coach in a good situation this season. South Florida, picked second with the majority of the No. 2 votes, returns 17 starters - including quarterback Matt Grothe and All-America defensive end George Selvie - from a 9-4 team that beat WVU in Tampa. The teams play the regular-season finale in Morgantown in early December.

Pitt was a solid No. 3 in the poll despite finishing just 5-7 in 2007. The push the Panthers got, of course, was their 13-9 win over West Virginia in last year's season finale.

Rutgers, Cincinnati, Connecticut, Louisville and Syracuse rounded out the poll. Syracuse was a unanimous choice for last place, receiving all 24 No. 8 votes.

As for Stewart, his legacy at West Virginia might not be as much what the Mountaineers do this season as what they accomplish over the long haul. Remember, Larry Coker was a long-time assistant who was surprisingly named the coach at Miami, immediately won a national championship and then was fired when he failed to keep the Hurricanes consistently in the title hunt.

Stewart's hire has been compared more than once to that of Coker, and that's just fine with the former.

"If someone even compares me to Larry Coker, holy cow, you talk about honored,'' Stewart said. "He's not only a great football coach, he's great for the game and an even better man. If I'm even considered in the same breath as Larry Coker, gee whiz, are you kidding me? What a nice thing to be compared to.''

For whatever reason, though, Coker didn't ultimately survive the pressure of high expectations. To some small degree, the expectations that go along with being picked as a landslide league favorite are similar.

But Stewart says he feels none of it.

"No. No pressure. I love it,'' Stewart said. "What that is, that's a real tribute to the guys that have been here with us - the players and the coaches that we have. Somebody must think we're OK.''

Reach Dave Hickman at 348-1734 or dphickm...@aol.com.

The Big East preseason football poll of 24 media members, with first-place votes in parentheses:

Rank, team Points

1. West Virginia (22) 189

2. South Florida (1) 149

3. Pittsburgh (1) 128

4. Rutgers 110

5. Cincinnati 98

6. Connecticut 97

7. Louisville 69

8. Syracuse 24