I'M GOING to lay my tarot cards on the table.
Trying to predict West Virginia's football season is like trying to predict which way Noel Devine will cut.
See Pitt and Oklahoma last season. See, shoot, results from almost any season.
As America's foremost football fortunate teller, however, I've done OK. In the last five years, my season Mountaineer predictions have been off by seven games. That's an average miss of 1.4 games. Not great, but certainly above the curve.
Now, though, it's time to knock that hanging curve out of the park.
Time to revert back to 2003, when I predicted the Mountaineers' record on the nose.
Time to get back to perfection.
VILLANOVA AT WVU - Villanova has a terrific coach in Andy Talley. The Wildcats are ranked No. 21 in the preseason Sports Network poll for the group formerly known as Division I-AA. Talley's defense is a veteran group, which should provide a nice tune-up for the No. 8 Mountaineers. Just don't expect Villanova to pull off an opening day upset as peer Appalachian State did last season. For West Virginia is not Michigan. WVU, 48-17.WVU AT EAST CAROLINA - East Carolina has rarely been a pushover for West Virginia and it won't be in this game. Until, that is, late in the contest. The Pirates have a nice QB combo of Patrick Pinkney and Rob Kass, but have troubles at tailback. Expect WVU's meshing defense to exploit the weakness and earn a dollop of confidence. ECU may also be bruised after playing Virginia Tech in Week 1. WVU, 30-10.WVU AT COLORADO - This may be a bit tricky for WVU, which will head West on Tuesday for the Thursday night affair. Oklahoma was gassed in the fourth quarter last season in Boulder and lost 27-24. Also, Dan Hawkins, formerly of Boise State, is drooling at the prospect of beating WVU and taking his program to the next step. The bottom line, though, is the Buffs aren't, well, buff enough. Picked fourth in the Big 12 North division, Colorado won't defeat Pat White and Noel Devine. WVU, 36-23.MARSHALL AT WVU - Marshall will be improved this season. Albert McClellan is back at defensive end. Darius Passmore is a very dangerous receiver. Tight ends Cody Slate and Lee Smith are legit threats. The Mountaineers, however, should have little problem exploiting the Thundering Herd defense. WVU, 40-20.RUTGERS AT WVU - The Scarlet Knights have some studs. Wideouts Tiquan Underwood and Kenny Britt. Safety Courtney Greene. Mike Teel has turned into a very nice quarterback. But RU has to replace three offensive linemen - let alone the school's best tailback ever in Ray Rice. That plays nicely into the proverbial hands of West Virginia. The only problem is, it's a noon game and the Mountaineer fans may not be lathered up. WVU, 35-21.SYRACUSE AT WVU - I really, really like this kid Andrew Robinson, who plays quarterback for the Orange. He's tough. He's steady. After that? Well, my mom said not to say anything if you don't have anything nice to say. To this very moment I'm stunned SU coach Greg Robinson kept his job. For White and company, it's bombs away. WVU, 52-21.AUBURN AT WVU - This will be West Virginia's toughest game of the season. Heck, it could be one of the best in college football this season. Don't be surprised if it's a Thursday night matchup of Top 5 teams. The problem for the hosts is they've been more than hospitable recently in big home games. Pitt last year. South Florida in 2006. Virginia Tech in 2005. Auburn will be able to keep up with WVU's speed. What could tip the scales in WVU's favor, though, is White. For him, an Alabama native, the game will be personal. WVU, 28-24.WVU AT CONNECTICUT - UConn coach Randy Edsall and his Huskies are on a mission to prove last season's Big East shared title with WVU wasn't a fluke. Tough, though, after the Mountaineers beat the Huskies - 66-21 - like they were in the Iditarod. At Rentschler Field in November, Connecticut's defense will fare better. Quarterback Tyler Lorenzen, 6-foot-5, will keep the game relatively close. But the Mountaineers are still the class of the Big East. WVU, 34-21.CINCINNATI AT WVU - Cincinnati has been a more-than-respectable Big East team of late. The Bearcats have solid offensive and defensive lines. The cornerbacks - Mike Mickens and DeAngelo Smith - are terrific. But White and Devine can perform quite nicely, thank you, without challenging those corners. On paper, WVU is a two-touchdown favorite. For some reason, though, the hunch from here is ... WVU, 49-28.WVU AT LOUISVILLE - Many people point to games against Auburn or South Florida or even Pitt as potential places for a West Virginia pratfall. My finger is pointed directly at Papa John's Cardinal Stadium in Louisville, Ky. Steve Kragthorpe is too good of a coach and the Cardinal program is too proud to be this down for long. A win over the Mountaineers would help right the UL ship. QB Hunter Cantwell is terrific. However, the U of L's offseason problems dinged the Cards just a bit too much. WVU, 38-35.WVU AT PITT - Dave Wannstedt wouldn't stop smiling for the rest of his days if he derailed White in his senior season and a highly rated WVU team for the second year in a row. Too, the coach has a lethal weapon in tailback LeSean McCoy. Offensive line? McCoy doesn't need no stinkin' offensive line. But maybe, just maybe, WVU will run a few crossing routes this time around to loosen the Panthers defense. (Brilliant!) And Devine won't be bottled up on Heinz Field. WVU, 42-33.SOUTH FLORIDA AT WVU - Again, that home-field-big-game concern sneaks into play. Throw in the Jim-Leavitt-has-WVU's-number and the USF-has-loads-of-talent concerns and you've got a close, exciting showdown for the Big East title. The opinion from here, though, is that, from top to bottom, West Virginia has a smidge more talent. And if I'm picking sides, I'm taking White over Matt Grothe at the end of the game. Especially with a national title shot on the line. WVU, 36-24.
Yes, Mountaineers fans, this is your year. Enjoy.
Final record: 12-0, national championship game or BCS bowl.
Reach Mitch Vingle at 348-4827 or mitchvin...@wvgazette.com.
I'M GOING to lay my tarot cards on the table.
Trying to predict West Virginia's football season is like trying to predict which way Noel Devine will cut.
See Pitt and Oklahoma last season. See, shoot, results from almost any season.
As America's foremost football fortunate teller, however, I've done OK. In the last five years, my season Mountaineer predictions have been off by seven games. That's an average miss of 1.4 games. Not great, but certainly above the curve.
Now, though, it's time to knock that hanging curve out of the park.
Time to revert back to 2003, when I predicted the Mountaineers' record on the nose.
Time to get back to perfection.
VILLANOVA AT WVU - Villanova has a terrific coach in Andy Talley. The Wildcats are ranked No. 21 in the preseason Sports Network poll for the group formerly known as Division I-AA. Talley's defense is a veteran group, which should provide a nice tune-up for the No. 8 Mountaineers. Just don't expect Villanova to pull off an opening day upset as peer Appalachian State did last season. For West Virginia is not Michigan. WVU, 48-17.WVU AT EAST CAROLINA - East Carolina has rarely been a pushover for West Virginia and it won't be in this game. Until, that is, late in the contest. The Pirates have a nice QB combo of Patrick Pinkney and Rob Kass, but have troubles at tailback. Expect WVU's meshing defense to exploit the weakness and earn a dollop of confidence. ECU may also be bruised after playing Virginia Tech in Week 1. WVU, 30-10.WVU AT COLORADO - This may be a bit tricky for WVU, which will head West on Tuesday for the Thursday night affair. Oklahoma was gassed in the fourth quarter last season in Boulder and lost 27-24. Also, Dan Hawkins, formerly of Boise State, is drooling at the prospect of beating WVU and taking his program to the next step. The bottom line, though, is the Buffs aren't, well, buff enough. Picked fourth in the Big 12 North division, Colorado won't defeat Pat White and Noel Devine. WVU, 36-23.MARSHALL AT WVU - Marshall will be improved this season. Albert McClellan is back at defensive end. Darius Passmore is a very dangerous receiver. Tight ends Cody Slate and Lee Smith are legit threats. The Mountaineers, however, should have little problem exploiting the Thundering Herd defense. WVU, 40-20.RUTGERS AT WVU - The Scarlet Knights have some studs. Wideouts Tiquan Underwood and Kenny Britt. Safety Courtney Greene. Mike Teel has turned into a very nice quarterback. But RU has to replace three offensive linemen - let alone the school's best tailback ever in Ray Rice. That plays nicely into the proverbial hands of West Virginia. The only problem is, it's a noon game and the Mountaineer fans may not be lathered up. WVU, 35-21.SYRACUSE AT WVU - I really, really like this kid Andrew Robinson, who plays quarterback for the Orange. He's tough. He's steady. After that? Well, my mom said not to say anything if you don't have anything nice to say. To this very moment I'm stunned SU coach Greg Robinson kept his job. For White and company, it's bombs away. WVU, 52-21.AUBURN AT WVU - This will be West Virginia's toughest game of the season. Heck, it could be one of the best in college football this season. Don't be surprised if it's a Thursday night matchup of Top 5 teams. The problem for the hosts is they've been more than hospitable recently in big home games. Pitt last year. South Florida in 2006. Virginia Tech in 2005. Auburn will be able to keep up with WVU's speed. What could tip the scales in WVU's favor, though, is White. For him, an Alabama native, the game will be personal. WVU, 28-24.WVU AT CONNECTICUT - UConn coach Randy Edsall and his Huskies are on a mission to prove last season's Big East shared title with WVU wasn't a fluke. Tough, though, after the Mountaineers beat the Huskies - 66-21 - like they were in the Iditarod. At Rentschler Field in November, Connecticut's defense will fare better. Quarterback Tyler Lorenzen, 6-foot-5, will keep the game relatively close. But the Mountaineers are still the class of the Big East. WVU, 34-21.CINCINNATI AT WVU - Cincinnati has been a more-than-respectable Big East team of late. The Bearcats have solid offensive and defensive lines. The cornerbacks - Mike Mickens and DeAngelo Smith - are terrific. But White and Devine can perform quite nicely, thank you, without challenging those corners. On paper, WVU is a two-touchdown favorite. For some reason, though, the hunch from here is ... WVU, 49-28.WVU AT LOUISVILLE - Many people point to games against Auburn or South Florida or even Pitt as potential places for a West Virginia pratfall. My finger is pointed directly at Papa John's Cardinal Stadium in Louisville, Ky. Steve Kragthorpe is too good of a coach and the Cardinal program is too proud to be this down for long. A win over the Mountaineers would help right the UL ship. QB Hunter Cantwell is terrific. However, the U of L's offseason problems dinged the Cards just a bit too much. WVU, 38-35.WVU AT PITT - Dave Wannstedt wouldn't stop smiling for the rest of his days if he derailed White in his senior season and a highly rated WVU team for the second year in a row. Too, the coach has a lethal weapon in tailback LeSean McCoy. Offensive line? McCoy doesn't need no stinkin' offensive line. But maybe, just maybe, WVU will run a few crossing routes this time around to loosen the Panthers defense. (Brilliant!) And Devine won't be bottled up on Heinz Field. WVU, 42-33.SOUTH FLORIDA AT WVU - Again, that home-field-big-game concern sneaks into play. Throw in the Jim-Leavitt-has-WVU's-number and the USF-has-loads-of-talent concerns and you've got a close, exciting showdown for the Big East title. The opinion from here, though, is that, from top to bottom, West Virginia has a smidge more talent. And if I'm picking sides, I'm taking White over Matt Grothe at the end of the game. Especially with a national title shot on the line. WVU, 36-24.Yes, Mountaineers fans, this is your year. Enjoy.
Final record: 12-0, national championship game or BCS bowl.
Reach Mitch Vingle at 348-4827 or mitchvin...@wvgazette.com.
