MORGANTOWN - Cleaning out a crowded notebook and a cluttered mind while wondering what it takes to sell out a Colorado football game:
The smart money on Pat White's immediate future beyond his senior year at West Virginia has him fighting for a spot on an NFL roster or reviving his baseball career. And beyond that?
"I want to coach,'' White said.
But don't count on seeing White pacing a college sideline near you.
"I don't know if I want to coach at this level. It's pretty time-consuming,'' he said. "You definitely have to love the sport to coach at this level. And thinking about my family - if I'm lucky enough to have a family and raise kids - I want to be there for my kids, have time for them.''
Before anyone jumps the Big East ship, keep in mind that here's how quickly perceptions can change:
On Friday, the league's football image was as wrecked as at any time since the Miami-Virginia Tech exit. Rutgers had just been drilled by North Carolina to fall to 0-2, West Virginia was still reeling from a loss to East Carolina, Connecticut was 2-0 but had to go to overtime to beat Temple, Pitt had been embarrassed at home by Bowling Green, Cincinnati gave up 52 points to Oklahoma, Louisville couldn't score against Kentucky and Syracuse was, well, Syracuse. The Big East had combined for three wins over Division I-A opponents, and two of those were Temple and Buffalo, plus South Florida's overtime escape against Central Florida.
But then South Florida beat Kansas and moved to No. 12 in the polls, Connecticut beat Virginia almost as badly as No. 1 USC did and West Virginia moved up four spots to No. 21 while sitting at home. If the Mountaineers win at Colorado Thursday, the Big East will have beaten two Big 12 teams and an ACC team in seven days. Louisville also has a shot against Kansas State tonight, and Pitt plays Iowa at home Saturday.
The league could, of course, lay an egg in those three games and be right back where it started. In that case, forget what we just talked about.
But imagine, for a moment, two or three wins in those upcoming games. How hard would it be to argue superiority over the Big 12 (4-0 in the space of eight days with wins by WVU and Louisville)? Even in spite of North Carolina's win over Rutgers, it's already hard to make a case that the ACC is better than the Big East. Meanwhile, the Pac 10 is reeling from embarrassing losses by UCLA and Arizona State, and the Big Ten from pitiful performances by its flagship programs, Ohio State and Michigan.
In other words, it's still early, folks.
Reach Dave Hickman at 348-1734 or dphickm...@aol.com.
MORGANTOWN - Cleaning out a crowded notebook and a cluttered mind while wondering what it takes to sell out a Colorado football game:
As of Tuesday, there were still 2,000 tickets left for Thursday's game between Colorado and West Virginia in Boulder. A year ago, Florida State visited Folsom Field and that one didn't sell out either. Yet CU coach Dan Hawkins still wants to enclose one end of the stadium with additional seats.
Go figure.
Speaking of CU, what's that about anyway?
I realize this has been going on for ages, but I never paid it any attention until a year ago when Marshall was playing Tulsa and someone pointed out that the preferred abbreviation for the University of Tulsa is not UT, but TU. Then West Virginia played the University of Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl and I realized that OU was bass ackwards, too. And now comes the University of Colorado and CU.
Must be a West-of-the-Mississippi thing. Maybe I can find out during the CU-UWV game on Thursday.
Every time I write something about Bill Stewart's reluctance to make a big deal out of the altitude problems playing in Colorado, the e-mailers come out of the woodwork. They relate personal stories of the difficulties they've faced adapting to altitude and begging someone - anyone, please - to convey the seriousness of the situation to West Virginia's coach.
Well, Stewart knows all about high altitude and the effect it can have. He also knows how to deal with it as far as arriving early to acclimate to the change, hydrating in advance, all that stuff.
But he also knows that short of going a week early, there's not much else you can do beyond what he and his staff have done. And if he makes it a big deal, his players will get it into their heads that it's a big deal. And that's not a good idea.
As long as it's being talked about, though, why not plant a seed for next year, when Colorado has to come to West Virginia?
"They'll be taxed, but you get tired in every football game,'' Stewart said, referring to Thursday's game in Boulder. "Try [playing in] the Southeast. Try this humidity here when Indian summer sets in. Wait until next year when Colorado comes back here and that old Indian summer sets in. They'll think, 'Whoa, I like that dry climate.' We're used to the humidity.''
The smart money on Pat White's immediate future beyond his senior year at West Virginia has him fighting for a spot on an NFL roster or reviving his baseball career. And beyond that?
"I want to coach,'' White said.
But don't count on seeing White pacing a college sideline near you.
"I don't know if I want to coach at this level. It's pretty time-consuming,'' he said. "You definitely have to love the sport to coach at this level. And thinking about my family - if I'm lucky enough to have a family and raise kids - I want to be there for my kids, have time for them.''
Before anyone jumps the Big East ship, keep in mind that here's how quickly perceptions can change:
On Friday, the league's football image was as wrecked as at any time since the Miami-Virginia Tech exit. Rutgers had just been drilled by North Carolina to fall to 0-2, West Virginia was still reeling from a loss to East Carolina, Connecticut was 2-0 but had to go to overtime to beat Temple, Pitt had been embarrassed at home by Bowling Green, Cincinnati gave up 52 points to Oklahoma, Louisville couldn't score against Kentucky and Syracuse was, well, Syracuse. The Big East had combined for three wins over Division I-A opponents, and two of those were Temple and Buffalo, plus South Florida's overtime escape against Central Florida.
But then South Florida beat Kansas and moved to No. 12 in the polls, Connecticut beat Virginia almost as badly as No. 1 USC did and West Virginia moved up four spots to No. 21 while sitting at home. If the Mountaineers win at Colorado Thursday, the Big East will have beaten two Big 12 teams and an ACC team in seven days. Louisville also has a shot against Kansas State tonight, and Pitt plays Iowa at home Saturday.
The league could, of course, lay an egg in those three games and be right back where it started. In that case, forget what we just talked about.
But imagine, for a moment, two or three wins in those upcoming games. How hard would it be to argue superiority over the Big 12 (4-0 in the space of eight days with wins by WVU and Louisville)? Even in spite of North Carolina's win over Rutgers, it's already hard to make a case that the ACC is better than the Big East. Meanwhile, the Pac 10 is reeling from embarrassing losses by UCLA and Arizona State, and the Big Ten from pitiful performances by its flagship programs, Ohio State and Michigan.
In other words, it's still early, folks.
Reach Dave Hickman at 348-1734 or dphickm...@aol.com.
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