Going Forward...And Looking Back

Ivan Maisel has an interesting soapbox moment on ESPN.com. If the link confuses you, here it is:

"There's a lot of skepticism, bordering on condescension, about West Virginia. The Mountaineers went 11-1 last season. They beat SEC champion Georgia 38-35 in the Sugar Bowl. They have 15 returning starters, including a quarterback, sophomore Pat White, and a tailback, Steve Slaton, who are as good a one-two punch as there is in the nation.

And people all but hold their nose when they talk about them.

Look, the Mountaineers have an inexperienced defense. I can list plenty of reasons they won't repeat their success of a season ago (even though they do have a soft schedule). But I can give you plenty of reasons why a lot of teams won't be successful this year. It's that kind of season.

The disdain fans have for the Big East is palpable, and ridiculous where West Virginia is concerned. The last time the Mountaineers played, they beat the SEC champion. Some argued that Georgia didn't have a good night or that West Virginia would never survive a season full of an SEC or Big Ten schedule.

My guess is these are the same people who, on other days, complain that we need a playoff so the championship will be decided on the field.

West Virginia did achieve on the field. The Mountaineers should be accorded the respect that comes from the record they had last season. The offense should be lauded and/or feared, depending upon one's allegiance, for what it may achieve this season. If West Virginia falters, I will be the first to admit the Mountaineers are overrated.

But until then, West Virginia deserves to be taken seriously."

It's an interesting double standard that Meisel brings up. All the excuses in the world were used after West Virginia shocked the bejesus out of all of us by beating big bad Georgia in the Sugar Bowl. And considering that if that game had lasted five more minutes the Bulldogs might have won, some of those excuses might be legitimate. But hey, the Mountaineers used their smallish skill players on offense and took advantage of some matchup problems they saw, and that was that.

The problem now with West Virginia is that they can't hide anymore. Nobody, and I mean nobody took the Big East seriously all season long and as a result, thought Georgia was going to walk all over WVU. Perhaps, the Georgia players themselves didn't quite know what they were in for during that first half.

But just like Meisel says, West Virginia does in fact deserve to be taken seriously. And as the reigning champion of the Sugar Bowl, they will be. And therein lies the problem. The East Carolinas, Mississippi States, and Louisvilles of the world aren't going to come into a game with West Virginia thinking they can just throw their helmets on the field and win handily. Heck, even Connecticut with the right game plan and just enough juice from the home crowd could produce a fairly large upset.

Whenever an offense finds success with a new formation...or a new substitution pattern...or whatever, there's going to be a boatload of coaches staying up all night trying to find a defense that will stop it. You can bet that's what the Bobby Petrinos and Sylvester Crooms are doing right now. And if West Virginia drops one of those road games, that's why...not because last season was a fluke.