WVU @ Halfway Point - How will they do?

[DBAR4WVU]

WVU has made it to the half-way point in the season and has a respectable 4-2 mark.
Two tough fought wins against 'Bama and OK. Should be talking about a split (1-1), but reality is a bitch.

With 6 more to go, some of them against very good teams, how does WVU finish?

..........................Ranks.....................................................
Team...Record......Off . Def.........Results
WVU.... 4-2, 2-1.... 8 66........... Wins=MD, TT, Loss=Bama, OK

...BU....... 6-0, 3-0.... 1 10.......... Wins = TX, TCU
@OK St... 5-1, 3-0.... 62 54......... Wins=TT, Loss=FSU
...TCU..... 4-1, 1-1.... 15 56......... Wins=OK, Loss=BU
@TX....... 2-4, 1-2.... 109 17........ Loss=BYU, UCLA, BU, OK
...K St..... 4-1, 2-0.... 44 15........ Wins=TT, Loss=AU
@I St...... 2-4, 0-3.... 112 99........ Wins=Iw, Toledo, Loss=K St, BU, OK St

Baylor offense needs no description - scary. D looks awesome - but other than TCU, who?
OK St: lost to FSU - who hasn't. Only win is against TT. Rankings not strong to date.
TCU: beat OK and lost to BU. Almost a mirror of WVU. Tough one.
TX: Pretty brutal schedule. Offense is attrocious, Defense is every bit as good as K St and Baylor.
K St: Only loss to Auburn. Only win is against TT. Defense looks scary, but have few quality opponents
I St: Beat Iowa - lost to everyone else - K St and OK st, BU. Rankings are horrible.

I see a path to 4 wins: OK St, TX, K St and I St. Being @ TX and OK St scares me a bit, but we match up well. I think if our team continues to execute and can improve in a few trouble areas - we win these.

Baylor and TCU are going to be tough IMO. We get Baylor at home so that is a plus. They have us +8 today. Their #1 ranked Off against our # 66 Defense? Scares the p-p right outta me. But our Offense against their Defense? Not sure I buy their #10 ranking - against who? TCU is good, but they gave up 58 pts. Could be another 70-63 shootout....

Then there is TCU.... as I said, almost a mirror image of us, only they beat Oklahoma. Again, thank God we get them at home. This will be a toe-to-toe, smash mouth affair. I am looking forward to this one.

So if we can win the 4 we should win and split the other 2 - WVU looks good in the post season bowls.
Going out on a limb with 5-1 prediction.

 

[DBAR4WVU]

OK - right off the bat..... it should say above:

two hard fought LOSSES

my bad

 

[Mac_Bridger]

WVU finishes 7-5. We'll pick up wins against Iowa State and Texas, then one nice upset. Okie Jr is a good candidate, and I think K State may be as well. The only one I can't see us winning is this week vs Baylor.

 

[Anotherwvufan]

My prediction is 4-2 with our losses to Texas and Okie State.

 

[bbwvfan]

I think WVU can go 3-3. Wins over Texas, Okie St and ISU.

Hoping they go 4-2.

Won't be surprised if they go 2-4.

 

[DBAR4WVU]

Yes, tough to call. So many intangibles to consider that could impact our performance or our opponents. We could end up 9-3 or 6-6. You have to figure a game will come where WVU does not execute well and loses to a team they shouldn't. But there is also the same likelihood that they execute flawlessly in a game and beat someone they shouldn't. We had both happen last season.
Who the hell knows what will happen - but it's fun to ponder....

 

[DBAR4WVU]

I think WVU can go 3-3. Wins over Texas, Okie St and ISU.

Hoping they go 4-2.

Won't be surprised if they go 2-4.

Add Baylor to your win list!

Now K State and TCU LOOM LARGE as our challenges ahead.
After Texas struggled against IW ST and the way TCU shutdown OK ST (take notes WVU DC), I think we catch a huge break having both K St and TCU at home. As I said last week - TCU is a mirror of us - maybe a bit better on D. That will be a barn-burner (hopefully a couch burner as well).

So after yesterday - I am sticking with my 5-1 prediction for the rest of the season.

 

[Mac_Bridger]

Texas has played everyone tough though. Don't overlook the horns.

 

[mad2mc]

Texas has played everyone tough though. Don't overlook the horns.

Always liked Charlie Strong. He got rid of some players that didn't /wouldn't / couldn't fit/ buy into his program. Reminiscent to RR.

 

[bbwvfan]

Add Baylor to your win list!

Now K State and TCU LOOM LARGE as our challenges ahead.
After Texas struggled against IW ST and the way TCU shutdown OK ST (take notes WVU DC), I think we catch a huge break having both K St and TCU at home. As I said last week - TCU is a mirror of us - maybe a bit better on D. That will be a barn-burner (hopefully a couch burner as well).

So after yesterday - I am sticking with my 5-1 prediction for the rest of the season.

Yep.

I was talking to Slaton10 last night… which is like talking to myself… but, we both agreed that each of the remaining games is winnable.

WVU has its flaws. Every team has its flaws.

But, WVU did something yesterday they hadn't done under Dana. Beat a top 5 ranked team with defense. IMO, the play of the defense at the end of the TT game allowed the coaches and players to be confident heading into the Baylor game that they could play aggressive… and leave their corners on an island. At the end of the TT game, Gibby brought pressure. It worked beautifully. Their success against a great TT O-line helped the staff develop an aggressive game plan for BU. Thankfully, Dana has recruited the kind of talent he needs to compete against the best of the Big 12. WVU won the BU game because of the depth of talent he has brought to Motown.

There is not another team left on the schedule with as good an offense as BU. There is not another defense left on the schedule that is going to be able to shut down the WVU offense. Texas has the best pass defense of the remaining teams.

Should be fun watching this team go. Ain't it great to be relevant again?

And, when is the last time you watched WVU's CB's play press coverage the whole game? Man… it was great to watch!

 

[GoldRusher]

Very interesting spot this week in Stillwater (3:30 on ESPN BTW). The cowboys are coming off a nasty beatdown at the hands of TCU. I think the QB injury is catching up to them but regardless, we are going to get their best shot. They will be focused from the ugly loss and wanting a little payback from last year too so... no rest for our Mounties.


I think there are too many variables from week to week to to do anything other than guess but I think barring injuries we are looking pretty good for a bowl game and with some breaks maybe even sneaking in a conference title. IMO Texas is getting better every week and will be pretty tough by the time we get them down there, TCU is for real but we DO get them in Morgantown as well as KState. I think ISU is not a sure thing unless they get some injuries as well, not the most talented but scrappy enough to beat us if we aren't on our A game.
Still a tall order to run the table for this team but THIS year??? Who knows?

 

[DBAR4WVU]

Texas has played everyone tough though. Don't overlook the horns.

Texas D is strong and tough. They will stuff you if you don't keep them guessing. Their offense is struggling. I think it will be a tough game and WVU will need to keep focused.

 

[DBAR4WVU]

Two more critical games in the record book and WVU is still in charge of it's own destiny.

...BU....... 6-1, 3-1.... WV 41 - BU 27
@OK St... 5-3, 3-2.... WV 34 - OSU 10
...TCU..... 6-1, 3-1....
@TX....... 3-5, 2-3....
...K St..... 6-1, 4-0....
@I St...... 2-5, 0-4....

TCU and K St loom larger than ever now. Both at home and both in the national spotlight.
Game Day back in the hills to cover what should be a battle to behold. If we win against TCU....
K State coming to town will be for all the marbles and a BIG12 title (if we continue to win the ones we should win). Every single game is key contest. I think it is safe to say the playoff is out of bounds for WVU even if we win the conference. But a top 10 finish is there.

 

[Mac_Bridger]

Two more critical games in the record book and WVU is still in charge of it's own destiny.

...BU....... 6-1, 3-1.... WV 41 - BU 27
@OK St... 5-3, 3-2.... WV 34 - OSU 10
...TCU..... 6-1, 3-1....
@TX....... 3-5, 2-3....
...K St..... 6-1, 4-0....
@I St...... 2-5, 0-4....

TCU and K St loom larger than ever now. Both at home and both in the national spotlight.
Game Day back in the hills to cover what should be a battle to behold. If we win against TCU....
K State coming to town will be for all the marbles and a BIG12 title (if we continue to win the ones we should win). Every single game is key contest. I think it is safe to say the playoff is out of bounds for WVU even if we win the conference. But a top 10 finish is there.

I don't know... If Bama could somehow win the SEC, I think we could slide in to the playoff if we win out. 2 losses to two quality teams, early on... It's an outside shot, but it's there. Besides, Luck is on the committee.

 

[DBAR4WVU]

Sorry - as much as I would like to believe, as long as there is an SEC 2-loss team - they trump us. I don't agree, but the bias is real and it is all over, not just at ESPN and CBS.....

Now if the 2nd tier in the SEC is full of 3-loss teams and WVU wins the B12 at 10-2, then maybe we get a slot. MAYBE.

 

[DBAR4WVU]

With 2 games to go, the odds are not in WVUs favor for much of anything to happen except a possible mid-level bowl. And I think we need to win out for that to happen. Looking more and more like 3-3 is likely.

...BU....... 6-1, 3-1.... WV 41 - BU 27
@OK St... 5-3, 3-2.... WV 34 - OSU 10
...TCU..... 6-1, 3-1.... WV 30 - TCU 31
@TX....... 3-5, 2-3.... WV 16 - UT 33
...K St..... 6-1, 4-0.... ?
@I St...... 2-5, 0-4....?

Can WV beat K St? Yes, sure they can. If they play like they are capable of, they can beat just about anyone. But with the recent issue with turnovers and the inability to score in the red zone - it is not looking like an upset is in the cards. K St is well coached and plays disciplined football on both sides of the ball. They rarely make mistakes. Few turnovers, penalties... they don't give up many big plays. This is not a team that will give you much. You have to take it.

I am throwing out my original 5-1 predcition (it was thrown out for me with the 2 losses).
If we are lucky, 3-3 finish is possible to finish 7-5.
Better than what I expected at the beginning of the season (6-6) but not what
I was hoping for (9-3) after seeing the level of play this team was capable of.

All in all - after the last two seasons, this season held a lot of promise and is a promise of a better future.

 

[Anotherwvufan]

My prediction is 4-2 with our losses to Texas and Okie State.

WE should have beat TCU. I was right about Texas. Okie State is not the same team without their first team QB.

Speaking of that I love the sports talk that Florida States win over Okie State is now meaningless. They did not play the same team as we did and Okie State would most likely be in a much better position without thier injuries this year.

 

[Mac_Bridger]

My 7-5 call is looking pretty good. I'd rather they prove me wrong...

 

[bbwvfan]

Hopefully WVU gets the win on Saturday, my 3-3 record has a chance...