November 6th to November 26th….thats the pattern we’re used to.  So many things on the brain today makes for a sampler plate.

- Starting with the personal, it was good to get back after a short but overly adventurous trip to Charlotte.  While a lot of productive work got done, it was all offset by the barfing on the trip to Richmond at 35,000 feet.  Several dozen hurls, many hours in the ER, and an extra day later I’m back home to recuperate & crash.  Many thanks to my wonderful in-laws for bringing out Thanksgiving dinner on their own accord, reversing the plan for us to go out there.

- Foreshadowing of sorts: I thought about plugging into the Charlotte-Douglas wifi and dropping a quick update here since folks know that my mood is often reflected by the amount of posts (or non-posts) here.  Upon reflection it was ditched, since an update of “I’m still here….haven’t died or anything” minutes before boarding an aircraft is basically pissing in the face of karma.  Who knew an hour later I would feel like I was dying?

- It’s been a tough year mentally, so it’s a good thing that the increasingly early start to Christmas has put me in somewhat better spirits.  Sirius kicked off their non-stop music channel on the 19th, and driving back from Pittsburgh Wednesday it felt good to hear the familiar strains of capitalist happiness.

- The tree is up, the house lights are strung, and the outdoor figures are stuck in the ground.  Real pisser that the figures light up but the house lights don’t, especially when they all worked earlier in the day.

- Went to see a new set of lights yesterday, and I now have my favorite display in the region…second favorite to McAdenville, NC.  Overly’s Country Christmas in Greensburg, PA is a nice combination of a drive-thru light display and a country-style village.  The driving path wasn’t tacky type decorations and the village had a wonderful winter feel.  Horse-drawn wagon/sleigh rides, a nativity with live animals, a big bonfire, an intricate model train display, damn fine hot chocolate, and of course Santa’s workshop.  I’d recommend it to anyone, even with the 1.5 hour drive from Morgantown.

- I mentioned that the work trip was productive.  It’s been quite a few months since I was able to sit in a meeting and really feel like I was making a contribution.  Adding solid, well informed information confidently is something I’ve been missing of late, but fortunately there’s some upcoming projects where my prior experience pays off.  Finally.

- I never thought I’d see the day: the West Virginia University Mountaineers are ranked #1 in this week’s coaches poll for 1-A football.  The writers put us #2 (what do they know anyway?) and we’re #2 in the BCS.

- I never thought I’d see the day again: for the first time since January 1, 1989 the West Virginia University Mountaineers are expected to play for the national title.  If they beat Oklahoma this weekend Missouri will be the title opponent.  If Oklahoma wins, Ohio State is expected to be in the way.

- The pasting of UConn that wrapped up our fifth Big East title (two outright and two shared with this year TBD) was eerily reminiscent of our 80-7 pasting of Rutgers in Coach Rod’s first year.  Even the fourth string was putting sevens on the board.

- WVU Sports Golden Era update: in addition to the above mentioned football team, other sports are doing well.  Men’s and women’s soccer are hosting NCAA tourney games, women’s basketball is ranked nationally, and men’s basketball is successfully navigating the new coach transition.  Huggin’s boys put up a good fight and damn near won a game they weren’t supposed to against Tennessee last Friday.

- Not all my teams can be winners.  The Carolina Panthers are 4-7, losers of four straight after a 34-6 rout by New Orleans. They have no quarterbacks, no running backs, no offensive line, the best receiver is hurt, and the defense is highly overrated.  Oh well, can’t have it all.

From my experiences with RFPs this is so true…..

- Good news on the allergy front – Ethan’s peanut test welt is much smaller than last year.  Vindication that our Nazi-like “Zero Tolerance” attitude towards peanut exposure is working.  Obviously it’s way too soon to say he’s going to outgrow it (and the statistics aren’t very supportive) but it’s nice to get some good news about the allergy for a change.

- Is there a real point to Daylight Savings Time anymore? The switching of clocks twice a year is a ridiculous hassle that seems to do little other than confuse people semi-annually, force me to remember how to reset all the clocks, and screw up the kid’s sleeping schedules.

- Winter is on the way. While not measurable, the forecast calls for a chance of rain/snow shower mix into tonight, then off and on throughout the week. I’m sure the ground is still 10-15 degrees too warm to support sticking, but its a good sign. We had a terrible winter last year accumulation-wise, so perhaps an early November start will be a good sign.

- Despite two higher ranked teams losing, WVU stays #7 in the BCS by having both Missouri AND Kansas leapfrog. What the hell?

- Finally, good luck to Warren in his Charlotte city council elections today.  I’ll have my PC on in the background tonight with the Meck BOE website streaming results, waiting for the good news!

Moving into a quasi “bye” weekend to start November marks a great time to reflect on the 2007 Mountaineer season that is 75% complete, as well as the 25% remaining. Eight games have been played, with four scheduled games to go. (Although game number five – a bowl – is basically a given.) Currently WVU sits 7-1 overall and 2-1 in conference, good for second place outright – a game behind UConn and a 1/2 game up on Rutgers & Louisville.

The Good: For the most part, WVU has looked pretty good for much of the season. Some opponents like Marshall & Maryland put up good first half fights, but ultimately none of the wins have ever been close in the second half. The best piece of good news is the play of the defense, specifically the back 3-5 of the 3-3-5. While the difference in rushing yards allowed per game has only increased eight yards, the passing yards allowed per game have dropped significantly from from 243 to 161. The D is also more active in sacks and turnovers this year compared to 2006. In 2007 21 sacks have been recorded vs. 31 in all 13 games last season. 11 passes have already been picked compared to 16 all last year, and the 11 fumble recoveries have already surpassed the 2006 total of 8. The defense as a whole is much more athletic and experienced than last year, and it shows. Total yardage defense is down to 262 each game instead of 337 (3rd best in the nation) and total scoring has dropped from 22 points each game to 15 (4th best in the nation).

Even with replacing two long time starters, the offensive line has still paved the way for the outstanding runners on this team to average nearly 298 yards per game, good for 2nd in the nation. And while no one will mistake this group for a passing team, the 173 passing yards each game is a 15 yard improvement to 2006. Penalties are down, both the number (5.5 vs. 6.85) and the yardage (47.5 vs. 66.69) every game. Even with the ugly game at South Florida in September, WVU is tied for 3rd in the nation for turnover margin at +1.38…much better than the +.54 of a year ago. Individually, new faces are one the scene contributing. Everyone knows Steve Slaton & Pat White, plus the supporting cast of Darius Reynaud and Owen Schmitt. This year junior wideout Dorrell Jalloh has become a steady receiver and better blocker, and freshmen Brandon Hogan, Noel Devine, and Jock Sanders have dazzled in limited action.

When the offense is on there’s not a more dominant or explosive bunch out there, and the defense is a welcome improvement.

The Bad: Say it with me now….[Take a deep breath] what the hell happened at South Florida??? The cluster of zits on an otherwise supermodel of a season, that South Florida game remains quite the pockmark on all the accomplishments. In a classic case of “if we know then what we knew now…” Mountaineer fans may look back for years to come wondering what might have been if the final score was different. The game dissolved into a nightmare for WVU – six turnovers including a pick-six and an interception in the end zone, 90 total rushing yards for Slaton & White, multiple high snaps, bad penalties at key moments, and a thigh bruise to White that may or may not be fully healed. Despite all this, the Mountaineers still had a chance to force overtime on the final drive by getting a touchdown and two-point conversion. It was not to be, and WVU limped out of Tampa with a 21-13 loss. The national rankings fell to 13 on the same weekend that teams #3 and 4 would drop. Instead of assuming a major role in national title talk the Mountaineers were left to pick up the pieces, move on in the Big East race, and hope for the teams ahead to fall.

Injuries to the stars has also been a problem, especially to White. In addition to the thigh bruise, Pat has been nursing a sore shoulder/chest muscle from the Syracuse game. Even though he has played every game this season when he probably shouldn’t have, the extent of the injuries continues to be a question. Keilein Dykes and Darius Reynaud have also been hurting throughout the year.

Given the blowouts this year, particularly second half surges, one would think that backups would be getting more chances to play and get experience. This hasn’t been the case, though. Slaton, Schmitt, and pre-injury White could be found in the huddle during 4th quarter mopups that should be handled by Devine/Sanders, Max Anderson, and Jarrett Brown. In fact, I argue that Pat should not have seen the field at all in Syracuse. He is key to the Mountaineer fortunes, and if Jarrett was good enough to beat a one loss Rutgers on national TV last year he’s good enough to dismantle the hapless Orange. Defensively, graduation figures to ravage the starting lineup. There has been a decent rotation during live action, but next year will be a big unknown. Will the defensive backfield struggle again?

The Outlook: Despite all commentary to the contrary, I continue to look to the Louisville game as the toughest remaining test. We all know how bad the defense has been for this former C-USA power, so it stands to reason that the home side of the Mountaineer Field scoreboard may short out a few bulbs. However, Brian Brohm is still at the controls of the Louisville offense and the good guy’s defense has yet to face a truly competent offense. The stats indicate a defensive revival in Morgantown, something that pleases us all. The question remains, though, how much the revival is a reflection of improved defense or crappy opposition. Western Michigan, Marshall, Maryland, East Carolina, South Florida, Syracuse, Mississippi State, Rutgers – not exactly high-flying.

Even with Mario Urrutia and Harry Douglas on roster, the receiver who worries me the most is Scott King.  I haven’t watched a ton of UL footage this year, but it always seems like he’s catching those sit down routes underneath a zone or in the soft spots.  He looks like a good possession style receiver who doesn’t make the “Big Catch” but consistently runs routes beyond the sticks.  The struggles Louisville have had this year don’t rest on Brohm’s arm, so they’re still a threat to score.  Their defense remains the key.

Saying all this, I don’t think that this one will be in doubt in the 4th quarter.   The defense looked bad against Middle Tennessee State earlier, and it looks just as bad today.  Having a wounded D come to Mountaineer Field on a Thursday night is akin to sharks with chum in the water.  The Cards will get their yards and points, but not enough to pull the upset.  WVU 37, UL 28.

After that I think WVU should cruise through the rest of the schedule, knocking off UConn along the way to win the Big East title outright.  Mythical National Championship talk is way too premature since there’s five other teams that need to get out of the way, not to mention four or five that need to stay behind.  Regardless, the conference title is an auto-bid to the BCS and a trip to either Miami, New Orleans, Phoenix, or Pasadena.  Personally I’d love to see a bid to the Rose Bowl, and it could happen with Ohio State, Oregon, and Arizona State so high in the current BCS standings.  An at-large bid to the Grandaddy to play Oregon would easily be the most entertaining game of the bowl season.

Wherever the final destination is, a WVU team finishing 12-1 would have to be considered quite successful even without holding the MNC.  That would result in three straight seasons of 11-plus wins, three consecutive bowl wins, five straight New Years Day or better bowls, and four conference championships in five years.  Only Pappy Lewis’ teams of the 1950’s have a better conference legacy (five titles in six years) and no other set of teams in Mountaineer history have won games at this pace.

N ow to see if it all comes true.