Most Difficult Schedule?
August 19, 2003 11:07 PM | General
August 22, 2003
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – West Virginia coach Rich Rodriguez said last Saturday that he believes this year’s schedule may be the toughest in school history.
The Mountaineers open the season at home against No. 21-ranked Wisconsin on Aug. 30, and must also play No. 15 Maryland on Sept. 20, No. 3 Miami on Oct. 2, No. 9 Virginia Tech on Oct. 22, and No. 10 Pitt on Nov. 15.
“I don’t know if anyone has researched this but it is probably one of the toughest schedules we’ve ever played here,” said Rodriguez. “I don’t know if we’ve ever had five teams in the preseason top 25 going into it. And we have a couple of them at home so that’s pretty exciting.”
Interestingly enough, Rodriguez is right.
Since 1950 when the Associated Press first began ranking teams in the preseason, West Virginia has never had a regular season schedule with five ranked teams to start the year (and never have the Mountaineers played three preseason ranked teams at home).
Two times West Virginia faced four preseason ranked teams in 1960 (No. 1 Syracuse, No. 5 Illinois, No. 7 Pitt and No. 19 Penn State) and 2002 (No. 1 Miami, No. 16 Virginia Tech, No. 21 Maryland and No. 25 Wisconsin).
Fourteen times West Virginia faced three preseason ranked teams and 19 times the Mountaineers played two teams ranked in the preseason.
| First 24 games against teams that finished the year ranked | ||
|
Pappy Lewis (2) 18. Washington & Lee (50) 3. Maryland (51) |
 |
|
|
Gene Corum (4) 16. Penn State (60) 19. Syracuse (60) 14. Syracuse (61) 17. Penn State (61) |
 |
|
|
Jim Carlen (2) 10. Penn State (67) 2. Penn State (68) |
 |
|
|
Bobby Bowden (2) 18. Penn State (70) 5. Penn State (71) |
 |
|
|
Frank Cignetti (5) 1. Pitt (76) 8. Maryland (76) 6. Kentucky (77) 8. Pitt (77) 3. Oklahoma (78) |
 |
|
|
Don Nehlen (4) 2. Pitt (80) 8. Penn State (80) 3. Penn State (81) 4. Pitt (81) |
 |
|
|
Rich Rodriguez (10) 1. Miami (01) 11. Maryland (01) 14. Syracuse (01) 18. Virginia Tech (01) 21. Boston College (01) 2. Miami (02) 13. Maryland (02) 18. Virginia Tech (02) 19. Pitt (02) 22. Virginia (02) |
 |
|
Fourteen times West Virginia had a schedule with just one preseason ranked team on it and four times it had a schedule with no preseason ranked teams; the last time being 1967 when the AP only ranked the top 10.
In two of West Virginia’s most successful campaigns in 1953 and 1988, the Mountaineers faced just one team ranked in the preseason (No. 17 Pitt in 1953 and No. 20 Penn State in 1988).
And not surprisingly, those two teams wound up playing two of the weaker schedules in school history. The 1953 Sugar Bowl squad didn’t face a single team in the regular season that finished the year ranked in the top 20 (only No. 8 rated Georgia Tech in the Sugar Bowl was ranked when the regular season ended), and the 1988 Fiesta Bowl squad wound up playing just one team during the regular season that finished the year in the top 20 (No. 13 Syracuse).
The sparsest period of competition for the Mountaineers came between 1964 and 1972 when West Virginia played just six games against teams that finished nationally ranked (all Penn State).
Having a slate full of teams ranked in the preseason doesn’t necessarily equate into a tough schedule by the end of the year, either. Take 1960 for instance. West Virginia scheduled four preseason ranked teams, but when the season ended only two of the four finished ranked in the top 20 (No. 16 Penn State and No. 19 Syracuse). That's still a tough slate, but not quite as difficult as it was predicted to be.
On the flip side, in 1956 only No. 10 Pitt and No. 18 Miami were ranked to start the year. When the season ended, Miami finished sixth, Syracuse moved all the way up to eighth, Pitt finished 15th and George Washington slipped into the top 20 at 17th.
The Mountaineers also faced four teams that finished in the top 20 in 1959 (No. 1 Syracuse, No. 12 Penn State, No. 14 USC and No. 20 Pitt); 1986 (No. 1 Penn State, No. 2 Miami, No. 19 Boston College and No. 20 Virginia Tech); 1993 (No. 13 Boston College, No. 15 Miami, No. 22 Virginia Tech and No. 24 Louisville); 1998 (No. 2 Ohio State, No. 20 Miami, No. 23 Virginia Tech and No. 25 Syracuse); and 2000 (No. 2 Miami, No. 13 Maryland, No. 18 Virginia Tech and No. 19 Pitt).
Two years ago in 2001, Coach Rich Rodriguez’ Mountaineers played five teams that finished ranked in the top 25 (No.1 Miami, No. 11 Maryland, No. 14 Syracuse, No. 18 Virginia Tech and No. 21 Boston College).
This is perhaps the most telling figure: 10 of Coach Rich Rodriguez’ first 24 games have come against teams that finished the season nationally ranked (Miami, Maryland, Syracuse, Virginia Tech and Boston College in 2001, and Miami, Maryland, Virginia Tech, Pittsburgh and Virginia in 2002).
That equals the combined total of season-ending ranked teams that Pappy Lewis (2), Gene Corum (4), Jim Carlen (2) and Bobby Bowden (2) played in their first 24 games, and exceeds the total Frank Cignetti (5) and Don Nehlen (4) combined to face in their first 24 contests.
Yes Coach, it looks like you’re on to something.
“Our schedule is pretty good,” Rodriguez said. “I don’t think there could be or should be any type of criticism for the type of schedule we play at least this year with five teams in the top 25.”
If the five preseason ranked teams finish the year in the top 25, that will mean by the time Rodriguez’ third season is finished more than 40 percent of his games as a Mountaineer coach will have come against nationally ranked teams.
It’s safe to say no other coach in school history -- Don Nehlen included -- has ever played a schedule even remotely as difficult as what Rich Rodriguez has encountered during his first three seasons at WVU.
“I think players and coaches come here to play these types of schedules and to try and meet these types of challenges,” Rodriguez said. “We’ll see what happens.”
| Regular Season Opponents in Preseason | Regular Season Opponents in Final Poll |
| 2003 3. Miami, 9. Virginia Tech, 10. Pitt, 15. Maryland, 21. Wisconsin |
??? |
| 2002 1. Miami, 16. Virginia Tech, 21. Maryland, 25. Wisconsin |
2002 2. Miami, 13. Maryland, 18. Virginia Tech, 19. Pitt |
| 2001 2. Miami, 9. Virginia Tech, 18. Notre Dame |
2001 1. Miami, 11. Maryland, 14. Syracuse, 18. Virginia Tech, 21. Boston College |
| 2000 5. Miami, 11. Virginia Tech |
2000 2. Miami, 6. Virginia Tech, 15. Notre Dame |
| 1999 12. Miami, 13. Virginia Tech |
1999 2. Virginia Tech, 15. Miami |
| 1998 1. Ohio State, 17. Syracuse |
1998 2. Ohio State, 20. Miami, 23. Virginia Tech, 25. Syracuse |
| 1997 11. Notre Dame, 13. Miami, 17. Syracuse |
1997 21. Syracuse |
| 1996 10. Syracuse, 12. Miami, 16. Virginia Tech |
1996 13. Virginia Tech, 14. Miami, 21. Syracuse |
| 1995 11. Miami, 22. Boston College, 24. Virginia Tech |
1995 10. Virginia Tech, 19. Syracuse, 20. Miami |
| 1994 4. Nebraska, 6. Miami, 22. Virginia Tech |
1994 1. Nebraska, 6. Miami, 23. Boston College |
| 1993 5. Miami, 6. Syracuse, 21. Boston College |
1993 13. Boston College, 15. Miami, 22. Virginia Tech, 24. Louisville |
| 1992 1. Miami, 8. Penn State, 10. Syracuse |
1992 3. Miami, 6. Syracuse, 21. Boston College |
| 1991 3. Miami, 7. Penn State, 25. Syracuse |
1991 1. Miami, 3. Penn State, 11. Syracuse |
| 1990 18. Pitt, 21. Penn State |
1990 11. Penn State, 14. Louisville |
| 1989 11. Penn State, 13. Syracuse, 20. Pitt |
1989 15. Penn State, 17. Pitt |
| 1988 20. Penn State |
1988 13. Syracuse |
| 1987 4. Ohio State, 11. Penn State |
1987 4. Syracuse |
| 1986 3. Miami, 6. Penn State |
1986 1. Penn State, 2. Miami, 19. Boston College, 20. Virginia Tech |
| 1985 7. Maryland, 18. Penn State |
1985 3. Penn State, 18. Maryland |
| 1984 3. Pitt, 11. Penn State, 19. Boston College |
1984 5. Boston College, 12. Maryland, 20. Virginia |
| 1983 4. Penn State, 17. Maryland |
1983 1. Miami, 18. Pitt, 19. Boston College |
| 1982 1. Pitt, 8. Penn State, 9. Oklahoma |
1982 1. Penn State, 10. Pitt, 20. Maryland |
| 1981 7. Penn State, 8. Pitt |
1981 3. Penn State, 4. Pitt |
| 1980 3. Pitt, 18. Penn State |
1980 2. Pitt, 8. Penn State |
| 1979 5. Penn State, 17. Pitt, 18. Arizona State |
1979 7. Pitt, 17. Temple, 20. Penn State |
| 1978 3. Penn State, 4. Oklahoma, 14. Pitt |
1978 3. Oklahoma, 4. Penn State, 18. N.C. State |
| 1977 7. Pitt, 10. Maryland, 13. Penn State |
1977 6. Kentucky, 8. Pitt |
| 1976 9. Pitt, 10. Penn State, 12. Maryland |
1976 1. Pitt, 8. Maryland |
| 1975 6. Penn State |
1975 10. Penn State, 14. Cal, 15. Pitt |
| 1974 8. Penn State, 13. Pitt |
1974 7. Penn State |
| 1973 7. Penn State |
1973 5. Penn State, 20. Maryland |
| 1972 5. Penn State, 20. Stanford |
1972 10. Penn State |
| 1971 12. Penn State, 13. Syracuse |
1971 5. Penn State |
| 1970 7. Penn State |
1970 18. Penn State |
| 1969 3. Penn State |
1969 2. Penn State |
| 1968 8. Penn State, 19. Syracuse |
1968 2. Penn State |
| 1967 * None |
1967 10. Penn State |
| 1966 * 7. Syracuse |
1966 * None |
| 1965 * None |
1965 * None |
| 1964 * 9. Syracuse |
1964 * None |
| 1963 * 9. Navy |
1963 * 2. Navy, 4. Pitt |
| 1962 * 9. Penn State |
1962 * 9. Penn State |
| 1961 * 7. Penn State, 10. Syracuse |
1961 14. Syracuse, 17. Penn State |
| 1960 1. Syracuse, 5. Illinois, 7. Pitt, 19. Penn State |
1960 16. Penn State, 19. Syracuse |
| 1959 20. Syracuse |
1959 1. Syracuse, 12. Penn State, 14. USC, 20. Pitt |
| 1958 2. Oklahoma, 19. Pitt |
1958 5. Oklahoma, 9. Syracuse |
| 1957 8. Pitt, 16. Penn State |
1957 19. Wisconsin |
| 1956 10. Pitt, 18. Miami. |
1956 6. Miami, 8. Syracuse, 13. Pitt, 17. George Washington |
| 1955 None |
1955 11. Pitt |
| 1954 None |
1954 20. Penn State |
| 1953 17. Pitt |
1953 None |
| 1952 None |
1952 None |
| 1951 16. Maryland |
1951 3. Maryland |
| 1950 15. Maryland |
1950 18. Washington & Lee |
| * AP only picked a top 10 | |
