Photo by: Liz Parke
Holgorsen and Mountaineers Power Up Their Schedule
July 17, 2018 01:07 PM | Football, Blog
FRISCO, Texas - There have been many years during the long history of West Virginia University football when the Mountaineers walked between the raindrops as far as the schedule was concerned.
West Virginia certainly did that in 1953, breezing through a soft Southern Conference slate, and then overcoming an upset home loss to South Carolina by blowing out a one-win NC State team to earn an invitation to play Georgia Tech in the 1954 Sugar Bowl.
WVU also avoided the tough ones in 1988, a season of which today is still considered the greatest in school history. Penn State was down that year. Pitt was a mere shadow of its former self and Northeastern football was simply not that good in '88, leading to a perfect regular season and a meeting against Notre Dame in the Fiesta Bowl for the national championship.
Even in the mid-2000s, following the Big East departures of Miami, Virginia Tech and Boston College to the Atlantic Coast Conference, getting through a watered-down Big East made West Virginia's path to a BCS bowl game one of the easiest in major college football.
Former coach Don Nehlen later regarded the West Virginia job as "one of the best in America" because of the schedules his successors were able to play in the Big East.
Well, hit the fast-forward button to today.
West Virginia is one of only two Big 12 teams to face 11 Power 5 opponents and one of just 11 other teams in the country playing that many Power 5 foes.
Texas, by the way, is the other in the Big 12.
The reason West Virginia and Texas are playing that many Power 5 teams is because - in addition to the Big 12's round-robin, nine-game, regular-season schedule - they chose to schedule two of their three non-league games against other Power 5 programs.
"We're going to play Power 5 schools," West Virginia coach Dana Holgorsen said earlier today in Frisco, Texas. "I know commissioner (Bob) Bowlsby sat up here and gave you the stats on the number of Power 5 schools that everybody plays. We are very proud of that."
In the case of the Longhorns, UT has early dates against Maryland of the Big Ten and USC of the Pac 12, while West Virginia has non-conference meetings against Tennessee of the SEC and NC State of the ACC.
Texas coach Tom Herman also made a point of mentioning his team's tough schedule during his opening remarks at Tuesday's Big 12 media day activities inside the Ford Center.
Not surprisingly, Texas and West Virginia are confronted with two of the most difficult schedules in the country, according to Phil Steele.
In his preseason college football yearbook, Steele rated Texas' regular-season schedule eighth-toughest and West Virginia four spots lower at 12th-toughest nationally, in part because Texas is facing West Virginia, picked No. 2 in this year's Big 12 preseason media poll.
The schedule WVU's eighth-year coach is preparing for this year is probably the most difficult in school history in terms of overall depth.
There may not be a No. 1-ranked team on this year's slate, nor a record number of top-10 or top-25 opponents, but overall, it has many, many hazards, beginning with the season opener against the Volunteers in Charlotte on Sept. 1.
A trip to Raleigh two weeks later to face NC State won't be a walk in the park like it was back in 1953 when WVU ended that year with a 61-0 victory.
That is simply not happening on Sept. 15, not with the Wolfpack having one of the best returning quarterbacks on West Virginia's schedule in senior Ryan Finley.
Nevertheless, it's a schedule that sets the Mountaineers up beautifully, provided they can get through it unscathed.
"At West Virginia, we play 11 Power 5 schools, NC State and Tennessee, along with the nine Big 12 opponents," Holgorsen pointed out. "I wish everybody would do that. It's not quite fair that we have to play that schedule and then you have schools in other respective conferences that play nine."
Or even in your own league, for that matter.
Oklahoma State's three games outside of Big 12 play are against Missouri State, South Alabama and Boise State, all in Stillwater, this year.
Baylor's three-game non-conference slate includes matchups against Abilene Christian and UTSA, while Kansas is playing Nicholls and Central Michigan and Iowa State has South Dakota State and Akron among its three-game, non-conference menu.
Two of Kansas State's three non-conference foes are non-Power 5 teams South Dakota and UTSA. TCU is facing Southern and SMU, Oklahoma plays Florida Atlantic and Army and Texas Tech gets Lamar and Houston.
It's clearly not apples to apples.
"It's uneven, but we're going to keep doing it," Holgorsen pointed out. "It's fair to our fanbase to be able to play local schools that they remember great games in the past.
"Tennessee - (we've) never played them, but they're our neighbor and we're going to play that game in Charlotte, which is our No. 1 alumni base in the United States."
Not only is West Virginia's schedule tough early, including a Sept. 8 date against Bo Pelini's Youngstown State team that almost knocked off Pitt last year, it is tough in the middle with games against Kansas State, Texas Tech, Kansas and Iowa State, and it's tough at the end with games against Baylor, Texas, TCU, Oklahoma State and Oklahoma.
It's undeniably tough. Much tougher than usual, and much, much tougher than most of the other teams throughout the country.
"It's going to be exciting for everybody. Our players are excited. Our fanbase is excited about it," Holgorsen admitted. "We got Pitt and the old 'Backyard Brawl' is going to be coming back on the schedule. Penn State is coming on the schedule, Maryland, we're to play 10 or 11 Power 5 schools every year. It's good for the fanbase and good for TV. It's good for everything."
But will it be good for Dana Holgorsen's record?
And will West Virginia get any free passes for playing it?
Of course not, but it can potentially set up the Mountaineers very nicely at the end of the season when the computers take over - provided they can get through it.
And naturally, that's a very big if.
West Virginia certainly did that in 1953, breezing through a soft Southern Conference slate, and then overcoming an upset home loss to South Carolina by blowing out a one-win NC State team to earn an invitation to play Georgia Tech in the 1954 Sugar Bowl.
WVU also avoided the tough ones in 1988, a season of which today is still considered the greatest in school history. Penn State was down that year. Pitt was a mere shadow of its former self and Northeastern football was simply not that good in '88, leading to a perfect regular season and a meeting against Notre Dame in the Fiesta Bowl for the national championship.
Even in the mid-2000s, following the Big East departures of Miami, Virginia Tech and Boston College to the Atlantic Coast Conference, getting through a watered-down Big East made West Virginia's path to a BCS bowl game one of the easiest in major college football.
Former coach Don Nehlen later regarded the West Virginia job as "one of the best in America" because of the schedules his successors were able to play in the Big East.
Well, hit the fast-forward button to today.
West Virginia is one of only two Big 12 teams to face 11 Power 5 opponents and one of just 11 other teams in the country playing that many Power 5 foes.
Texas, by the way, is the other in the Big 12.
The reason West Virginia and Texas are playing that many Power 5 teams is because - in addition to the Big 12's round-robin, nine-game, regular-season schedule - they chose to schedule two of their three non-league games against other Power 5 programs.
"We're going to play Power 5 schools," West Virginia coach Dana Holgorsen said earlier today in Frisco, Texas. "I know commissioner (Bob) Bowlsby sat up here and gave you the stats on the number of Power 5 schools that everybody plays. We are very proud of that."
In the case of the Longhorns, UT has early dates against Maryland of the Big Ten and USC of the Pac 12, while West Virginia has non-conference meetings against Tennessee of the SEC and NC State of the ACC.
Texas coach Tom Herman also made a point of mentioning his team's tough schedule during his opening remarks at Tuesday's Big 12 media day activities inside the Ford Center.
Not surprisingly, Texas and West Virginia are confronted with two of the most difficult schedules in the country, according to Phil Steele.
In his preseason college football yearbook, Steele rated Texas' regular-season schedule eighth-toughest and West Virginia four spots lower at 12th-toughest nationally, in part because Texas is facing West Virginia, picked No. 2 in this year's Big 12 preseason media poll.
The schedule WVU's eighth-year coach is preparing for this year is probably the most difficult in school history in terms of overall depth.
There may not be a No. 1-ranked team on this year's slate, nor a record number of top-10 or top-25 opponents, but overall, it has many, many hazards, beginning with the season opener against the Volunteers in Charlotte on Sept. 1.
A trip to Raleigh two weeks later to face NC State won't be a walk in the park like it was back in 1953 when WVU ended that year with a 61-0 victory.
That is simply not happening on Sept. 15, not with the Wolfpack having one of the best returning quarterbacks on West Virginia's schedule in senior Ryan Finley.
Nevertheless, it's a schedule that sets the Mountaineers up beautifully, provided they can get through it unscathed.
"At West Virginia, we play 11 Power 5 schools, NC State and Tennessee, along with the nine Big 12 opponents," Holgorsen pointed out. "I wish everybody would do that. It's not quite fair that we have to play that schedule and then you have schools in other respective conferences that play nine."
Or even in your own league, for that matter.
Oklahoma State's three games outside of Big 12 play are against Missouri State, South Alabama and Boise State, all in Stillwater, this year.
Baylor's three-game non-conference slate includes matchups against Abilene Christian and UTSA, while Kansas is playing Nicholls and Central Michigan and Iowa State has South Dakota State and Akron among its three-game, non-conference menu.
Two of Kansas State's three non-conference foes are non-Power 5 teams South Dakota and UTSA. TCU is facing Southern and SMU, Oklahoma plays Florida Atlantic and Army and Texas Tech gets Lamar and Houston.
It's clearly not apples to apples.
"It's uneven, but we're going to keep doing it," Holgorsen pointed out. "It's fair to our fanbase to be able to play local schools that they remember great games in the past.
"Tennessee - (we've) never played them, but they're our neighbor and we're going to play that game in Charlotte, which is our No. 1 alumni base in the United States."
Not only is West Virginia's schedule tough early, including a Sept. 8 date against Bo Pelini's Youngstown State team that almost knocked off Pitt last year, it is tough in the middle with games against Kansas State, Texas Tech, Kansas and Iowa State, and it's tough at the end with games against Baylor, Texas, TCU, Oklahoma State and Oklahoma.
It's undeniably tough. Much tougher than usual, and much, much tougher than most of the other teams throughout the country.
"It's going to be exciting for everybody. Our players are excited. Our fanbase is excited about it," Holgorsen admitted. "We got Pitt and the old 'Backyard Brawl' is going to be coming back on the schedule. Penn State is coming on the schedule, Maryland, we're to play 10 or 11 Power 5 schools every year. It's good for the fanbase and good for TV. It's good for everything."
But will it be good for Dana Holgorsen's record?
And will West Virginia get any free passes for playing it?
Of course not, but it can potentially set up the Mountaineers very nicely at the end of the season when the computers take over - provided they can get through it.
And naturally, that's a very big if.
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