(Big 12) West Virginia Mountaineers
The hottest seat in the Big 12 might belong to coach Dan Holgorsen who has not been able to get the Mountaineers to compete well in their new conference.
West Virginia
- Head Coach: Dana Holgorsen
- 2013 Record: 4-8
- Gambling Odds to win National Championship: 300/1
- Gambling Odds to win (B12): 80/1
There is no doubt that he can get his offense to gain yards but his teams have been disasters on defense and when the club has faced even decent league competition they have folded.
They are certainly not as hopeless as Kansas but they are closer to the bottom than the top right now.
Strengths:
I am surprising myself by starting on the defensive side of the ball. The Mountaineers might have the best pair of linebackers in Nick Kwiatkoski and Isaiah Bruce – both of whom were named second team All B12 in the preseason.
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Both can get in the backfield and disrupt plays before they even start.
He may not be listed as the starter but Rushel Shell is a big time player. He started his career at Pitt but then transferred to WVU and thus had to sit out last season. The Mountaineers will be looking for their next 1000 yard back and I think that he, not senior Dreamius Smith will be it.
They need to have some sense of balance to help their defense.
There could also be a host of new contributors from the league’s 5th ranked recruiting class. Dravon Henry will be one of the best athletes on the team as soon as he sets foot on campus and he will be looking to break through into a very deep secondary.
He might also make an impact returning kicks.
Weaknesses:
The defense that got shelled last year has 6 starters returning. Experience could be a negative given their past performance and they are throwing three sophomores into starting roles this season.
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If the Mountaineers are going to return to their winning ways they have to get the defense to at least mediocre.
Clint Trickett came to West Virginia from FSU and it was assumed he would become an immediate star due to his experience. That hasn’t really been the case and he has one more season to prove that he can put it all together.
In this pass happy attack he will have lots of chances to succeed or fail.
The Mountaineers start the season with Alabama which could be very ugly opener. They have a tough schedule this season with more of their tough leagues games at home which will make wins really hard to come by.
Getting to the four victories they has the last season is going to be a challenge.
West Virginia Gambling Prediction: 3-9
2014 Mountaineers Schedule:
- Aug 30 – Alabama (Atlanta)
- Sep 6 – Towson
- Sep 13 – @Maryland
- Sep 20 – Oklahoma
- Oct 4 – Kansas
- Oct 11- @Texas Tech
- Oct 18 – Baylor
- Oct 25 – @Oklahoma State
- Nov 1 – TCU
- Nov 8 – @Texas
- Nov 20 – Kansas State
- Nov 29 – @Iowa State
I know it is only a few seasons in but I am convinced that West Virginia’s move to the B12 is going to be a failure on the field. They just can’t seem to come up with even a semblance of a defense to compliment what is normally an effective offense.
2014 will be another example of how tough life really is.
Luckily they get to host Kansas early on so they are unlikely to be I last place much this season. Look to get behind WVU in the final game of the season at Iowa State. They will be a very live dog in that finale.
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