Andrew Epperley
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Early Bowl Projections..

Again, I am a little bored today so why not…plus it is always fun to speculate things…

I will start with the bowls that don’t mean anything and end up with the BCS games along with the national title game (teams in bold have already accepted the bids):Stevie is fast...I mean really fast...ask Pitt

San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia
(Mountain West vs. At-large) : Utah vs. Arizona State

Pioneer PureVision Las Vegas
(Pac-10 No. 4 vs. Mountain West) : Oregon vs. BYU

R&L Carriers New Orleans
(Sun Belt vs. C-USA) : Middle Tennessee State vs. East Carolina

Papajohns.com
(C-USA vs. Big East) : Southern Miss vs. Cincinnati

New Mexico
(WAC vs. Mountain West) : Nevada vs. New Mexcio

Bell Helicopter Armed Forces
(Mountain West vs. C-USA) : Rice vs. TCU

Sheraton Hawaii
(WAC vs. Pac-10) : Hawaii vs. UCLA

Motor City
(Big Ten No. 7 vs. MAC) : Kentucky (Big 10 may not have 7 teams, so at-large it should go) vs. Ohio

Emerald Bowl
(Pac-10 No. 5 vs. ACC No. 7) : Arizona vs. Florida State

PetroSun Independence
(SEC No. 8 vs. Big 12 No. 7): Alabama vs. Kansas State

Pacific Life Holiday
(Pac-10 No. 2 vs. Big 12 No. 3): Cal vs. Texas A&M

Texas
(Big East vs. Big 12): South Florida vs. Texas Tech

Gaylords Hotels Music City
(ACC No. 5 vs. SEC): Wake Forest vs. Tennessee

Brut Sun
(Pac-10 No. 3 vs. Big 12 or Big East): Oregon State vs. Rutgers

AutoZone Liberty
(C-USA No. 1 vs. SEC No. 6): Houston vs. South Carolina

Insight
(Big 12 No. 6 vs. Big Ten No. 6): Oklahoma State vs. Minnesota

Champs Sports
(ACC No. 4 vs. Big Ten No. 4/5): Maryland vs. Purdue

Meineke Car Care
(Big East or Navy vs. ACC): Navy vs. Clemson

Alamo
(Big Ten No. 4/5 vs. Big 12 No. 4) Iowa vs. Missouri

Chick-fil-A
(ACC No. 2 vs. SEC): Virginia Tech vs. Georgia

MPC Computers
(WAC vs. ACC): San Jose State vs. Washington State (another At-large bid here)

AT&T Cotton
(Big 12 No. 2 vs. SEC): Nebraska vs. Auburn

Outback
(Big Ten No. 3 vs. SEC): Penn State vs. LSU

Toyota Gator
(ACC No. 3 vs. Big 12 or Big East) Boston College vs. Oklahoma

Capital One
(Big Ten No. 2 vs. SEC No. 2): Wisconsin vs. Arkansas

International
(MAC vs. Big East No. 4 or 5): Western Michigan vs. Pittsburgh

GMAC
(C-USA No. 2 vs. MAC): Tulsa vs. Ohio

Rose
(BCS vs. BCS): Michigan vs. Notre Dame
Tostitos Fiesta
(BCS vs. BCS): Texas vs. Boise State

FedEx Orange
(BCS vs. BCS): Georgia Tech vs. West Virginia
Allstate Sugar
(BCS vs. BCS): Florida vs. Louisville
BCS Championship Game
(BCS No. 1 vs. BCS No. 2): Ohio State vs. USC

Yeah, I am a homer and I put WVU in a BCS game but I honestly believe it can still happen as long as certain things happen. Well, that killed a little bit of time, enjoy reading and yelling at my picks.

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Andrew Epperley
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Tough Loss

You know, despite two, maybe three turnovers against Louisville, I still believe WVU played well tonight.

I do.

It was a solid performance by the Mountaineers but it just wasn’t enough to beat a very talented Louisville team in "the Ville". I hate to do it but now I will say that it is time to hitch a ride on the Cardinal bandwagon and hope they can bring the Big East a national title. Not to mention WVU just needs to keep winning here and they should…and I do mean should be able to make at least a BCS game. Yeah, it can still happen. Plus you just never know what is instored for the next couple weeks.

Do I see a let-down for Louisville next week at Rutgers? Give me a few days and I will let you know…right now I will say, yes.

Does WVU bounce back and start winning again? Yes. The schedule isn’t easy but it does allow WVU to get some W’s when they need them most. Pitt will be the most challenging. You can already mark that down. Pitt, may end up being a tougher game than tonight’s game. Not because it is a rivalry game but because Pitt has gotten better and will make it competative. Something that was lacking last year when we played them.

Still, overall, I felt alright about tonight. Sure, it was ugly at times but it wasn’t the worst I have ever seen out of a Rich Rod coached team. No, but at times I saw the brillance that I know and love with this team. They are still a class act but they are young. Let me remind you that. Slaton and White will continue to run all over the other teams as they did tonight (White had 4…count them 4 touchdowns tonight).

The National Title game dream may be all over for WVU but honestly, it wasn’t the right year for it. I still believe next year will be the year WVU goes all the way.

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Andrew Epperley
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National Media against WVU

(So, if you can’t tell I am ranting here about annoying people on message boards…I randomly go on message boards like bluegoldnews.com and read what the “people” have to say about current happenings in WVU sports. And right now everyone is moaning about the national media hating us, mainly Colin Cowherd of ESPN.)

Driving around Morgantown today I decided to tune from Ethel 47 on my XM dial to the good likes of ESPN 140…or just plain ol’ ESPN Radio.

I love ESPN Radio, and I listen to it probably the most out of anything that I listen to on my XM radio. I am a guy and obviously that is what I like to listen to and hear about. The show on ESPN Radio at that time is a nationally syndicated show called The Herd with Colin Cowherd. Yes, that is his name, Cowherd. I laugh when I hear it sometimes too, don’t you even worry. Cowherd is a huge football guy and to me he knows his stuff when it comes to the sport. Sure he is a west-coach homer and he does love a little much on the SEC. But, you know what? He typically has a good point, even if it is negative toward WVU.

Colin was having a fruitful discussion on college football like he normally does any time of the year. Usually when the conversation starts up and the questions roll in about WVU he typically “hates” on the school and how good/bad the Mountaineers really are. I laugh at it really because for the most part he has a truthful opinion on the schedule that WVU is playing this season. Cowherd said something on the line that if Ohio State wins out, if WVU wins out and if a Florida only has one loss that he would have no problem arguing and doing everything he could to make the national title game a Florida-OSU game.

It’s a legitimate argument. Mainly that he says if Florida loses this weekend in a close game on the road at Auburn and wins out that he wouldn’t want to see an undefeated WVU or Louisville team in the national title game.

And oddly I agree. It would seriously be bad television if that were the case. Mainly since I feel that we would be mobbed if we even played OSU in a game this year…I am not saying they are the best team in the country but they are good enough to take WVU down that is for sure.

Now I am a WVU homer like the rest here in Morgantown. I am, and I usually defend the naysayers of this team but Cowherd presents a good point about WVU, the schedule is weak. Marshall, Eastern Washington and teams like that aren’t doing us any favors right now in their own play is killing our out of conference schedule. Not to mention our conference schedule is still pretty weak. Pitt and Syracuse are still on the rebound, South Florida, UConn and Cincinnati are question marks each year, Rutgers and Louisville are good but we honestly don’t know how good.

One caller on the show was from California and was actually a WVU graduate and he probably presented the best case to make a “hater” (as some people on the wonderful message boards around here say) like Cowherd even respect us. I loved his point that the schedule is weak and that Slaton needs more love on the air and that Rich Rod is doing a decent job.

Really, to me that is all WVU need on the air. Slaton is a hell of an athlete and player and Coach Rod is doing a good job. Not to mention WVU just needs to keep winning and the harp and hate against the school will slowly side away. People can’t really argue with W’s all across the board, even if some are weak.

I say to people on the message boards that complain and moan about the anti-WVU sentiments on air, calm down…its only a freakin’ game.

WVU, if they win out will be fine and will at least make a BCS game again this year. To me, that is what is important. Win the Big East and let the rest settle itself. WVU silenced a lot of people last year in the Sugar Bowl and they can do it again this year. It may not be in the national title game but it will be in some BCS game if the team just does what it has to do and that is just win.

More than likely, this article could turn into a weekly installment until the season ends. And I will probably return soon to present my break down of the current state in college football…

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