The West Virginia Mountaineers finished last season with an 8-5 record but almost ended up playing themselves into one of the BCS bowl positions available to the Big East representative. They showed last year that they could play with powerhouse schools like Miami and Pittsburgh and their schedule this year should be easier with Larry Fitzgerald in the NFL and Miami in the ACC. The Mountaineers will still have to battle in many ball games this year but they should improve on their record of 2003 and contend for a BCS berth, and for that, they’ll earn the #12 spot in my pre-season poll.

Head coach Rich Rodriguez was named Coach of the Year in the Big East after his squad tied for the Big East title but he won’t be happy until the nation sees just how good this group of players can be. West Virginia only lost eight starters total from last year’s team so they’re expecting a run at the conference championship to be in their near future. The team has gone 12-2 in conference play over the last two seasons and will be the favorite to win the conference heading into the season. Quarterback Rasheed Marshall goes into his senior season looking to take the team to the championship. Marshall can beat defenses with his speed or his arm, and he’ll likely be a candidate for the Davey O’Brien Award that goes to the nation’s best QB at the end of the season. Wide receiver Chris Henry was the Big East Rookie of the Year last year and should post better numbers in the 2004 season. Junior CB Adam Jones scored on fumble, interception and kick returns last season and just seems to find the ball at all times. Senior MLB Adam Lehnortt had a team leading 139 tackles and five sacks in 2003 and will likely be the emotional leader of the defensive unit.

The Big East conference is weaker than ever after the loss of teams to other conferences in the off-season. The conference won’t ever be easier to win than this season and the Mountaineers are ready to make it happen this season. Unfortunately for them, even if they run the table in the conference, the national media likely won’t give them much credit since the league is so weak. The team has two non-conference games during the season that will not only boost their game for conference play but will also give some kind of indication as to just how good this Mountaineer squad can be. The first of these games will take place at Mountaineer Field on September 18 when the team host’s Maryland. Maryland dominated the team twice last season (once in a bowl game) and so West Virginia should be pumped up for the rematch. The other game is at Virginia tech on October 2. This game is the rivalry game for both and will have the nation’s attention the week leading up to the contest. If the game is anything like in past years, it should be a classic.

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