.vresize.36.36.medium.0.png){kind=small}
.vresize.36.36.medium.0.png){kind=small}
It was fun while it lasted, West Virginia
The West Virginia Mountaineers were 6-0 and dark horses to make the College Football Playoff.
Seriously.
It was tremendous.
In a college football landscape where nearly everyone is a known entity, especially as the sport enters its final month of play, West Virginia was one of the nation's few positive surprises. They might have been the best, too.
The Mountaineers looked like an outlier in the Big 12 — they had the offense you'd expect from a Big 12 team — but also a defense that could theoretically compete with the best in the nation. You don’t hold Texas Tech to 17 points if you can’t play, after all.
We were forced to ask: Could West Virginia be the big surprise team of the year? Could we see Dana Holgorsen match up against the best coaches in the nation in the CFP, whether that be Jim Harbaugh, Urban Meyer, Chris Petersen, or Nick Saban?
The possibility was there.
West Virginia just had to prove that they were one of the nation’s best, and the toughest part of their schedule was yet to be played.
The dream of a West Virginia title didn’t last long — maybe two weeks. Ultimately, the dream died Saturday in a place that so many other dreams go to die — Stillwater, Oklahoma.
It was certainly fun while it lasted through — sincerely.
West Virginia fell down early to Oklahoma State, and despite a nice comeback effort, they were never able to make anything close to a full recovery, losing 37-20.
West Virginia is still a viable candidate, if not the favorites, to win the Big 12, but the playoffs are now out of the question for the Mountaineers this season. That’s a Big 12 issue — it’s going to take an undefeated season for a member of the league to make the College Football Playoff, and that might not even be enough.
West Virginia, was in all likelihood, the Big 12’s best bet for true late-season relevancy, and while the Mountaineers’ season isn’t over, for the casual fan, the Big 12 football season probably is.
Thanks for holding us in this long, ‘Neers.
