Main hub thread with the full 131 rankings

Country roads, take us home. West Virginia comes in as the 3rd ranked team in the Big 12, not too shabby for a team that’s had just 1 double digit win season in the last 10 years. They’ve been better at developing QBs than I remember, with Major Harris, Pat White, Geno Smith, Will Grier, Marc Bulger, and Jeff Hostetler all making their way through Morgantown. The Pat White-Steve Slaton offenses of the mid-2000’s are hard to forget, and the Geno Smith-Tavon Austin-Stedman Bailey offenses of the early 2010’s might’ve been even more dangerous. And who can forget the high school football mixtape GOAT, Noel Devine?

Best Seasons and Highlights

1. 2007: 2. West Virginia: 11-2 (44.386)
2. 2005: 5. West Virginia: 11-1 (37.414)
3. 1993: 6. West Virginia: 11-1 (36.926)
4. 1988: 6. West Virginia: 11-1 (36.580)
5. 2006: 8. West Virginia: 11-2 (36.514)
6. 2011: 18. West Virginia: 10-3 (25.874)
7. 1983: 12. West Virginia: 9-3 (25.573)
8. 2016: 21. West Virginia: 10-3 (19.664)
9. 2010: 21. West Virginia: 9-4 (18.954)
10. 1984: 16. West Virginia: 8-4 (18.249)
11. 2009: 22. West Virginia: 9-4 (17.205)
12. 1989: 19. West Virginia: 8-3-1 (17.058)
13. 2008: 25. West Virginia: 9-4 (16.830)
14. 2018: 25. West Virginia: 8-4 (16.316)
15. 2002: 27. West Virginia: 9-4 (15.344)
16. 2003: 31. West Virginia: 8-5 (10.905)
17. 1998: 31. West Virginia: 8-4 (8.971)
18. 1985: 30. West Virginia: 7-3-1 (8.830)
19. 2004: 27. West Virginia: 8-4 (8.786)
20. 1996: 30. West Virginia: 8-4 (8.248)
21. 2015: 44. West Virginia: 8-5 (6.668)
22. 2020: 39. West Virginia: 6-4 (4.463)
23. 2000: 38. West Virginia: 7-5 (3.155)
24. 2014: 47. West Virginia: 7-6 (2.578)
25. 1992: 37. West Virginia: 5-4-2 (0.766)
26. 1997: 46. West Virginia: 7-5 (0.200)
27. 1991: 40. West Virginia: 6-5 (-0.587)
28. 2017: 52. West Virginia: 7-6 (-2.843)
29. 2012: 57. West Virginia: 7-6 (-3.432)
30. 1987: 41. West Virginia: 6-6 (-3.657)
31. 1994: 44. West Virginia: 7-6 (-3.950)
32. 2021: 69. West Virginia: 6-7 (-9.475)
33. 1995: 62. West Virginia: 5-6 (-13.487)
34. 2022: 83. West Virginia: 5-7 (-17.030)
35. 2019: 84. West Virginia: 5-7 (-18.891)
36. 1999: 74. West Virginia: 4-7 (-19.019)
37. 1986: 72. West Virginia: 4-7 (-21.880)
38. 1990: 77. West Virginia: 4-7 (-23.274)
39. 2013: 89. West Virginia: 4-8 (-25.148)
40. 2001: 89. West Virginia: 3-8 (-29.255)
Overall Score: 30091 (24th)

• 296-185-4 record
• 7 conference titles
• 10-19 bowl record
• 9 consensus All-Americans
• 98 NFL players drafted

What a team that 2007 edition was. If they just finished the job vs Pitt, they would’ve had a really good chance to beat Ohio State with how the rest of their games went. West Virginia is also sometimes bad but never BAD, with only 1 season of less than 4 wins. In fact, 31 of their 40 seasons have 6 or more wins, with 31 bowl appearances. The 7 conference titles come in a 32 year period, as WVU was Independent from 1983-90, with 6 of their titles coming in a 9 year span from 2003-11. The consensus All-Americans include OL Brian Jozwiak (1985) who was a 7th overall pick, OL Mike Compton (1992), P Todd Sauerbrun (1994) who only hit 8 of 18 FGs in his career but averaged 48.6 yards per punt, DB Aaron Beasley (1995) who had 15 interceptions from 1994-95, LB Canute Curtis (1996) who was the Big East Defensive POTY, LB Grant Wiley (2003), and DL Darius Stills (2020). WVU’s top NFL players include QB Marc Bulger, QB Jeff Hostetler, CB Adam “Pacman” Jones, P Pat McAfee, DE Bruce Irvin, K Mike Vanderjagt, QB Geno Smith, FB Ron Wolfley, and P Todd Sauerbrun.

Top 5 Seasons

Worst Season: 2001 (3-8 overall, 1-6 Big East)

West Virginia has really never had that bad of a season. Even in their worst year, they had an 80-7 win over Rutgers, taking a 73-0 lead through 3 quarters. At one point, West Virginia had accrued so many penalties that they had to kick a 50 yard extra point..and made it! That was Rich Rodriguez vs Greg Schiano, both in their 1st season as head coaches at WVU and Rutgers. Rodirguez’s team improved throughout the year, as while the first half had losses like 10-34 to Boston College and 0-35 to Virginia Tech, the last 4 games consisted of the win over Rutgers, and close losses of 13-24 to #24 Syracuse, 14-17 to Temple, and 17-23 to Pittsburgh. RB Avon Cobourne was special, rushing for 1298 yards and 9 TD. He’d go on to rush for 1710 yards and 17 TD in 2002, finishing his career as West Virginia’s all-time leading rusher with 5039 yards and 43 TD.

5. 2006 (11-2 overall, 5-2 Big East)

The middle year of the Pat White-Steve Slaton backfield from 2005-07. #5 West Virginia entered the year as legit national title contenders, opening with constant blowouts over Marshall and Eastern Washington. In a 45-24 win over Maryland, who’d finish 9-4, WVU threw for just 43 yards but ran for 340. West Virginia kept winning against a fairly soft schedule, nudging up the rankings to #3 with a 7-0 record. The toughest games were still ahead, with Louisville and Rutgers in the top 15, and USF and Cincinnati on the rise. If they won out though, they’d have a chance to win their first ever National Championship. On Thursday night primetime, #5 Louisville beat #3 West Virginia 44-34 to become the premier national title contender in the Big East. WVU rebounded to beat Cincinnati and Louisville lost to Rutgers, so WVU still had a chance to win the Big East by winning out. 2 weeks later they’d drop a game to USF in a major upset, but survived #13 Rutgers 41-39 in 3OT without Pat White, thanks to 4 FGs and 52.7 yards per punt from Pat McAfee. Against ACC runner-up Georgia Tech, WVU overcame a 17-35 deficit to win 38-35 thanks to 145 and 109 rushing yards from White and Slaton.

White was the Big East Offensive POTY, throwing for 1655 yards 13 TD 7 INT while rushing for 1219 yards and 18 TD on 7.4 YPC. He and Slaton, who was a consensus All-American and had 2104 yards and 18 TD from scrimmage, formed arguably the best backfield in the country. C Dan Mozes helped block and won the Rimington Award as the best center in the nation. S Eric Wicks put up Jamal Adams-esque stats with 73 tackles, 7 sacks, 4 TFL, and 3 INT as a defensive back, earning 1st Team All-Big East. McAfee hit 17 of 22 FGs and averaged 43.2 yards per punt.

4. 1988 (11-1 overall, Independent)

The only team in program history to play for a national title. College Football Hall of Fame coach Don Nehlen returned a bunch of seniors and a talented young QB named Major Harris, so there was a preseason buzz in Morgantown not seen in over a decade. #16 West Virginia’s season started with a bang, blocking Bowling Green’s punt in the first 2 minutes en route to a 62-14 win. After rival Maryland was easily disposed of, WVU was locked in a tight one with #16 Pittsburgh, until Pitt transfer RB AB Brown broke off a 64 yard TD and WVU scored a few more times to win 31-10, moving into the top 10. Improving to 7-0, they hosted rival Penn State, 2 years removed from a National Championship. WVU took a 41-8 lead into halftime, eventually winning 51-30. The game also included one of the most famous plays in school history, a multiple tackle-breaking TD run from Harris. As West Virginia kept winning, their rank kept improving, until eventually, after beating #14 Syracuse 31-9, they were 11-0, unscathed. All 60,000 fans stayed after the game to congratulate the unbeaten Mountaineers, who would play Notre Dame for the national title. #1 Notre Dame and #3 West Virginia set to do battle in the Fiesta Bowl, with the Irish as 5 point favorites. Harris separated his shoulder on just the 3rd play of the game, forcing WVU to completely change their gameplan to no avail, losing 21-34.

WVU came up short on their national title quest, finishing #5. Don Nehlen won a bunch of national Coach of the Year awards. Major Harris threw for 1915 yards 14 TD 8 INT while rushing for 610 yards and 6 TD, finishing 5th in Heisman voting and earning 3rd Team All-American. OL Rick Phillips and OL John Stroia were 1st and 3rd Team All-American, respectively, while LB Chris Haering and S Bo Orlando were both 1st Team AAs. 15 players were drafted into the NFL over the next 2 years. This was WVU’s best shot at a national title, and if not for an early injury to Harris, they might’ve done it.

3. 1993 (11-1 overall, 7-0 Big East)

I had never heard of the 1993 team until today, but why? They finished the regular season 11-0 just like the 1988 squad. Was it because they started the year unranked, and punched above their weight all season? WVU moved up to #25 after a 3-0 start, giving Missouri the figurative death penalty 35-3. Close wins over Virginia Tech (14-13) and #17 Louisville (36-34) bumped them up to #18 and 5-0. A dominant 4 game win streak over 4 Big East opponents had an average score of 48-13, putting WVU in the national title conversation at 9-0. The biggest game of the season was upon us, #4 Miami (FL) at #9 West Virginia, in front of a Mountaineer Field record attendance of 70,222. A late TD to go up 17-14 gave WVU the huge win, putting them at the top of the Big East and firmly into the national title discussion. Even still, they had to go on the road to play Tom Coughlin’s #11 Boston College team for the Big East title. Down 9-14 with just 2 minutes left, QB Darren Studstill led a TD drive to win it 17-14 for WVU’s 2nd 11-0 regular season in 6 years. Sitting at #3, they and #2 Nebraska were the only 2 unbeaten teams left, but it was #2 Nebraska vs #1 11-1 Florida State in the Orange Bowl. A national title was an outside shot for WVU because of this, but they still had a chance. But then they lost 7-41 to #8 Florida and ended the season #7.

Nehlen’s team surpassed all expectations, giving him Big East Coach of the Year. QBs Jake Kelchner and Darren Studstill split time, throwing for 12 TD 3 INT and 8 TD 4 INT, respectively, with Kelchner nabbing an additional 5 rushing TDs. OT Rich Braham was the only All-American, making the 1st Team, and only 4 players were drafted into the NFL over the next 2 years. The 1988 team was the one who almost won the national title, but I have the 1993 team as the one with the better resume.

2. 2005 (11-1 overall, 7-0 Big East)

Back to the Rich Rod era. Pat White was just a baby freshman, having turned down both a $350,000 bonus with the Anaheim Angels and a scholarship to play WR at LSU, to play QB at West Virginia instead. This was the start of the special Pat White-Steve Slaton backfield that would become the talk of college football for the next 3 years. WVU spent the first half of the season unranked, beating weak teams unconvincingly while losing their only test of #3 Virginia Tech 17-34. The Rich Rod era would take a turn against #19 Louisville. The Cardinals were the Big East favorites, coming off an 11-1 season with one of the best offensive coaches in the game in Bobby Petrino. Slaton ran for 188 yards and 5 TD as they outlasted Louisville 46-44 in 3OT to improve to 6-1 and crack the Top 25 at #17. They had become the clear Big East favorite after the win, and blew out the remaining 4 conference opponents 156-39 to take the Big East title with a perfect 7-0 record. In the Sugar Bowl against #7 Georgia, #11 West Virginia was clearly the underdog at a 7 point line in Vegas, but White and Slaton showed the world that Rich Rodriguez’s spread offense was finally being unlocked to its full potential, combining for 281 rushing yards and 3 TD in a 38-35 win. WVU finished the year #5 in the AP Poll, tied for their highest finish of all time.

White threw for just 828 yards 8 TD 5 INT, but had 952 rushing yards and 7 TD on 7.3 YPC. Slaton, also just a freshman, ran for 1128 yards and 17 TD. Rich Rodriguez won Big East Coach of the Year as his teams were finally starting to break out.

1. 2007 (11-2 overall, 5-2 Big East)

I wasn’t around for the 1988 and 1993 teams, but I was around for 2007, and this team could’ve very well been a National Champion. White and Slaton were now grizzled veterans entering their 3rd year as starters, while Rich Rodriguez had established himself as one of the hottest coaching names in all levels of football. WVU had also signed their highest ranked recruit in school history, #6 overall prospect RB Noel Devine. It was now or never, with the highest preseason rank in school history at #3. It was a disappointing start to the year, going 4-0 but falling to #5, then they were upset by #18 South Florida for the 2nd season in a row, falling to #13. West Virginia kept winning though in a season where all the top teams were losing, beating Rutgers 31-3, #22 Cincinnati 28-23, and #20 Connecticut 66-21. #2 West Virginia just needed to beat 4-7 Pittsburgh in the 100th edition of the Backyard Brawl to secure a place in the National Championship game. Unfortunately, they had the biggest nightmare in school history, only mustering 183 yards of offense in a 9-13 loss, losing to their biggest rival, in the 100th game of the series, and losing their national title bid. WVU still won the Big East though, and played #4 Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl. Interim coach Bill Stewart had these guys fired up, and FB Owen Schmitt rumbled for a 57 yard TD like a “runaway beer truck” en route to a 48-28 win.

West Virginia finished #6 in the AP Poll, but #2 in my rankings. White won the Big East Offensive POTY for the 2nd year in a row, completing 67% of throws for 1724 yards 14 TD 4 INT along with 1335 rushing yards and 14 TD on 6.8 YPC. Slaton was a 1st Team All-American, getting 1401 yards and 18 TD from scrimmage, while the true freshman Noel Devine ran for 627 yards and 6 TD on 8.6(!) YPC. Their backfield was stupid loaded, they even had FB Owen Schmitt who had 272 rushing yards, 121 receiving yards, 5 total TD, 106 knockdown blocks, and 17 TD-resulting blocks. WRs Darius Reynaud and Jock Sanders were also dynamic players that could run the ball, catch the ball, and return kicks. Rich Rodriguez left for Michigan, Slaton left for the NFL, White graduated after the 2008 season, and the best era in West Virginia history was over. A 33-5 record in 3 years, what a run it was.

2007 West Virginia is my 115th best team since 1983.

5th Quarter

How would West Virginia football look if in 2007 they beat Pitt, win the national title, and Rich Rodriguez stays? Which team was a more legit national title contender, 1988 or 2007? Who was the best QB in school history between Major Harris, Pat White, and Geno Smith? Which offense was more loaded, 2007 or 2012? Who’s your favorite West Virginia player? What’s your prediction for the remaining 23 teams?

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