Welcome to a getaway day edition of the Friday Feedback. A flight to Hartford calls and a pivotal game is waiting at high noon tomorrow. Bill Stewart would like for you to set your alarms, too.

It’s an enormous game. I’m not sure the winner wins the Big East, though I am sure the loser is done. The winner takes a big step toward the title, but the league is so even it’s not over three or four games in. Conversely, I just can’t see a loser recovering from this. UConn would have two losses and be, in essence, three games behind WVU. The Mountaineers would continue on their up and down journey and I wonder how many times they can get up in the remaining schedule. Hope that makes sense.

Quick programming note from our friend thacker to assist you out-of-staters tomorrow:

thacker said:

Internet Radio Broadcast of WVU v. UCONN

WTIC Radio in Hartford, CT may be broadcasting the ballgame via live Internet audio feed. Never know about these broadcasts until time of game.

http://www.wtic.com/

Probable direct link broadcast:

http://www.wtic.com/UConn—West-Virginia-Football-Saturday/3200836

Onto the Feedback. As always, comments appear as posted. In other words, be careful how you represent yourself.

Birch said:

“Sooner or, more likely, later, we’ll be adding a few things to amp up the blog aspect of this. Promise.”

Pictures of drunken athletes and unfounded rumors? Yes!

I can’t wait either! But seriously, it’ll be worth it. Eventually. Hopefully. Possibly.

glibglub said:  

Don probably wants to see some consistency from the offense before breaking them into his top 25. I know I do. Go Moutaineers!

glibglub said:

*MouNtaineers! Jeez.  

Agree completely. ECU and Colorado are terrible. Those losses just don’t look good next to the five wins … against Marshall, Rutgers, Syracuse and a (5-2) Division I-AA team. Also, I looked into Nehlen’s voting ethics and while it sounds sensible he wouldn’t vote for a team he coached, I haven’t confirmed that. I guess I could just ask him the next time I see him. 

thacker said:

Equipment placement, such as that, is incompetence, stupidity and gross negligence. It is bad enough with camera/film personnel and equipment, etc., along sidelines, end zones.

That kid’s collegiate athletic participation probably ended. With such injuries that end a player’s active participation, what is the norm relative to the student’s athletic scholarship?

If the career of Houston receiver Patrick Edwards is over — and it looks like they expect a complete recovery — he’d likely stay on scholarship through graduation and not count toward the team’s scholarship limit. The scary part is that kid could/can play the game and there was already some buzz about life after college. That’s where things get tricky, ie., loss of income.

Chris in DC said:

I agree, Thacker. How MU could be so negligent as to place those carts there is inconceiveable. I truely hope that the WR Patrick Edward’s career isn’t cut short over something so stupid and irresponsible. I got a feeling that lawyers were being called right after it happened, just as they should…

Hmmm, personal injury lawyer, experience with this state’s laws, not afraid to make a few enemies in the mountains. I have a marvelous idea!

StraightOuttaNorthCentral said:

Have to say up front that I always disliked John Starks. But, it’s pretty cool that a long, talented athlete like Ebanks has an appreciation for an annoying (in the best possible basketball sense) little scrapper like Starks. It always seemed like he did a pretty good job guarding Jordan back in the early and mid-90’s. If Ebanks can combine the work ethic and hustle of Starks with his own natural talent, that would be … nice.  

I found the fondness for Starks refreshing. And exciting.   

Karl said:

I get the Starks thing completely. If you were a kid growing up in the New York area in the 1990s, John Starks was a real big deal. The best way I could put it, fans looked at him as sort of a Knicks version of Mike Gansey.  

OK, full disclosure. Starks was maybe my favorite player growing up. From the seven years I’ve covered college ball, Gansey is one of my favorite players — you don’t want to know who else I’d pick for a 13-man roster, trust me. Somewhere along the line – and probably the time Mike went wild against his old team in Rochester, N.Y., despite robust antagonism — I convinced myself of the very same comparison. If Ebanks can combine Starks and Gansey with his physical gifts, look the hell out.

overtheSEC said:

Mike, what if this “Bird” revelation is only the tip of the iceberg. What if we have a Harlem Globetrotters/And1 Mix-Tape collection of nicknames for all our players? I mean, we already have a Truck. Think of the possibilities. Caridi doing play by play: “Biscuit passes to T-Bone, back screen by Smitty…Bird cheers from the bench”  

(Scribbling in my notebook) 

StraightOuttaNorthCentral said:

this could be the year that Rick Pitino finally goes off the deep end. a few years ago, i remember him sounding simultaneously happy to be coaching in the big east again and extremely upset about having to coach in a 16 team big east. if louisville loses some close league games, falls in the rankings and misses out on a chance at a 1 or 2 seed in the tournament, the selection day cameras might catch him rocking back and forth, mumbling incoherently, while assistant coaches and players try to avoid doing anything to trigger a psychotic episode. god, that would be great tv.

“Conference USA is not walking through that door!”

Chris in DC said:

I just can’t see the Big East staying in the same configuration as is. Its obvious that the football teams will eventually split from the basketball only schools, especially with the football coaches clamoring for the addition of another team for ease of scheduling. If they did it today, you would have to ask Memphis. They are good enough addition for football and would be a no brainer for basketball. Heckuva conference if you ask me…

Gordo said:

I think adding Depaul and Marquette to the Big East was a huge mistake. I cannot for the life of me understand why we added Depaul and, as good as they are, I don’t even understand adding Marquette. The BE can’t expand the football side cause they got too many daggone basketball teams in there. Also, can we tell Notre Dame to hit the road?? Would that be stupid?

I’m lumping these two together because I agree with most of it, as do most of us. The league is almost too big for basketball and too small for football. If nothing else, Marquette and DePaul make for an easier split. 

Mack said:

I think the idea of “let’s kick Notre Dame out” is similar to the political rhetoric that you hear during presidential election season. Sure, it sounds good because it makes all of us mad when they take our bowl games away. Add to that the idea that ND has the best TV contract and the reputation as “elitist” and it’s not hard to get fans on board with this idea.

However, unquestionably, Notre Dame has more television appeal than any other team in the country. That is why they are still independent and are able to have a sweetheart BCS and NBC agreement. With all of that said, if the Big East cut its ties with Notre Dame, it would unquestionably hurt the Big East’s bowl tie-ins. Especially when Notre Dame lines up with another conference.

Also, why would the Big East football conference want to expand? Geographically, only Conference USA and MAC teams could work, and they’re all terrible. If the football conference added a team, my guess is that Villanova would be the most likely candidate, since it’s a charter member of the basketball conference.  

Notre Dame, detestable as it may be, is not going anywhere. The arrangement works too well for both sides. I think the main push for expansion is so the Big East would have eight conference football games, which is some type of magic number. Why? I don’t know. Twelve teams is the only real magic number with conference membership because it allows you to have a title game, like the Big 12, ACC and SEC. Villanova is a nice idea, but there’s no way it could afford the jump.

JP said:

Yes we don’t want this blog to turn into a message board. If you want to know why, see below:

http://marshall.rivals.com/showmsg.asp?fid=2236&mid=119687189&sid=1082&tid=119687189&style=1

Oh … oh my.  

Kneeb0ne said:

Mike,

I was actually glad to see that Jarrett Brown didn’t play. I think maybe having both QB’s in the huddle has distracted the offense and undermines Pat’s leadership (no one likes to have someone looking over their shoulder all the time).

I know JB is a quality athlete but I think he should not be on the field unless at that position.

I feel that it helped to let Pat lead and the offensive line “gel” around him.

What are your thoughts? 

Interesting perspective, though I have zero doubt Pat is the unquestioned leader of this team. I’m split on the rest of this. I do not like the two quarterback system, but I don’t think this is a “true” two quarterback system, like Spurrier in the 1990s. I don’t like the idea of using players from one position to play another, but it’s clear Jarrett has a knack for picking up the first down. In an ideal world, your best 11 are the best players at all 11 positions. WVU just happens to be in a situation where its best fullback is a backup quarterback and its best tight end is a converted receiver.

OB1 said:

Wasn’t this standard pre-snap protocol in Rod’s offense? Get into base offense, read what the defense is bringing, then get a play in?

Why did it take so long for the Stew and Co. to realize this keeps defenses honest and puts points on the board?

Of course, most of the success of this is contingent on the O-line actually hitting their blocks. And they definitely did that Thurs. night.  

I can’t answer that question. Nor would anyone else. Though we were told WVU had done it in every game, I can’t recall it in such abundance. The better question is why this won’t be a regular part of the offense. Either the coaches were being secretive or they don’t plan to do it much Saturday because the Huskies show one front and one coverage on defense.

jmbwvu said:

i hate the whole ‘looking at the sideline’ thing. why not send in 2-3 plays and let the qb make the decision at the line and call the play??  

Coaches have to coach. 

JP said:

Directv sports pack baby! Not only do you get the U but last week you could have watched, among other thrillers, Lehigh v. Holy Cross and Alabama State v. Alabama A&M

Can I get South Carolina State v. Delaware State updates? Bulldogs are on a roll!

Erinn said:

You do a fine job at reporting, Mike. Do you think you can get Coach to discuss his ties with the RJB? I wanna know how Stew and Mullen decide when the YMCA should be played during the game.  

Shoot. Forgot all about it this week. My hunch is RJB decides. His timing is impeccable.   

Jeff said:

If us dumb-a$$ fans can pick up on what they were doing (without having Stewart point it out to us, or read it in a blog or newspaper), then I’m sure the coach of a Division I BCS-league team will be able to figure it out also when they watch the tape. I don’t think ole Billy said anything that wasn’t already obvious…and certainly nothing that’s going to “hurt” us.  

Bingo … but I could do with out the “dumb-a$$ fans” blast on your first comment. I appreciate the self-censorship, though. 

Gordo said:

I also think Coach Stew gets a bad rap b/c of his country bumpkin style and his hillbillyisms. I’m pretty sure that he probably knows more about football then all of us combined, but he talks about a simple hand clap as part of the snap count and people start losing their minds. Football has been his job for decades and so many fans out there think that they could do a better job. It’s asinine to me. The guy deserves a lot of his criticisms, but I think he also deserves a lot more credit than what he gets.  

I don’t mind his, um, “country bumpkin style and his hillbillyisms.” He is who he is. Better that than phony. It’s entertaining, too. You make a good point, though. Do people target him because he incorporates that style and substance? I say yes. I also say you don’t live as long as he has in this profession without some skill. 

Sam said:

I am reminded here of Rowdy Roddy Piper, who once said, “Just when you think you have the answers, I go and change the questions.” Think Bill’s leaking this stuff intentionally, to let other teams know that they shouldn’t have much in the way of confidence?

Oh, God, I hope so. If WVU wins something like 45-10 tomorrow, how excited on a scale of 1-10 would you be to hear drums and bag pipes afterward? It’s at least a 12, right? 

Josh24601 said:

Alas, the replay booth attendants are often too busy large-intestine spelunking to review “every” play, as their role stipulates.

This reminds me of _A Few Good Men_: if Jessup ordered his men not to touch Santiago, then why was Santiago in grave danger and ordered to be transferred?  

Excellent. I can’t come up with a better way to compare the replay fiasco to a scenario from a 1990s film. Well played, sir. Well played.

thacker said:

Aren’t a lot of people overlooking Coley White. Pat claims that Coley is a much better athlete than himself. Maybe the potential recruits aren’t overlooking C. White during this recruiting class and how soon they may fit into an offense as a starting QB?  

While I think Pat was indulging a tad, the coaches do like Coley and he was getting a lot of extra work when Pat was out and Jarrett was nicked. I’m not sold on his future at that position, but I don’t think they’re petrified of a situation in which Coley White is the QB, either.

Kneeb0ne said:

I read the Sporting News article and my eyes got misty. As a fan not able to return to many games, hearing that the harassing continues made me even more proud to be a mountaineer.

Misty eyes? Tear gas flashbacks?

Karl said:

I’m thinking we’re going to see the Big East season end with another 2004, where a couple of teams end up sharing the league title. It’s like there’s one bad team (SU), one underachiever (RU) and six other evenly matched teams that are good, but not great. I’m not sure any of them are capable of separating themselves too far from the pack.

Am I crazy to be worried that the Big East champ gets bypassed by the BCS this season if our teams keep beating each other up? Watching Tulsa last night, I realized there are an unusually high number of non-BCS schools with undefeated records this far into the season. If our champ is below #15 and they’re ranked high enough, I think they’re eligible to take our spot.

Finally, I read that Sporting News piece the other night and left my compliments to the chefs. I’d say my post was “Perfectly” appropriate.

I’m thinking you’re dead on. Syracuse will go winless. After the Orange, who’s the worst remaining team? USF? Really? I don’t think you’re too crazy about the BCS scenario, either. What if Rutgers wins the league at 5-2 — possible! — and finishes 7-5. That’s not a top 25 team and that’s the Big East champ. Say Louisville wins the league — also possible! — and does so with a 5-2 record. There’s a very good chance the Cardinals won’t be ranked and almost a 100 percent chance they won’t be in the top 16 of the BCS. Enter the at-large from a mid-major, though only at the expense of an at-large eligible team from a BCS conference, which is going to infuriate the SEC and Big 12. Important to remember the Big East champ gets a BCS bid, no matter what. Here’s the explanation.

3. The champion of Conference USA, the Mid-American Conference, the Mountain West Conference, the Sun Belt Conference, or the Western Athletic Conference will earn an automatic berth in a BCS bowl game if either:

A. Such team is ranked in the top 12 of the final BCS Standings, or,

B. Such team is ranked in the top 16 of the final BCS Standings and its ranking in the final BCS Standings is higher than that of a champion of a conference that has an annual automatic berth in one of the BCS bowls.

No more than one such team from Conference USA, the Mid-American Conference, the Mountain West Conference, the Sun Belt Conference, and the Western Athletic Conference shall earn an automatic berth in any year. If two or more teams from those conferences satisfy the provisions for an automatic berth, then the team with the highest finish in the final BCS Standings will receive the automatic berth, and the remaining team or teams will be considered for at-large selection if it meets the criteria.

Finally, here’s the “perfectly” appropriate comment:

MrPerfect | Friday, October 24, 2008, 7:35 pm

I don’t have any problem with this column. It’s just a pair of guys’ opinion, albeit not a very creative one. The whole hillbilly sterotype thing has been done to death. The “psycho ex-girlfriend” analogy got so spent over the Rich Rodriguez news cycle that I’m a bit surprised anyone would regurgitate it and pass it off as their own.

What I do have a problem with is the Sporting News’ decision to run this as a top story on their main college football “news” board. That’s an area usually reserved for legitimate Associated Press and TSN-written pieces. The implication is that the stories posted there were selected by editors who judged them to be the most important stories of the moment. When I saw the headline they posted for this piece (something like “Morgantown W.Va.: Enter at Your Own Risk”) I rushed in to read it, alarmed and expecting some important WVU-related news item.

This is not a news story. It’s a blog entry by, from what I’m gathering, non-staff members. It looks like there are a few actual Sporting News writers commenting on this above (which I’ve never seen before), laughing off the fans’ upset feelings. I think their editorial judgment is off — whether TSN wrote it or not, they’re promoting it as if they did. Is the Sporting News a place I should come to for serious college football coverage, or is it some operation run by a couple of guys trying to have laughs at their readers’ expense? 

Enjoy the weekend!