An interesting item passed along to me a short time ago was an ESPN discussion that asked “What if The Product went to Alabama?”

I’m paraphrasing, of course. I believe ESPN opted for P-Rod. Irregardless, it does make you stop and think about the way college football would be very different today.

I’d guess Bill Stewart is not your head coach today. I’d listen to an argument that perhaps Nick Saban would be. Who knows if the Mine Mule sticks around WVU? Michigan isn’t in NCAA trouble and maybe the Big Ten isn’t looking to expand if its most storied football institution wasn’t in the gutter for two years.

WVU’s 2007 season never happens, which means no 13-9 and no 48-28. We never meet Marvelous Marv, who then never likens the plight of his client to that of a slave. The curtain is never pulled back to reveal the WVU athletic department, either, and Larry Aschebrook maybe never goes west.

Hell, the way we talk here changes an awful lot. I made seven casual references to people and events in the first four paragraphs and never said Oll Stewart.

It’s actually a great conversation piece … and a great segue into this particular post. What are the most notable “What if …” scenarios in WVU sports history?

I often think about 2006 Sweet 16 game. What if Kenton Paulino misses that running 30-footer? I contend WVU wins in overtime — and so does everyone I still talk to on that team. Then it’s LSU in the next game … and I often doubt Mountaineer fans would have had to wait 51 years between Final Fours.

And had WVU gotten through and been part of what was a flimsy Final Four that season, it would have played George Mason in the national semifinal. Win that one and it’s either Florida or UCLA in the final, both of which would have been bigger challenges.

Florida was a really young group, though, and the very type of team WVU’s offense/defense could feast upon if it clicked. And, of course, WVU beat UCLA earlier that season at UCLA.

Makes you think, huh? What do you think should make others think?