Credit to the coaches for managing to behave themselves. So far. Bill Stewart has refrained from mentions of the “school down south” and Doc Holliday has jabbed cautiously, if it was a jab at all, to remind people he recruited a number of key players to WVU and now wishes he hadn’t. Doc says Marshall has to beat WVU eventually to make it a rivalry. Stewart seems to go out of his way to call it an “in-state” rivalry, as if to suggest it wouldn’t be a rivalry across state lines.

Then again, maybe that’s just me looking a little too deep for things I thought would be at the surface and, thus far, are not. It has become, as Stewart says, “game two” for these teams, which is a disservice to the series and the intent behind it.

Then again, I’m not buying after window shopping. I’ve tried these clothes on before the these don’t fit. It’s been too kind and civil and lacked a lot of the emotion and tension I believe exists. You almost wonder if that’s been dragged down, too, by what the game has been made to become.

Or is it a rouse? Sure, the backdrop is surprisingly bland, but maybe everyone is in on the surprise.

“We’ll be emotional. I don’t want them to walk out like a bunch of alter boys. We’re not going to mass.”

I do think the disdain will manifest itself, either during the game or after. If, for example, there is an in-your-face or foot-on-throat moment to be made, don’t be surprised if one hurries to do it to the other.

EERmanStan: How many points will WVU score against Marshall?

Colin Dunlap: Why have I been getting this question so much lately? There is a Coastal Carolina game yet to play. Well, considering you asked, I will answer — after all, that is my function here. I will stick by the answer I’ve been going with. Because of some, well, um, bad blood, WVU will score 150 points if given the opportunity. That is really all that needs to be said.