In the brief time I was at the Mountainlair today, I was told two pretty interesting things that may or not mean anything — try and follow me here. Separate people casually said they had not seen a Friday crowd like the one on the turf.

This is 3 o’clock in the afternoon. It’s a pretty impressive sight and the picture doesn’t quite present the depth of the scene. But isn’t it just tents? Could it be this unusual? Wouldn’t ESPN say something similar every week to keep people excited?

Whatever the case, they’re there to get a glimpse at that stage.

A lot of people will be there and that leads me to the second disclosure. There’s an expectation this GameDay could be one of the most-watched yet — and ESPN has been doing this for 25 years. I think we can agree on this — before I get to something with which you might not agree: WVU is a fun and festive and inspiring place. And because of that, get ready for a lot of proclamations and a lot of congratulations before this thing ever gets started. WVU and Morgantown and West Virginia and all the of their people really want this to work and they all want to say it worked, but they’d all be wise to make it work first.

Don’t take this the wrong way, but right now, this is just another stage, another spoke on the wheel. The real work, the lasting impression comes tomorrow. Witness Desmond Howard navigate through some stuff (anything) and throw up a Heisman-like stiff arm to the idea WVU has already arrived as something above and beyond its predecessors. “Everyone, Earth. I believe you’ve met.”

(P.S. This is a frightening glimpse into my life …)