Between The Eers: Will WVU Finish in the Top 25?
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00:00 (upbeat music)
00:02 - What's going on everybody?
00:11 Skylar Callant here on Between the Years.
00:14 Today we're gonna talk a little bit about West Virginia
00:17 and the top 25, something that they have not been able to do
00:21 since Neil Brown took the head coaching job back in 2019.
00:25 And I think they actually got a shot here to end the season
00:29 in the AP top 25, which will come out obviously
00:32 after the national championship game is played
00:34 between Michigan and Washington.
00:37 So first thing is first,
00:40 is West Virginia worthy of being a top 25 team?
00:45 And if you were to ask me that,
00:46 maybe after the Baylor game,
00:50 that wrapped up the regular season,
00:53 I would have said probably not.
00:54 I mean, I think this is a team that's clearly turning
00:57 in the right direction, but there are some inconsistencies
01:01 in the game and all three phases
01:03 that give you a little concern.
01:07 When you lose or not lose,
01:10 but when you almost lose to Baylor,
01:12 that sparks concern.
01:15 But I think bouncing back in the bowl game convincingly
01:20 should get them in the top 25
01:23 or at least very, very close to it.
01:25 And I'm not saying that beating a team
01:27 that lost all of its starters
01:29 or most of its starters in North Carolina
01:31 is something to write home about.
01:33 But I do think taking care of business means something today
01:39 because there's some of these teams in these bowl games
01:41 that quite frankly just didn't do that.
01:43 And I think you have to honor that.
01:45 And I think you also have to honor the fact
01:47 that everyone thought this team would win four
01:49 or five games, they'd be picked dead last in the big 12.
01:52 And all of a sudden they're a top four finish
01:55 in the big 12 and win nine games.
01:57 They exceeded expectations immensely.
02:02 So I think you have to give them some sort of credit.
02:06 And again, I'm not saying that they need to be a top 20
02:08 or a top 15 team by any means.
02:10 I think 23, 24, somewhere in that ballpark makes sense.
02:15 Going into the top 25
02:20 and some of the results from those games,
02:23 and I'm going to start around the 16,
02:27 let's work our way from the number 15 team down.
02:31 And this is just in the AP top 25,
02:34 which is the one that really matters,
02:36 at least to a lot of people.
02:37 I don't really care about the playoff rankings.
02:39 That's only for the top four.
02:40 So Louisville, number 15,
02:46 they get beat pretty soundly against USC,
02:49 which is kind of a shock.
02:50 They didn't have Caleb Williams on.
02:52 The USC Trojans did not have their starting quarterback
02:55 and they still find a way to beat Louisville.
02:58 Notre Dame at number 16,
03:00 they win big over another team in the top 25
03:04 that'll probably find their way out of the rankings,
03:08 and that's Oregon State, 40 to eight.
03:11 Iowa gets pounded by Tennessee, 35 to nothing.
03:14 So they're going to drop pretty far,
03:16 maybe potentially all the way out.
03:18 I wouldn't probably say all the way out.
03:20 They did finish 10 and three,
03:22 so they'll still be in the top 25,
03:25 but they'll find themselves probably
03:28 towards the 20 spot or further.
03:33 North Carolina State, they lost to Kansas State,
03:38 another top 25 team, so they'll drop a few spots.
03:41 SMU, they lost to Boston College in the Fenway Bowl.
03:47 Liberty got beat badly by Oregon in the Fiesta Bowl.
03:52 Oklahoma State won against Texas A&M.
03:54 Oregon State, we already talked about, they got beat bad.
03:57 Tennessee, as we just mentioned, beat Iowa.
04:01 Tulane, they lost their bowl game by 21 to Virginia Tech,
04:06 a six and six Virginia Tech team.
04:09 And then James Madison to round out the top 25,
04:13 they lost by 10 to Air Force in the Armed Forces Bowl.
04:16 So quite a few teams there towards the back half
04:19 of the top 25 that lost, and then of those receiving votes,
04:23 Clemson won their bowl game, Troy lost theirs,
04:26 Kansas State won theirs, Utah lost theirs,
04:29 and then West Virginia.
04:31 So there seems to me, doing the quick math,
04:36 to be enough there to put West Virginia in the top 25,
04:39 and that would be just a great thing.
04:42 Again, it doesn't really mean all that much
04:44 in the grand scheme of things.
04:45 It's not going to get you a trophy.
04:47 It's not going to get you, you know, much,
04:52 but it is a signal and a sign that this thing
04:56 is headed in the right direction.
04:57 For the first time ever, you could be ranked
05:00 in the top 25 under Neil Brown.
05:02 You're heading in that direction of where you want to be,
05:05 and that's a top team in the Big 12.
05:07 They finished, again, in the top four this year.
05:09 I think they're worthy of it, for sure.
05:11 But we'll see.
05:15 Now, moving towards next year,
05:17 'cause I've got this question a lot, too.
05:19 Is West Virginia a preseason top 25 team?
05:23 And as much as I want to put my stake in the ground
05:28 and say, yes, absolutely, this team will be ranked,
05:31 I got to wait a little bit,
05:34 because there's still another transfer portal window
05:37 or two that's coming.
05:39 You don't know how they're going to fare after that.
05:42 As of right now, they look pretty good,
05:44 because their biggest losses, Tommy Wadd,
05:45 there was Jaya, then Mike Lockhart,
05:48 two guys you could probably replace
05:50 and feel okay about replacing.
05:52 But what happens in the springtime?
05:54 What happens in the summertime?
05:56 That's the key.
05:58 If they can still hold onto their top talent by then
06:02 and go into fall camp
06:03 with their main core still together,
06:06 I think there's a pretty good chance
06:08 that they'll be in the top 25.
06:09 A lot of it also depends on some of these other teams
06:12 in the country, not just the Big 12, but in the country,
06:15 what they do in the portal,
06:16 the players they get.
06:18 But my assumption is,
06:22 at January 4th, assuming everyone comes back,
06:26 they will be in the top 25.
06:27 And I think another reason for it, too,
06:29 it's for TV, right?
06:31 TV absolutely loves to have top 25 matchups
06:36 in the first week or two of the season.
06:38 And if they can get a top 25 game
06:41 between West Virginia and Penn State
06:42 to kick off the season,
06:45 they're going to have that opportunity.
06:47 So, and it's not like they're really going to be forcing
06:50 West Virginia into the top 25 at that point, right?
06:52 I mean, they won nine games,
06:54 they finished fourth in the Big 12,
06:56 they have their star quarterback back,
06:58 they have a really good running back duo coming back,
07:00 some key pieces at receiver,
07:03 and one of the better offensive lines in the country.
07:05 It's not like they're going to be forced in there
07:08 and you're wondering, okay, that's just for TV.
07:11 No, I think this is a well-earned ranking
07:16 should they get one.
07:17 So, do I think they'll finish in the top 25
07:21 of the AP poll this season?
07:23 Yes.
07:25 Do I think they'll begin next season in the top 25?
07:28 Yes.
07:29 That is my prediction.
07:30 I wouldn't be shocked, again,
07:34 if they don't start next season in the top 25,
07:39 just because there's so many things
07:42 that can happen between now and then that could change that.
07:45 But I would be absolutely blindsided
07:48 if they did not get ranked to end the 2023 season.
07:52 Hell of a year for Neil Brown and the coaching staff
07:54 and the players.
07:55 Tip of the hat to them for winning nine games,
07:59 exceeding expectations,
08:00 and changing the narrative around WVU football
08:03 for the first time in quite a while.
08:06 So, that'll do it for me here today.
08:08 It was a quick episode.
08:09 Just wanted to get my quick thoughts out there on that.
08:12 Been a little under the weather here the last 24 hours or so,
08:14 so not feeling up to a full 15, 20-minute episode.
08:18 So, just wanted to get something out there.
08:20 We'll get back tomorrow for our final episode of the week
08:25 before we dive into the game weekend
08:27 of West Virginia and Houston.
08:29 One of the Mountaineers now post-game show for that.
08:31 And then we'll have Sunday off coming back Monday
08:34 here on Between the Years.
08:35 So, thank you guys for taking some time out of your Thursday
08:40 to check out another episode here of Between the Years.
08:42 Make sure you hit the subscribe button
08:43 on YouTube at Mountaineers Now.
08:45 I'll be back tomorrow with another episode.
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