Between The Eers: Way-Too-Early Predictions
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00:00 [MUSIC]
00:10 Good Wednesday morning everybody here on Between the Ears.
00:12 I'm Skylar Callendad, that is Christopher Hall.
00:14 We've got a WVU football schedule now that we can finally dive into
00:20 a quick couple of notes here.
00:23 Penn State, obviously the home opener, which we already knew.
00:26 Albany the following week, you go to Pitt for your first road game.
00:32 In quotes, Big 12 home opener against Kansas, senior day,
00:36 down the line, November 23rd against UCF.
00:40 And then you wrap up the season on November 30th against Texas Tech.
00:43 And heck, who knows, you might be playing for
00:46 back to back trips to Texas there at the end of the year.
00:49 So let's break this thing down into segments here, Chris.
00:53 Let's go with just the non-conference first.
00:55 Penn State, Albany at Pitt.
00:57 I mean, pretty favorable setup there you got in diving into it.
01:04 I think the Pitt game is gonna be a noon game.
01:07 The reason I say that, the Pirates are playing at home that weekend and
01:12 that night they play at 640.
01:14 So I would assume they don't want a crap ton of traffic to be in Pittsburgh coming
01:19 out in and out at the same time.
01:21 So I would imagine that one's gonna be- >> I don't want to go on to a Pirates game
01:24 in September, they're out of the playoffs in June.
01:26 >> Listen, don't you even start with me, don't you even.
01:30 I've got my hot, all right, anyways,
01:33 they're going to be playing in a NL Central race, okay?
01:39 They're gonna be playing meaningful games this September.
01:42 It's not gonna just be the regular crap.
01:44 So it's gonna be a packed PNC Park.
01:47 It's gonna be a packed Akershaw Stadium.
01:50 They've gotta adjust according or playing accordingly.
01:53 So anyways, your thoughts on the non-conference part of the schedule and
01:58 just kind of how it all sets up.
02:00 >> Obviously, you'd like to at least switch Albany and Penn State,
02:04 get that game under their belt.
02:07 But it is what it is, starting off Penn State again.
02:09 It was a physical matchup last year, expected to be physical again this year.
02:13 It is a nice little break there before another physical matchup rivalry game
02:18 against Pitt.
02:19 So I mean, on paper, it doesn't look terrible.
02:24 Most programs are playing a premier, not most programs,
02:28 but you're seeing programs play like a premier opener or
02:33 a premier non-conference game, which he has two with Pitt.
02:37 I know Pitt's not great, but it's still a rivalry game, so it'll be physical.
02:41 So we've talked about this schedule now for years,
02:45 playing 11 power five opponents is brutal throughout the season.
02:50 Luckily, with country reds trust, they're able to retain their talent and
02:54 create depth, that does help.
02:56 But you gotta have the talent in the two deep and sometimes three deep to find
03:00 that consistency to win and be a contender in the big 12.
03:03 So it's obviously gonna be tough.
03:04 Really concerned with Penn State with all the hype going around this team.
03:10 Definitely don't have them beating Penn State.
03:13 They just haven't shown that they can beat a caliber of a team like that yet.
03:16 So I'm kind of worried about that just because if they lose, it's a let down.
03:21 And then you kind of walk through Albany, how fired up,
03:25 they should be fired up against Pitt.
03:27 But Pitt's gonna be on that revenge tour for the season they had.
03:31 So we'll kind of see how they look going into the third week of the season.
03:34 So Penn State concerns me just for
03:37 the emotional loss if they were to lose that game.
03:40 And then talked about last year and we've talked recently even with the basketball
03:43 team has been very little, how do they handle that success?
03:47 What if Pitt starts off in two, what if he starts off at two and O and
03:50 then they kind of sleepwalk at Pitt and get punched in the mouth.
03:53 So a lot of intriguing storylines could happen in that first three games.
03:57 It's kind of what happens when you have some good matchups.
03:59 But I think that first game isn't an indicator of the season, but man,
04:06 how they handle success or defeat in that could definitely be
04:10 a key part to the season to start it.
04:13 >> Yeah, I think the good thing is though, I mean, you saw it last year,
04:17 they lose the Penn State game.
04:19 They bounce back and they take care of business against Duquesne,
04:22 which is in the same spot as the Albany game.
04:24 And then they come back the following week and
04:27 manage to get through that backyard brawl with the backup quarterback and
04:31 Nico Markeo.
04:32 So I think it sets up well, again, like you just touched on,
04:35 you've got guys that are experienced now.
04:37 They played in these games against Penn State and Pitt.
04:40 They know how to handle the ups and downs of going from playing a top team like
04:45 Penn State to an FCS team back up to a Pitt team.
04:48 So I think that works in your favor.
04:51 The thing that I'm most concerned about here in this first month or
04:54 so of the season is that start of the Big 12 schedule.
04:58 And it's the exact same setup that you had two years ago,
05:02 where you lost to Pitt, you go home, you play Kansas,
05:06 you think you're gonna walk right through them.
05:09 And you found out that that's not the case.
05:12 Kansas came to play that day.
05:14 >> Little different scenario, Kansas wasn't what we know as Kansas of now.
05:19 >> Right, but this is a much better Kansas team.
05:23 >> Is it?
05:24 [LAUGH] >> Yes, absolutely.
05:27 >> I think they're about the same.
05:30 >> I don't know, Jalen Daniels' experience.
05:34 >> He's been hurt, he's been hurt, he's experienced before.
05:37 It's the same.
05:38 >> Yes, he has.
05:40 >> It's a Kansas team, they're gonna be good without a doubt, but
05:42 same Kansas team, they haven't really improved.
05:44 >> I just think that's not- >> This is a much better West Virginia team
05:47 than it was two years ago too, so.
05:49 >> Yeah, absolutely.
05:50 I just think it's a tough spot to open up Big 12 play with,
05:55 when you're coming off an emotional winner loss either way against Pitt.
05:59 >> Who's a good Big 12 team to open up with in this league?
06:03 >> Cincinnati.
06:04 >> Well, it's still AF, isn't it?
06:07 >> Yeah, absolutely.
06:08 >> Cincinnati is gonna wanna beat West Virginia.
06:10 West Virginia fans care that much about Cincinnati.
06:14 >> UCF, they, UCF's still trying to build their roster up.
06:17 >> They still don't like West, you gotta think of it this way.
06:19 Those programs don't like West Virginia.
06:22 West Virginia could care less about those programs.
06:24 They're gonna give their all, West Virginia should give their all.
06:28 It's just different, it's a different scenario.
06:31 >> I would rather have other teams.
06:34 >> In that scenario, we're Penn State and they're West Virginia, right?
06:38 We don't like Penn State, Penn State doesn't even barely know we exist, all
06:41 right, but we'll beat them, all right?
06:44 Kind of the same scenario.
06:45 You can think of it like we're gonna go play Marshall in a sense,
06:48 they're gonna give everything that they got to win that game, so yeah.
06:52 >> So you're chalking up Kansas as W?
06:53 >> Yeah.
06:57 >> Rock chalk up the win, okay.
06:59 >> Yeah, protect home field.
07:01 >> So Oklahoma State, the first road game and really, in my opinion,
07:05 the first true game that you're leaving a home atmosphere, I guess.
07:12 Because Pitt, that's gonna be probably dominated by West Virginia fans.
07:16 So really, I mean, it sets up nice that you don't have to deal with a road crowd
07:20 until October 5th, but then again, it's also, you can backfire on you too.
07:24 You're not used to it, you go out there for your first game.
07:26 That's a tough place to play your first game,
07:29 a team that's probably gonna be towards the top of the Big 12.
07:33 But I will say, if there's a time you wanna play Oklahoma State, it's early.
07:39 Because as we've seen over the years, they don't start out very well,
07:44 for whatever reason.
07:45 They lose to teams like Central Michigan, they struggle and
07:49 lose to South Alabama.
07:50 They take a little while to get going.
07:52 Once that train gets rolling, it's hard to stop.
07:55 So I think getting in second game of Big 12 play is probably about as good as
08:00 you're gonna get.
08:02 I mean, and you also too, you have the bye week to go into that game with.
08:07 So you have a little time to rest and prepare going into that.
08:10 >> Yeah, it's always tough to play a Mike Gundy team.
08:16 They're trying to still figure out their path in the NIL process.
08:20 So they've lacked consistency, same as West Virginia through
08:25 the transfer portal era.
08:27 And like I said, they've been coming on late in the season.
08:30 So yeah, probably a good time as any to get Oklahoma State.
08:33 Mostly, I'm not sold on them beating Oklahoma State.
08:40 I know they beat them out there two years ago.
08:44 But they definitely improved last year when they had Ali Gordon and
08:48 all that good stuff.
08:49 But these road games, really my theme with West Virginia is,
08:55 they've gotta show consistency.
08:57 And they gotta get consistency on the outside from a receiver.
09:01 You're not returning anybody that had over 500 yards receiving last year.
09:04 Obviously, some of those guys had their moments throughout the season.
09:09 But if you're gonna contend for a Big 12 and you're trying to get that double
09:13 digit win, you gotta get guys at least close to the 1,000 yard mark.
09:17 So they've gotta find some consistency.
09:20 The biggest turnaround from last year was obviously Garrett Green,
09:24 his ability to keep his eyes on the field, be teams with his legs,
09:27 just running the ball.
09:28 So if they can find any consistency on the outside and
09:33 get a playmaker on the outside, get somebody that can make plays downfield,
09:37 yeah, then we'll probably look at going into that game a lot differently.
09:42 If they're looking at three and one and they found some guys on the outside,
09:45 then yeah, we can probably start having some better conversations with the offense
09:51 and where they're heading as the season goes along.
09:54 >> So yeah, I mean, after Oklahoma State, they come back home,
09:58 they got two against Iowa State, Kansas State.
10:02 Then they go out to Tucson to take on Arizona, Noah Fafita and
10:07 that crew out there that, I mean, who knows what they're gonna look like.
10:11 They say they're mostly gonna stick together, they're key guys, but
10:15 it's January.
10:16 >> Gotta get through spring.
10:17 >> Yeah, you gotta get through spring, get through the-
10:19 >> There's some people who are gonna be
10:21 unhappy and it can start to unravel really fast.
10:23 And you'll have the quarterback say, I'm a wildcat forever, blah, blah, blah, but
10:27 will you have help?
10:28 Will you have any chemistry along the offensive line?
10:31 >> Coaching matters too, they lost a really damn good coach to Jetfish, so.
10:35 >> Yeah, that game that looked like it could be a premier matchup all of
10:40 a sudden looks like, nah.
10:42 But in that case, West Virginia is also traveling all the way across the country.
10:47 First time going to Arizona that's not benefited,
10:52 historically that's not been good for West Virginia.
10:55 So even it could be chaotic, that could be a night that,
10:58 West Virginia brand's big and that's gonna probably bring out some fans.
11:02 It could be a night game, that's one of the tricks we have right now is we don't
11:06 know if it's a night game, an afternoon game.
11:09 If it's- >> That factors in to the-
11:12 >> If it's noon out there,
11:14 it'd be a three o'clock kickoff here.
11:16 So West Virginia does have that kind of advantage where it wouldn't be,
11:20 I guess, as early.
11:21 I don't think they would acclimate themselves in the time zone in such
11:26 a short period of time, so I don't think it would be necessary.
11:29 But to me, these road games are gonna be tough.
11:34 I do have them stealing one of these road games.
11:36 Right now, you just don't know which one it could be, again,
11:38 because we just don't know the four rosters.
11:40 But that's gonna be a tougher game, whether they're 0-4, 0-5,
11:44 whatever it is at that point, or if they're the one win.
11:47 It's gonna be tough just from a traveling standpoint.
11:50 >> Yeah, I mean, Arizona's the toughest one that they're gonna have all year.
11:54 And I mean, you look at that, I mean, it's just from top to bottom,
11:58 it just seems like home game, home game, home game, home game.
12:01 And you get that long trip to Arizona, you come back and you play on the road again.
12:06 But you're only making the quick bus trip over to Cincinnati, and
12:09 that's a fairly easy road trip for West Virginia fans.
12:12 And Mountaineer fans, I don't know if they'll take over Nipper Stadium,
12:16 probably not necessarily to the extent that they will up at Akersher.
12:21 But there'll be a good contingent of- >> Wouldn't be surprised if that's not
12:24 moved to Paul Brown.
12:26 >> Paul Brown, yeah.
12:27 >> Yeah, is it so-called Paul Brown, or whatever company?
12:30 >> I don't know, that's a good question, actually.
12:32 >> Whatever company took over the naming.
12:35 >> Good chance it might get moved there, ticket sales, whatever.
12:38 I'm sure Cincinnati would love to have it, Nipper Stadium,
12:41 to have that comfy confines there.
12:43 It's a little tight in there, I'm sure they'd like to have it there.
12:46 But it'd be interesting to see where that played at, and
12:49 that's definitely not gonna be an easy matchup whatsoever.
12:52 >> No, and then Baylor, UCF to wrap up.
12:55 So, and then you had, like I said, Texas Tech to end the year.
12:59 But it's an interesting schedule.
13:05 Let me ask you this, if West Virginia were to get the ten wins,
13:09 what does the path look like?
13:12 Obviously, I think we would all probably just go ahead and
13:14 throw Penn State in there as one of the two losses.
13:18 If you had to pick another team other than Oklahoma State that you'd be most
13:21 worried about, who would it be?
13:22 >> I think Iowa State.
13:27 Brocko Beck had a lot of experience.
13:32 Matt Campbell always puts a tough team together.
13:35 How they start will matter, and how West Virginia attacks.
13:41 Because if they have a slow start, they started getting on midway
13:47 through the season and towards the end of the year with Rocco.
13:49 He was only a freshman.
13:50 I'm sure they expect, the expectations are a little higher this year.
13:55 So, it'd be interesting to see how that team fills out.
13:57 But Iowa State, I think Kansas State,
14:00 you can put right there in that mix the following week, might be a tougher matchup.
14:04 Because after playing Iowa State, a physical game,
14:08 you welcome in a physical team to Kansas State.
14:11 >> That's three straight, because Oklahoma State, Iowa State, Kansas State,
14:15 that's the gauntlet right there.
14:16 >> Who's their quarterback gonna be after Will Howard left?
14:20 Yeah, that's the intriguing one.
14:21 Klamas obviously done a great job.
14:24 And you might be catching them at the right time.
14:26 But they might start to be clicking, but bringing them to Morgantown,
14:31 they may not be fully clicking in Morgantown.
14:35 So, if you can get through that stretch right there, with just one loss,
14:40 you gotta feel good going the rest of the way through the season.
14:45 >> Yeah, I mean, the way I'm looking at it, like-
14:47 >> Although at Texas Tech,
14:49 depends what they're fighting for at that point in time.
14:52 That's never an easy place to play either.
14:53 If they're eight, nine wins at that point, and they could be vying for-
14:58 >> Just as much.
14:59 >> If West Virginia has only one loss in the conference,
15:02 and you got two losses going in at Texas Tech, I'm sure they would love them.
15:07 Is West Virginia already solidified in the Big 12 Championship at that point?
15:10 You gotta kinda see how it all shakes out, cuz previously,
15:15 it was like Oklahoma's probably gonna be unscathed, they're one loss.
15:18 >> I don't have to worry about that anymore.
15:20 Texas as of last year, I guess, but who is gonna be the top team?
15:27 They're Utah, they're gonna be in the mix somewhere.
15:31 They're not on the schedule.
15:33 So this might be a year where everyone may suffer a couple of losses and
15:38 be in a Big 12 Championship, just don't know.
15:42 But Utah probably more likely is gonna be in that mix.
15:45 So if West Virginia is gonna go that far, they might end up playing Utah.
15:48 But it's a wait and see, so much of this is wait and see.
15:51 But I think if you can get through that tough four game stretch,
15:54 starting with Oklahoma State, which is at three and one, that would be incredible.
16:00 Absolutely incredible.
16:01 And again, it goes back to, well, how do they handle that success?
16:03 Because at that point, if you're looking at the schedule,
16:07 just from this standpoint, I know there's some optimism around Central Florida,
16:12 for whatever reason, but do they handle the success right?
16:17 Do they go out and play the way they dictated to get to that point?
16:22 It's a wait and see.
16:23 There's some big questions around this program right now that for
16:27 them to take the next step, they're gonna have to handle success.
16:31 They're gonna have to have short memories, whether it's good or bad, and
16:34 continue to fight forward.
16:35 Because what we've seen from them last year was a much better step in
16:40 the right direction.
16:41 But at the same time, like I said, you gotta find consistency on offense.
16:46 And we haven't even talked about the defense yet.
16:48 I mean, we have in previous shows, but defensively, where are you at?
16:54 So there's a lot of holes to fill, I think, in a lot of areas for West Virginia.
16:59 And I think my optimism with West Virginia right now is Garrett Green,
17:04 because he was the difference maker last year, and
17:06 he's definitely gonna be a difference maker this year.
17:08 But if he doesn't have help,
17:10 he can be contained with a lot of these coaches in the Big 12.
17:15 >> Well, I mean, my thing too is, I'm somebody, you gotta prove it to me twice,
17:19 for me to believe in something.
17:21 And I'm not trying to discredit what Neil or
17:23 that football team did this past season.
17:25 But I mean, let's be honest, the first four years, pretty rough.
17:30 Like you had three losing seasons, your only winning year came in COVID,
17:34 which you had ten games, you didn't play a full schedule.
17:37 You didn't play in front of crowds, that was just a weird year.
17:42 This is the first year where they've really shown anything of positivity and
17:47 that the- >> The first year they were able to
17:50 retain their roster too, so it's not like it was.
17:54 I mean, after 2020, they lose, can't even lose Darryl Porter.
17:57 I mean, they lost everybody.
17:59 >> They did lose.
17:59 >> It's not like it was like they were doing a terrible job coaching.
18:03 They just lost all their players, so.
18:05 This is the first time under Neil Brown that he'll have consecutive seasons where
18:09 he gets to retain his roster.
18:11 First time, going into six years, this is his first time.
18:14 So that's insane.
18:17 So you can't really judge him on that.
18:19 We have to judge him like now, you know what I mean?
18:22 Like, okay, they had a little success, let's handle it.
18:25 He didn't really do anything on a national scale, but
18:28 you turned a corner where you actually retained your talent.
18:31 You're able to retain your talent thus far, gotta get through spring,
18:34 see what happens, and kind of go from there.
18:37 See, they brought in Beanie last year.
18:39 They had Mike Lockhart from the previous season.
18:43 When he came in for G Tech, became a great player.
18:45 Now he's off to the SEC.
18:47 But they were deep there.
18:49 You're gonna have to find some guys that linebacker in the secondary and
18:53 kind of go from there.
18:54 I do like the new setup defensively.
18:57 Leslie's the coordinator, that's it.
19:00 He's not handling anything else.
19:01 I think that can go a long way to kind of help him scheme and
19:03 kind of give a whole overview of the defense and
19:06 Shadon doing everything in the secondary.
19:08 I think that kind of helps things a little bit defensively.
19:12 That's not against Dante, right?
19:14 I just think there was two guys in the secondary, much needed.
19:18 But I think right now the way they have set up is good.
19:21 But there's talent, there's young talent.
19:23 Just like the receivers are young talent, there's young talent in the defense.
19:27 They just gotta have a good offseason and produce when the lights are on.
19:31 >> Yeah, I just still, and I'm not trying to hammer Neil or anybody.
19:36 Like I said, I tip their hat to what they did this year.
19:38 I just, I think you have to be cautiously optimistic with this team.
19:43 You can see the things that they're starting to potentially build.
19:48 You can see why there's a lot of optimism and
19:50 why there's a lot of hype from the fan base.
19:53 But for me- >> They're young,
19:55 they're still young.
19:56 >> They're young, you have to prove it to me twice.
19:58 If you show that last year wasn't just an anomaly, and
20:02 you can back that up with another nine or ten win season.
20:06 Or even an eight win year, because I mean, let's be honest, like eight win seasons.
20:10 I know it's not great, it's not something that the fans want or
20:13 think that it's crazy, but that's pretty dang good around these parts.
20:16 >> Eight wins with this roster right now is a good team.
20:19 100%, 11 pounds- >> And with a tougher schedule.
20:22 That is a much tougher schedule than what they just went through last year.
20:24 >> Feature running backs only gonna be a sophomore,
20:27 it's only Garrett Green's second year.
20:29 I mean, really when you're potentially looking at on paper right now,
20:33 you're looking at two years away from being a legitimate contender for
20:37 the Big 12 with Nico in his second.
20:39 Now he could do it next year because look,
20:41 these receivers progress pretty well.
20:43 >> They can elevate them.
20:44 >> This season, the next year, then Nico's gonna have some help.
20:48 And it doesn't have to be all the Nico show, you know what I mean?
20:51 Like what Garrett's doing now.
20:53 Now these guys can make a really big jump this year and
20:55 they can be legitimate contenders this year.
20:57 I'm not seeing it because they haven't done anything yet.
21:00 Hudson Clement, great, and I don't understand PFF,
21:04 their rankings or whatever they got going on.
21:08 But his biggest game was against Duquesne.
21:10 He had some nice game, he had a pretty good game in the bowl game, but
21:14 that's a couple games in a 13 game span.
21:17 So it goes back to consistency.
21:19 What are these guys gonna do?
21:20 We've heard a lot about Gallagher.
21:21 He's made some moves, but he hasn't had a big game.
21:24 So- >> And it really didn't get him in
21:27 the receiver role.
21:28 It was just get him the ball because he was a playmaker.
21:30 They need to get him to run actual routes downfield, fight off of press coverage.
21:36 There's a lot of development there with Rodney that no one's really talking about
21:40 just because they got him the football.
21:42 There's a lot of reasons to be excited about Rodney Gallagher as a receiver.
21:45 >> Right, you bring in Jayden Bray.
21:47 I know a lot of people are excited about Jayden Bray, but there's a kid that,
21:50 I don't even think he had 400 yards receiving last year.
21:52 So you got, there's talent, but can that talent rise every single week?
22:00 Can they, you want a bunch of players making plays, but
22:03 there's gotta be that guy.
22:06 >> Someone's gonna stick out.
22:07 >> It doesn't have to be a Stedman Bailey per se or Kevin White, but
22:11 you gotta have some guys.
22:13 You gotta have guys pushing that thousand yard mark and
22:15 they just haven't been close.
22:18 So until you get some playmakers, you got play, obviously,
22:22 you got playmakers at running back, but they're not gonna be able to make plays.
22:26 So with Eddie Brown, where he just had to fight and fight and fight and
22:29 fight to get those thousand yard season.
22:31 And that's great, but we saw the record because they couldn't get anything over
22:34 the top.
22:35 Got a quarterback who can do it, just gotta find the receivers to be consistent.
22:40 >> So what are we talking about here, record wise?
22:43 I mean, I know it's January 30th or 31st, but
22:47 I mean, we gotta throw our way too early record predictions out there.
22:52 I'm going eight and four.
22:54 I think that I'm being a little conservative on that, honestly,
22:58 because even though this is a tougher schedule,
23:00 there's still a lot of questions as you said.
23:02 I think that this is definitely a team that can win nine plus games and
23:07 be in the mix for the Big 12 title.
23:08 I'm going on the conservative side for now going eight and four,
23:11 because there's just so much unknowns at this point.
23:13 Not only with West Virginia, but those that are on the schedule,
23:17 those that are in the Big 12.
23:18 A lot of things can happen with the coaching changes and the transfer portal.
23:22 A lot of things can change.
23:23 So I'm going eight and four right now that are more likely change and
23:28 be ticked up a notch or two come August when we sit down and
23:31 actually do our actual game by game predictions.
23:33 But that's what I'm going with for now.
23:36 >> Yeah, so is our first one point of post spring, mid summer.
23:39 >> Yeah, we're gonna have it.
23:40 It's like the month of grass, right?
23:42 We're gonna have these every week.
23:44 >> Things change, it's a very fluid situation.
23:46 >> Record predictions 1.0.
23:48 >> Yeah, I'm with you.
23:49 I'm eight and four.
23:50 I think it's very conservative.
23:52 There's no hot take here.
23:54 Just everything I said, we gotta find consistency.
23:56 There's gotta be consistent on both sides of the ball.
24:00 All three phases of the game if they wanna be a legitimate Big 12 contender.
24:04 I don't have them even as a dark horse contender right now.
24:07 Just not sniffing the Big 12 championship at all.
24:12 So- >> Hold on, I'm gonna stop you there.
24:14 I'm gonna stop you there before people start clicking off and
24:16 getting pissed off at you.
24:17 Remember, this is coming from the guy that just picked West Virginia eight and four.
24:21 And everyone said he was probably crazy.
24:24 I don't think many people said you're gonna pick eight and four.
24:27 You picked them eight and four when they were picked to finish 14th in the Big 12.
24:31 You also picked West Virginia's basketball record exactly last year.
24:35 So just saying.
24:38 >> This isn't the final, so we can't use it.
24:39 >> Right, right, but just don't be getting mad and clicking off cuz he says eight and
24:43 four, I say eight and four.
24:44 We're just being conservative here.
24:47 If they get through the offseason and there's no major portal losses or
24:50 anything, that'll probably automatically just go ahead and kick off the night.
24:53 >> And again, I would love to be proven wrong and then to win ten games.
24:58 I bet you never win ten games in the Big 12 championship more likely.
25:01 I would love to be proven wrong for them to beat Penn State, absolutely.
25:06 West Virginia wouldn't wanna see that.
25:08 >> And our opinions will also change too,
25:11 seeing them what they look like in spring and even in fall camp.
25:15 So.
25:16 >> But for me, it's probably not gonna be too much off because here's the thing.
25:20 [LAUGH] We've seen them look really good in practice.
25:25 And in the 21 season, they looked really good in fall camp.
25:31 Caught everything, deep balls over the middle.
25:33 And what did they do in the game?
25:35 Dropped everything.
25:36 [LAUGH] It can definitely take you for a loop.
25:40 But there's certain things you can look for.
25:42 Saw it last year.
25:44 But you just gotta get some size on that outside and
25:47 see just kind of see where it takes you.
25:49 I don't know if they have the bodies.
25:51 Cole Taylor could be that X factor.
25:53 >> Yes he can.
25:54 Old boy can.
25:56 >> Again, there's plenty of potential for them to go on a run.
25:59 100%.
26:01 There's plenty of potential.
26:02 Just gotta see it.
26:03 They're still very young.
26:04 This was next year with Garrett Green.
26:08 If they had Garrett Green, say all these players were in their third year with
26:12 Garrett Green in their second year, then you'd be kind of looking at like, all right,
26:15 may have some.
26:16 >> That's what sucks.
26:17 >> That is, if these guys had produced their sophomore year.
26:20 They're just coming in their second year.
26:22 So how good are these guys gonna be?
26:24 Is it gonna be a sophomore slump?
26:26 Or are they gonna surprise some people?
26:28 I think a lot of them can surprise people cuz there's so
26:31 many, so much talent out there.
26:34 My only concern is, just kind of like it was last year,
26:36 you didn't have consistency from one player.
26:38 And you didn't necessarily have consistency from the unit.
26:41 Think if you can get some consistency from the unit as a whole, you'll be all right.
26:45 But for me, for them to be a contender, you gotta have at least one guy
26:51 that's gonna go make you a play on the outside, just one guy.
26:54 Do you have it in Jaheim in the backfield?
26:57 Obviously CJ as well.
26:59 There's other guys that's probably gonna be in the mix.
27:02 Jalen Anderson's still on the team.
27:04 So he can see, and we've seen that he can pop off big plays as well.
27:07 So there's playmakers in the backfield, 100%.
27:10 Back to defense, middle linebacker, linebacker position is gonna be an issue.
27:14 Very thin right now, same in the secondary, very young, very thin.
27:19 How good are they?
27:21 How fast is Trotter after his injury?
27:23 How good is he still?
27:24 >> Latham.
27:26 >> Same thing with Latham.
27:27 So there's a lot of questions that have to be answered.
27:31 And unfortunately, we won't get a lot of those answers until week one.
27:35 We can watch all the practice we want, doesn't matter.
27:38 So we won't get a lot of answers till week one, even then.
27:42 When I look back at last year at Penn State,
27:43 a lot of my questions were answered week one.
27:46 How physical they were in that first game.
27:48 They were conservative for a lot of reasons.
27:51 They won't be as conservative.
27:52 So we'll have some of those questions answered early.
27:54 Can these guys be playmakers?
27:56 Won't necessarily mean they won't be throughout the season, but
27:59 that's gonna be a big stage to get up there and say, hey, we're here.
28:02 And we're gonna make some plays this year and go for the title.
28:06 >> And I think- >> Big 12 title, not a national title.
28:09 Not getting that far ahead whatsoever.
28:11 >> [LAUGH] The Penn State game.
28:18 I mean, everyone's writing it off as a loss, and I probably more than likely am too.
28:24 But there's a chance for everything, right?
28:27 I mean, college football's crazy, but- >> 100%,
28:28 West Virginia can beat Penn State, but then lose the pit.
28:32 That's college football in a nutshell.
28:34 >> Here's the thing about that Penn State game.
28:37 Like you just said, last year, they were kinda conservative.
28:39 Cuz they really didn't know what they had in Garrett Green.
28:40 They had no idea what he could do as the full-time starter.
28:44 >> They knew, that defense is different.
28:47 >> Yeah, it's nasty.
28:48 >> That defense was loaded last year.
28:51 So they didn't want him to go out there.
28:52 It was his first start.
28:53 It was his first legitimate start as a West Virginia quarterback.
28:57 So he's not gonna go out there and he ends up throwing two or three.
28:59 >> But now he's got a year of experience.
29:01 >> Yeah, so they're gonna let it rip.
29:03 They will let it rip that first game.
29:05 >> I think they're gonna be able to keep that game close.
29:08 I really, really do.
29:09 I think they'll have a chance to not only keep it close, but win it.
29:13 I mean- >> And it's probably gonna come down to
29:16 someone having to make a play- >> Make a play.
29:18 >> Final minutes of the game.
29:20 And that's one of the questions.
29:22 Will they rise to the occasion, or will they shrink?
29:25 >> If they win that game, just saying.
29:28 >> How do they handle the success?
29:30 Just saying.
29:31 >> Yes. >> When they went four and
29:32 one last year, they went, look, they suffered some injuries in that process, but
29:36 they did not handle success very well.
29:39 >> If they win that game- >> They just talked about it,
29:41 I don't wanna say in nauseam, but they've talked about it.
29:43 And it's something that they've worked on, and
29:45 it's the finger around the country.
29:47 It's a problem everywhere.
29:48 It's not a West Virginia thing.
29:50 It's a problem everywhere.
29:51 That's why Alabama was Alabama.
29:54 They had the target on their back for how long?
29:55 Still won at a high rate.
29:58 Georgia's kind of feeling their way through that right now.
30:00 They're playing at a high level, targets on their back.
30:03 Talent has a lot to do with that.
30:05 But even if you have talent and you don't play it,
30:07 if you don't play it giving 100% and taking your opponent serious,
30:11 we've seen bad teams beat good teams because of them.
30:15 Pitt has a very good, for being bad, teams are working on them and
30:19 then getting some wins over some ranked opponents over its time.
30:24 >> Yeah, they like to ruin people's ears, that's for sure.
30:27 I mean- >> They're a conference killer.
30:31 >> I just, I don't think that the Penn State game is necessarily gonna be viewed,
30:38 at least from within side the program is, man,
30:42 like this behemoth of an opponent anymore.
30:45 Like they've seen that now.
30:46 They've gone through it, and they understand the magnitude of it, 100%.
30:51 But I don't think they're gonna go into that one as like, my gosh,
30:55 this is such an uphill battle.
30:57 They're gonna go into this game truly thinking they have a chance to win.
31:00 >> They definitely have a chance to win.
31:02 Penn State, they get a lot of love and rightfully so,
31:06 because they win the games they're supposed to win.
31:09 >> But they also lose the games they're supposed to win.
31:11 >> If you think how Washington played last year, they matched physicality.
31:15 The Penn State really had the talent to kind of blow them out of the water and
31:18 they did.
31:19 >> Washington was hanging around there early in the fourth quarter.
31:21 So this is a much different Washington team.
31:25 Again, we'll have to see how it plays out because they're gonna scout West Virginia
31:29 this whole offseason and we'll see how it's gonna play out.
31:31 They're gonna see all these guys on film now.
31:33 See how it kind of shakes out.
31:36 >> Do you think that game changes much, say if it was played bowl season?
31:39 And everyone played, no one sitting out obviously, but
31:44 I mean, do you think the outcome would have changed?
31:47 >> I wouldn't say in a bowl game, but for whatever reason it was in November,
31:51 it's a different game for sure.
31:52 >> I agree.
31:54 I don't think it's a blowout.
31:56 I think it's one score, max ten point game.
32:01 I think West Virginia hangs in there.
32:03 Garrett Green obviously- >> I wouldn't be surprised.
32:05 I mean, honestly, when you think about what Penn State became towards the end of
32:09 the season, they didn't really get that much better.
32:12 West Virginia got healthy and got better and got gelled together.
32:16 >> Got better, yeah.
32:18 >> Gelled together throughout the year and figuring things out.
32:21 So I mean, that's why I'm kind of a little optimistic West Virginia can win that
32:25 first game.
32:26 It always comes down to the final minutes.
32:33 And again, it comes back to Garrett's gonna be that guy.
32:37 Is it gonna be him just doing it all?
32:40 I don't know if he can against Penn State defense.
32:42 Does he have that kind of talent?
32:43 Maybe he does.
32:44 He's gonna put in the work, without a doubt.
32:46 And I think that's one of the biggest reasons why fans should be optimistic is
32:51 Garrett's a leader, and he leads vocally by example.
32:55 He's gonna get guys on the field.
32:57 >> Dude wants to win.
32:58 >> And they bring in other guys just like him.
33:02 They're finding guys that fit the coach's mindset of being a competitor.
33:08 That's why you'll hear Neil Brown talk about,
33:10 I want guys to play multiple sports.
33:11 Yes, play basketball.
33:12 And he was just at a basketball game in Arlington last week,
33:17 probably two weeks by this point in time, but
33:19 he wants to see them compete in everything.
33:22 That's a big thing.
33:23 So when you bring the guys that wanna compete and wanna win, it's a good recipe.
33:28 And with a guy like Garrett Green that's leading them, I think they're always
33:33 probably gonna, I don't wanna say always gonna be undersized, but
33:36 they're almost like the little engine that could.
33:38 Like, you might punch them in the mouth, but
33:41 they're gonna just look right back at you and punch you right back.
33:44 So- >> Yeah.
33:45 >> I do have that kind of confidence in Garrett that eight wins is probably my low
33:50 bar for this team right now, but there's plenty of room for them to improve on that.
33:57 >> Yeah, I mean, somewhere between eight wins and
33:59 a national championship's probably where we're gonna land on our-
34:02 >> Well, that's not,
34:02 national championships isn't on my spectrum.
34:05 >> Not on the spectrum, not quite yet.
34:07 >> Playoffs, they can make the playoffs.
34:09 >> Absolutely.
34:10 >> If you get a big 12 championship, you're in the playoffs.
34:11 Unless it's just everyone has like three losses or something crazy.
34:15 >> And let's make this note too, cuz everyone keeps talking about the playoff
34:19 and getting in, all they gotta do is get in the top 12.
34:21 Not necessarily, they gotta get really into the top 11,
34:24 because they're gonna give that 12 spot almost every year to that group of five
34:28 team, so the group of five has gotta- >> Well, they have to qualify.
34:32 There's gotta be one that qualifies.
34:34 >> Yeah, so- >> They don't necessarily get them.
34:37 >> I think you really wanna hang around the top ten.
34:40 If you really wanna feel good, get to about the eight, seven, eight spot,
34:45 which is really asking a lot.
34:46 But that's if you don't want any questions going into selection Sunday when
34:50 the committee makes their playoff.
34:52 So I don't know, that was a lot, but hey, it's a lot of fun.
34:58 >> Theme of the day, consistency.
35:00 >> Yeah, consistency.
35:02 Boy, getting eight wins again would be very consistent,
35:07 getting a chance for another nine win season.
35:11 Like I said, there's opportunities for more.
35:15 We're gonna have another mock prediction here probably in the spring.
35:19 We'll do another one before the season starts.
35:21 We're like- >> After media day,
35:22 we gotta hype everything up.
35:24 We gotta do another one.
35:25 >> We're like Todd McShay and Mel Kipe around here.
35:28 We're gonna keep throwing these things at you.
35:29 >> Then ball camp wraps up.
35:31 >> What we got, what we gonna do?
35:33 >> We'll have them on the daily at that point.
35:35 >> [LAUGH] >> Record predictions 38.0.
35:39 >> Five and seven.
35:41 Told you he'd fumble today, five and seven.
35:43 >> Yep, so anyways, that'll do it for us here today on Between the Ears.
35:48 We thank you guys for tuning in to another episode with us crazy goons.
35:52 We'll make sure we'll get back in the swing of it tomorrow as well.
35:57 Make sure you hit that subscribe button at YouTube Mountaineers.
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36:06 So we'll be back tomorrow with another episode.
36:07 Until then, take care.
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