This is a guest post by John Baranowski, a sports historian and contributor to newspapers, sports publications and sports websites.
As this year’s college football’s regular season ended, like quite a few other college coaches, it appeared West Virginia’s head coach Dana Holgorsen’s job was in jeopardy after a season that ended with a disappointing loss at Kansas State in the season finale.
Holgorsen took over the head coaching position at West Virginia in 2011 and in the five years since has produced a 35-28 overall record and a 15-21 record in Big 12 Conference play which doesn’t sit well with some Mountaineer fans.
West Virginia can certainly play with anyone and that was certainly evident when WVU was back in the Big East Conference. With major bowl victories over Georgia in the 2006 Sugar Bowl, Oklahoma in the 2008 Fiesta Bowl and over Clemson in the 2012 Orange Bowl, West Virginia earned national recognition and respect for a conference that wasn’t highly thought of among college football fans.
If anything, the record-setting 70-33 blowout win over Clemson, coming at the end of Holgorsen’s first season, may have raised WVU fans’ expectations going into the Big 12 Conference.
Perhaps it was and still is a case of Mountaineer fans having unrealistic expectations. From 2006, when (formerly beloved?) native son Rich Rodriguez was head coach of West Virginia, through Bill Stewart’s three-year tenure, and Holgorsen’s first year in 2011 that was West Virginia’s last year in the Big East conference, the Mountaineers had a 5-2 conference record each year in what was undeniably the weakest of the then six BCS conferences.
If the Mountaineers were regularly losing two games a year to the likes of Cincinnati, Louisville, Pitt, Syracuse, UConn, and USF, can one realistically expect WVU to do as well or better against Baylor, Kansas State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Texas and Texas Tech?
When one looks at how West Virginia has fared against their Big 12 opponents since starting play in 2012, the results shouldn’t be surprising.
Four years ago if you asked West Virginia fans if they would take a 6-6 record against Baylor, Oklahoma State and Texas, I think they would have been happy with that.
WVU is 3-1 versus both Iowa State and Kansas and the Mountaineers have split their four games with Texas Tech. The 0-4 record against Oklahoma is disappointing with a 50-49 overtime loss to the Sooners in 2012 was one game that could of easily gone West Virginia’s way.
Against TCU, which has also been a strong program in recent years, the Mountaineers are 1-3. However, it is the 0-4 record against Kansas State that is cause for disappointment.
For some college football programs, there appears to be a ceiling to the level of success they can reach. At fellow Big 12 member Iowa State, the Cyclones have never had a 10-win season in their 123-year history of their football program.
The Cyclones highest win total was nine in 2000 and that was the only time Iowa State has ever won that many games in a season.
At the University of Minnesota, under Glen Mason, the Golden Gophers won 10 games in 2003. That was the last time they won 10 or more games and it was their highest single season win total since 1905.
Despite following that up with consecutive 7-5 winning seasons, a 6-7 record in 2006 was enough to get Mason fired. Was it a wise move? Minnesota hasn’t won nine games in a season since.
West Virginia need only look 90 miles to their north at their former long-time rival Pitt. In 2009, under Dave Wannestedt, the Panthers won 10 games. However, much of the Pitt fan base and particularly then Pitt Athletic Director Steve Pederson felt that the football program was under achieving. That despite having achieved the highest season win total in 28 years. The Panthers then fired Wannestedt. That 10-win season hasn’t been equaled since.
WVU fans should also keep in mind that it is definitely a challenge when it comes to recruiting at West Virginia. Unlike many of the other Big 12 schools that reside in or border the state of Texas, the Mountaineers have to rely on more out-of-state talent than most Big 12 schools. The state of West Virginia just doesn’t have the number of outstanding high school athletes as does the state of Texas.
There are years when WVU can catch lightning in a bottle and have great success such as when they had one of the best read option quarterbacks ever in Pat White and All-American running back Steve Slaton in the same backfield or more recently with future NFL 2nd round draft pick Geno Smith at quarterback throwing to All-American wide receivers Tavon Austin and Stedman Bailey.
Making a coaching change as a result of being impatient or having unrealistic greater expectations can set a program back years. Think Nebraska fans would have been happier this year with a nine-win season like those under Bo Pelini?
For those West Virginia fans clamoring for a new head coach and not considering all that’s relative to coaching at WVU, change isn’t always for the better. Be careful what you wish for.
Back to the West Virginia Mountaineers Newsfeed