Nights like last night make me wonder why I even bother picking college football games or ranking teams. I mean, I studied both Virginia Tech and West Virginia before I picked the Hokies to cover a 13 point spread. I thought that Virginia Tech was the second best team in the country, even though they had admittedly only played Texas A&M and a few local high schools. I ignored Virginia Tech’s long history of being ridiculously overrated, especially by its media god-parent ESPN. Boy, was I wrong.

But first things first. Congratulations to Head Coach Rich Rodriguez and the West Virginia Mountaineers for beating the living hell out of the #3 ranked Virginia Tech Hokies 28-7 last night. The loyal members of the Big East Football Conference sincerely thank you. Even though I picked against you, I spent the evening in front of the TV yelling my head off for you (unlike some other contributors to this site, who were almost certainly watching the World Series… as if we all don’t already know that the Yankees are inevitably going to win). I even taught my wife how to chant “LET’S GO… MOUNTAINEERS!”

The Mountaineers featured a terrifyingly balanced and effective offense. They piled up 264 yards on the ground (178 by running back Quincy Wilson) and 162 through the air (including that electrifying 93 yard touchdown pass to WR Travis Garvin). Quarterback Rasheed Marshall looked great picking apart the Hokies’s defense.

Meanwhile, the wheels just fell off of Virginia Tech’s offense. The Hokies could only muster 65 yards on the ground and 146 through the air thanks to Rodriguez’s well coached and fundamentally sound defense (very much unlike some defenses that I could mention). Of course, Hokie Quarterback Bryan Randall made Rodriguez look even better by throwing 3 interceptions and dropping 4 fumbles. Still, keeping VT’s star tailback (and Hall of Fame Penn State tormentor) Kevin Jones under 100 yards involved brilliant strategizing and a hard fighting defensive line that we Pitt fans apparently can only dream of.

So now Virginia Tech is 1-4 against Pitt/WVU since 2001 (hopefully they will soon be 1-5), losing their last two to each school. Yeah, you guys are ready to compete in a super-conference every year against the likes of Miami, Florida State, and heck, even Virginia. You’ll never get this close to a BCS bowl again, and soon be cannon fodder to your far better coached cross state rivals.

Incidentally, I’d love to see Hokies Head Coach Frank Beamer pull a complete Woody Hayes at Heinz Field and hit one of our players. I strongly agree with Chas’s assertion that Virginia Tech as a team has tended to throw temper-tantrums and self-destruct (through penalties, outbursts, and most importantly, a general lack of focus) when they get slightly outplayed as they did last night (and the last two years against Pitt). I would suggest that they are merely reflecting their Head Coach’s personality.

So anyways, my season record against the spread is now 14-15. Still, I’m happy that I was wrong and that WVU won. Unfortunately, I now think I see another Big East team that Pitt will not beat unless our defensive line, offensive line, and running game substantially improve.

Hail to Rich Rodriguez, Now One of my Favorite Coaches Once Again