MORGANTOWN, West Virginia — The West Virginia Mountaineers are now 5-4 overall and 4-2 in the Big 12 Conference, firmly in position to compete to play in the Big 12 Conference Championship if they win out and a few things fall their way, yet there doesn´t seem to be the same sense of happiness and joy when the Mountaineers win as there was in the past.
In fact, I´ve heard many people say that they are actively rooting against the Mountaineers this season because the more that West Virginia wins, the more likely it is that Neal Brown will return as the team´s head coach in 2025? According to these fans, Neal Brown should be fired regardless of the team´s record this season. They cite his 0-19 record against teams that finished in the Top 25, his 24-26 record in the Big 12 Conference, his zero wins against quality opponents, and the fact that the Mountaineers are one of only 3 teams in Power 4 football that have not appeared in the Top 25 since 2019.
I´ve witnessed many supporters of the program suggest that losing would actually be better for the program in the long run. If West Virginia would lose out, WVU´s director of athletics Wren Baker would be forced to make a change and would fire Neal Brown. If West Virginia finishes 8-4, 7-5 or even 6-6, Baker would have a more difficult decision to make, and Brown would somehow manage to get another year in Morgantown. While no one really wants West Virginia to lose, these supporters of the program believe that ultimately it would be benficial long-term.
Others have simply grown apathetic towards the football program. Saturdays are no longer the same event that they were in the past when the Mountaineers were in the Top 25 and competing against, and often beating, top ranked teams in the nation. Many fans of the Mountaineers now casually follow the team. They spend Saturday afternoons mowing the lawn, cleaning out the garage, doing other tasks around the house with the game on in the background, rather than planted in front of the television cheering on the Mountaineers. This has become a common theme after 6 years of mediocrity during the Neal Brown Era.
It´s a shame that we´ve gotten to the point that diehard fans of the program are actively hoping the Mountaineers lose so that Neal Brown is fired, but it is the unfortunate reality. Fans are fed up with 6-6 and 7-5 records with meaningless bowl games when West Virginia is one of the proudest and winningest programs in the history of college football. After six long seasons, it´s clear at this point that Neal Brown will never be anything but what we´ve seen from him since 2019; he will win games against bad teams, occasionally beat an average team, and will never beat a quality opponent.
With that said, do you want West Virginia to finish strong, play in a bowl game like the Guaranteed Rate Bowl, the Liberty Bowl or the Music City Bowl, or would you rather see the team collapse to close out the season so that Wren Baker will be forced to fire Neal Brown?
Do you find yourself rooting against West Virginia because you want Neal Brown to be fired? I’ve heard this a lot over the last couple of weeks. Share your experiences here. ⬇️
— The Voice of Morgantown (@voicemorgantown) November 10, 2024
