If there is any metric that Head Coach Neal Brown has not taken on a roller coaster in his time here at WVU, it is the fact that we can grab these proposed gimme wins early in the season. Brown is 4-0 against FCS opponents. Now, that being said, Duquesne is no slouch on the gridiron but should not put up a back-and-forth with the Mountaineers on Saturday night. It is one streak of success that the university must maintain.
WVU has never lost to an FCS team, generating a record of 24-0, more than the Big 12 can say for Baylor, Iowa State, Kansas, UCF, Kansas State, and TCU since the turn of the century. Some of those listed teams have lost multiple times to FCS opponents in that span. Even Pitt lost to an FCS opponent Youngstown State in 2012 when they were getting ready to jump over to the ACC.
Then again, if you were to ask fellow Big 12 competitors Texas Tech, Baylor, and TCU whether or not they thought they would struggle against their underdog Week 1 opponents, you might have had similar confidence.
In any case, Brown needs to get everyone involved and figure out his key players before Pitt makes the trip down 79 to Morgantown next weekend. Unless we start changing some minds, this could be the last time the power index or Vegas lines have us favored.
(image courtesy of Sports Illustrated)
