WVU's preseason ranking

#26
#26
Carlitovol said:
What’s really crazy is that SI has them preseason #10.. I’m guessing Grier’s Heisman potential has a lot to do with it ? Just don’t see it based on last year’s record and getting smoked by Utah in their bowl game..

SI's Preseason Top 25: Clemson claims the top spot
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Thank you. I didn't take the time to look that up, but I knew one of them had WVU ranked in the top ten. I think 10th is way too high at this point. I would say they are on the fringe of a top 25 team. If they beat us (an SEC team) and win a few other big games (for them)... maybe then they could be in the discussion of a top 10-15 team.
 
#27
#27
WVU has always been a good program, good but not great, except every once in a while the stars align and the Mountaineers are better than good. In 1998, 1993 and 2006 they were bordering on great. This team, the 2018 Mountaineers, is the most talented team in the history of the program. This team has the potential to be great.

WVU's presence in a few top ten lists and the acknowledgement that the Mountaineers just might unseat Oklahoma isn't an accident. The Mountaineers might have the best offense in CFB. Their defense, especially the defensive line, has been transformed by transfers and maturation of young players forced into playing before they were ready.

Yea, last season WVU was 7-4, but it was deceptive. WVU lost to VT when David Sills dropped a TD in the endzone in the last minute of the game and lost to TCU because of a mysterious offensive pass interference call on Sills that occurred when the Frog's CB was tearing off Sills' jersey trying to keep the WR in front of him.

WVU had their way with the tough Longhorn defense In the opening drive. Then WVU's season ended when Grier ran a QB bootleg on 2nd & goal and broke his finger diving for the pylon.

A few other issues contributed to the 7-4 record. Frosh All-American Dravon Askew-Henry was slow to rebound from the knee injury that kept him on the sidelines in 2016. He finally regained his form late in the season.

WVU's superstar LB David Long missed the first four games of the season with an injury. He wasn't at full strength until game 6.

WVU's OL had two new starters...both freshman: Center Matt Jones and Guard Josh Sills. Both are extremely talented and alternated between struggling and dominating. Sills particularly is a vicious blocker. Surprisingly both are in a fight for their starting jobs this fall - because the guys behind them have the talent to one day play on Sunday.

WVU was great at pass blocking, but frosh C and G were on and off in run blocking. In 2016 WVU could run when everyone on the planet knew they were going up the A gap. In 2017 WVU struggled in the run game to get tough yards because of the inexperience at C and G. They expect to be able to play power football again in 2018. Dana has a few of Don Nehlen's plays in the playbook with two TE and an H-back.

Perhaps the two biggest reasons, other than Grier's injury, WVU was 7-4 last season was Grier was in love with the big play. Over and over again Grier passed up wide open receivers underneath to push the ball deep. He throws a great deep ball but WVU's maturation as an offense requires Grier to take what the defense is giving.

if Grier makes that adjustment then WVU's offense will be hard to scheme against.

So what's improved? Why is WVU a top ten team? Depth and experience.

Last season Grier trusted only 4 of his receivers. As the season progressed those 4 kids lost a step because fo the number of snaps they played. This season WVU goes 7 or 8 deep in the WR rotation. Sills and Jennings get the buzz but the two best WR on the team are TJ Simmons and Marcus Simms.

WVU is also deeper at RB than ever before with two legitimate "score from anywhere" backs in Leddie Brown and Alec Sinkfield.

Keep an eye on Soph S Kenny Robinson. He's the best player on WVU's roster and an electric ballhawk. Robinson was forced to play as a true freshman last season and was a force despite not knowing his assignments.

This is just a bad year for the Vols to be playing WVU. It's a bad matchup especially in the first game of the season.

WVU's defense is vastly improved over last year, but it doesn't have to be a great defense to make WVU a legit playoff contender - it just has to be average... and with the playmakers they have on defense it has to be better than average.
 
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#28
#28
VFL-82-JP said:
SI says #10 ... Coaches say #20 ... CBS Sports says #20 ... Steele says not in his top 25 ... ESPN FPI says #39 ... AP hasn't said anything yet.

So they're kind of all over the map.
Go Vols!
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THIS...It's crazy how big of a jump their from being a Top 10 team by one major source to unranked in many others....I don't think I've seen THAT kind of difference before in a preseason poll
 
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#33
#33
HARTUPM said:
I know some say they are supposedly a top 10 team going in..

I'm just wondering what they'll be ranked after we beat them.. still in top 20 or like 21-25?
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Minus Will Grier and 1 of their receivers, with a healthy Trey Smith, Darrin Kirkland Jr, Chance Hall and Juan Jennings the Vols may match up better with WV than many talking heads are willing to admitt, no?
 
#34
#34
WVMULE said:
WVU has always been a good program, good but not great, except every once in a while the stars align and the Mountaineers are better than good. In 1998, 1993 and 2006 they were bordering on great. This team, the 2018 Mountaineers, is the most talented team in the history of the program. This team has the potential to be great.

WVU's presence in a few top ten lists and the acknowledgement that the Mountaineers just might unseat Oklahoma isn't an accident. The Mountaineers might have the best offense in CFB. Their defense, especially the defensive line, has been transformed by transfers and maturation of young players forced into playing before they were ready.

Yea, last season WVU was 7-4, but it was deceptive. WVU lost to VT when David Sills dropped a TD in the endzone in the last minute of the game and lost to TCU because of a mysterious offensive pass interference call on Sills that occurred when the Frog's CB was tearing off Sills' jersey trying to keep the WR in front of him.

WVU had their way with the tough Longhorn defense In the opening drive. Then WVU's season ended when Grier ran a QB bootleg on 2nd & goal and broke his finger diving for the pylon.

A few other issues contributed to the 7-4 record. Frosh All-American Dravon Askew-Henry was slow to rebound from the knee injury that kept him on the sidelines in 2016. He finally regained his form late in the season.

WVU's superstar LB David Long missed the first four games of the season with an injury. He wasn't at full strength until game 6.

WVU's OL had two new starters...both freshman: Center Matt Jones and Guard Josh Sills. Both are extremely talented and alternated between struggling and dominating. Sills particularly is a vicious blocker. Surprisingly both are in a fight for their starting jobs this fall - because the guys behind them have the talent to one day play on Sunday.

WVU was great at pass blocking, but frosh C and G were on and off in run blocking. In 2016 WVU could run when everyone on the planet knew they were going up the A gap. In 2017 WVU struggled in the run game to get tough yards because of the inexperience at C and G. They expect to be able to play power football again in 2018. Dana has a few of Don Nehlen's plays in the playbook with two TE and an H-back.

Perhaps the two biggest reasons, other than Grier's injury, WVU was 7-4 last season was Grier was in love with the big play. Over and over again Grier passed up wide open receivers underneath to push the ball deep. He throws a great deep ball but WVU's maturation as an offense requires Grier to take what the defense is giving.

if Grier makes that adjustment then WVU's offense will be hard to scheme against.

So what's improved? Why is WVU a top ten team? Depth and experience.

Last season Grier trusted only 4 of his receivers. As the season progressed those 4 kids lost a step because fo the number of snaps they played. This season WVU goes 7 or 8 deep in the WR rotation. Sills and Jennings get the buzz but the two best WR on the team are TJ Simmons and Marcus Simms.

WVU is also deeper at RB than ever before with two legitimate "score from anywhere" backs in Leddie Brown and Alec Sinkfield.

Keep an eye on Soph S Kenny Robinson. He's the best player on WVU's roster and an electric ballhawk. Robinson was forced to play as a true freshman last season and was a force despite not knowing his assignments.

This is just a bad year for the Vols to be playing WVU. It's a bad matchup especially in the first game of the season.

WVU's defense is vastly improved over last year, but it doesn't have to be a great defense to make WVU a legit playoff contender - it just has to be average... and with the playmakers they have on defense it has to be better than average.
Click to expand...

Lol...
 
#35
#35
MountaineerLegion said:
You'll have better luck on the WVU boards...those UWV boards don't get much Mountaineer traffic. The only WVU site I really use is the 247 site (West Virginia Mountaineers Football). There have been several threads about our game/fans but I think you're right, there's more posts here.

A turkey shoot would be a hoot! The Mountaineer doesn't miss.
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I see what you did there with the subtle but polite correction of WVU haha. The amount of people thinking it's the University of West Virginia or WVA for short is a little surprising.
 
#39
#39
VFL-82-JP said:
SI says #10 ... Coaches say #20 ... CBS Sports says #20 ... Steele says not in his top 25 ... ESPN FPI says #39 ... AP hasn't said anything yet.

So they're kind of all over the map. The higher the better, of course, because we want to gain as much respect as possible when we beat them. :)

Almost certain that AP and Coaches will drop WVa from the Top 25 after they lose their first game. Very little chance the Vols get ranked from that game, either.

But if we're 3-0 going into the Florida match, and we win that, THEN we'll appear in the polls for the first time this season (sadly, very unlikely we'll stay there long, with the gauntlet approaching).

Go Vols!
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AP has them at #17 --- Miss St at 18 was a surprise too
 
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