West Virginia football program

WVU is an interesting program to me. Historically, they were a solid independent in the 70s and 80s before joining the Big East in 1991. They had a great 20-year run in the Big East, winning the conference 7 times during that span. When the Big East folded, the natural fit would have been the ACC or B10, but for whatever reason they ended up in the Big 12. They have gone 49-47 in B12 games, compared to 93-51-1 in the Big East.

The state of West Virginia does not have good HS football. They produce a very small number of elite college and NFL players.

However, WV is bordered by fertile recruiting grounds on three sides: Ohio to the west, Pennsylvania to the north, and Virginia to the east. Pittsburgh is an hour's drive from Morgantown. Cleveland and Baltimore/DC are both 3 hours away. For this reason, I don't think they are doomed the way Nebraska is.

So where does WVU stack up as a program - taking into account both its history and its potential?

To me, they should be an above average program with the capability of challenging within the top 15-20 every few years. They need to be playing games in those neighboring states the way Arkansas needs to be playing games in Texas. They need to get OH PA & VA eyeballs on them. Rekindling the Backyard Brawl is a great start, and joining the B10 or ACC is where they should be focused.