
For an hour or so (at least, it has been longer lately) every day, I go through the Internet and read everything I can find that involves West Virginia football. To be honest, as a beat writer, I think I owe it to myself to do so.
It aids with my coverage and keeps a pulse on things.
Late Saturday night, I noticed a very interesting piece in the Huntington (W.Va.) Herald-Dispatch. It was a column by Chuck Landon, entitled: 'Surreal WVU tale a classless soap opera'
It wasn't so much what was in this piece that struck me as anything unusual or strange, but it was the following premise: Does it seem odd to anyone else that in the span of time during the whole Marshall-Joe Manchin-West Virginia rivalry renewal talk, that very same column has, often times, been devoted to advocating how important it is for Marshall to play WVU? But now, with Dana Holgorsen's impending arrival and Oliver Luck changing some things, it seems there is a concerted effort to make a 180-degree turn and distance Marshall from West Virginia. This could, also, do with the fact that the Marshall-West Virginia series (with TCU coming into the league) would seem all but dead.
Again, to study the body of work, it just seems strange in its premise that West Virginia is often advocated as something that Marshall really, really wants (and even in a sense "needs") to strengthen its football program, but when there is any hint of strife in Morgantown, it is pounced on. To me, it looks like a classic, "you can't have it both ways" point of view and would sour Mr. Luck to wanting to go out of his way to make a deal happen with Marshall.

the fact of the matter is...the marshall-wvu game is a no-win situation for wvu. we win - it's expected of us. we lose - the world ends. seriously. on top of that, wvu does not increase the program's national exposure by playing the game - because no one cares about the game other than mainly marshall fans and west virginia is such a small state. the game does not help us recruit west virginia better either - because the pickings are slim already in the state and wvu dominates west virginia recruiting anyways. this series was conceived by west virginia good 'ol boy cronyism (mainly former gov. manchin). i'm so glad luck is our current ad. wvu needs to win a championship eventually and hopefully luck will set us on that path. playing marshall will not help us achieve that goal.
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I read nothing in that column that advocates Marshall not playing WVU.
From what I read, what Mr Landon wrote was true, albeit tinged with a bit of vitriol. You also write:
"...and would sour Mr. Luck to wanting to go out of his way to make a deal happen with Marshall."
So, let me see if I have your premise correct...
Oliver Luck may be so thinned-skinned that he could do a JoPa with regard to Marshall, based on the written opinion of a columnist from Huntington.
BTW - In case any WVU homey's attack, I have no ax to grind with WVU. Although a Pitt fan, I think WVU outplayed Pitt on the Holgerson thing, and also think WVU would have been the best bet to represent the BE in its' BCS bowl.