Let it die: WVU-MU not worthy

When West Virginia University and Marshall University began negotiating to play an annual football series, I was one of the earliest and most enthusiastic supporters of that effort.

Why shouldn't the only major state universities play each other in football, I reasoned.

They already did so in basketball and that series not only was competitive, well accepted, and virtually guaranteed a sellout crowd at the Charleston Civic Center.

I compared a potential WVU-MU football series to the one that takes place every year in Colorado, where the University of Colorado, a member of the Big 12, plays a game against Colorado State, a member of the far-less prestigious Mountain West Conference in the Rocky Mountain Showdown.

It took Governor Joe Manchin to get the major players from West Virginia University and Marshall University together, but they managed to hammer out a seven-year deal that would see four games in Morgantown, two games in Huntington and one game at the site of the winner of two of the first three games.

The game quickly gained a sponsor in the Friends of Coal, and became known as the Friends of Coal Bowl.

All was well in the Mountain State.

Now, four years into this series, I'm not only having second thoughts, but I believe when the final game of the initial contract is played in 2012, it should be the final game between the schools.

Getting me to change a long-held sports opinion is akin to moving the Rock of Gibraltar. I usually don't budge when I think I'm right. But the evidence is mounting there is little good to be gained from this series.

The first games in the series haven't been competitive. WVU has won 42-10, 48-23, 27-3 and 24-7. West Virginia has scored 141 points, Marshall has scored 43. During those four seasons, West Virginia has been a contender in the Big East. Marshall hasn't been a challenger in Conference USA.

From WVU's point of view, there is little enthusiasm or interest in continuing this series. Ask 10 random Mountaineer fans if their team should play Marshall every year and it's likely you will get a unanimous and emphatic no. Beating Marshall does nothing for WVU's quest to be nationally ranked. It hurts the Mountaineers' strength of schedule. Dropping the Herd would allow West Virginia to pursue stronger opponents from bigger, more prestigious conferences.

One of the selling points of the initial game - the season opener for both teams in 2006 - is that it would make fall practices more spirited. That both teams -instead of preparing for some rent-a-win opponent willing to come to their stadium for a beating and a paycheck - would be preparing for their state rival. The preseason hype would be overwhelming.

But that argument - whether it held any water or not - no longer applies as last year's game took place in October.

While this year's game will be in week 2, it is being played on a Friday night so it can be nationally televised.

That means both teams will receive a paycheck and some national exposure for playing. It also means they will pitting themselves against high schools across the Mountain State, who traditionally play on Friday night and who need football revenue to support their athletics program. The ill-will being created simply isn't worth it. But games such as this simply aren't worthy of a Saturday TV date, so Friday night it is.

Plus, the WVU-MU game was supposed to be a guaranteed sellout that would create a great deal of excitement in the Mountain State. Last year's game in Morgantown drew just 54,432 fans, even less seats than West Virginia filled for its season opener with Liberty. In fact, it was the least attended game in Morgantown in 2009.

So the game doesn't make a lot of sense or cents.

With three years left on the contract, I'm willing to take a wait-and-see attitude toward future WVU-MU games. But Marshall must become competitive. Doc Holliday has brought a new and much-needed enthusiasm to Huntington, but it will take more than enthusiasm for the Herd to get its first win in this series. That would go a long way toward legitimatizing an annual game.

Since the last series was negotiated, the major players at the two schools have moved on. There are new presidents, new athletics directors, new football coaches. Manchin, who brokered the deal, appears about to move out of the Governor's mansion for a seat in the U.S. Senate.

Getting a deal done may be difficult. If WVU decides the series isn't worthy, it will be impossible. If Marshall insists on a 1-for-1 deal, it may kill the series.

It's taken me a while to arrive at this conclusion, but killing the series wouldn't be such a bad thing.

Contact Dave Poe at dpoe@newsandsentinel.com