Every college football team starts out the season with one goal: National Championship.  Obviously only two teams can play for that accomplishment, and only one can claim it, and after nine weeks of the college football season, only a handful remain in the chase.  One of those teams is the West Virginia Mountaineers.

Year in and year out Mountaineer fans look at the schedule and cringe, not because it looks terribly difficult, but because they are afraid of the unknown.  Ever since the likes of Virginia Tech, Miami, and Boston College left the confines of the Big East the Mountaineers have laid claim to the Big East title, and even before then.  West Virginia has been known as the “Beast of the East”.  However, in the past several seasons, the Mountaineers have climbed as high as #3 in the national rankings, but have settled for only one BCS bowl berth.  That could change in a hurry.

With only four games left (three for some teams), West Virginia has it’s eye on a National Championship invitation.  It may seem like a long shot, but the way the college football season has played out so far, it seems as far from unrealistic as possible.  Outside of Ohio State, the Mountaineers may have the toughest road to New Orleans, but they may also be the best team in the nation.

When you look at the WVU schedule you may shrug your shoulders and say to yourself, “Yea…and..?”.  It has been relatively smooth sledding for the Mountaineers outside of their disappointing loss to South Florida; a game in which the Mountaineers turned the ball over six times and still had a chance to tie in the end. But WVU has prevailed to become one of the most dominant teams in the country.

This season’s West Virginia squad is by far the best in the last decade, if not longer.  Pat White and Steve Slaton are explosive on the offense side, and the defense has been more than rock solid; shutting up any nay sayers that thought improvement was going to be futile. 

The defense is ranked in the top ten in most defensive categories and the offense continues to blow people away.  South Florida played the game of it’s life, and only escaped with an eight point victory.  Other teams have done the same, and may be destined for the same fate that USF has endured.  Needless to say the #2 team in the country, Boston College, needed a desperation on-side kick and a queasy quarterback to avoid a loss against a mediocre Virginia Tech team.  All in good time I say, all in good time. 

The teams that sit above the Mountaineers in the BCS standings are struggling, all but Ohio State, who impressively dominated Penn State, thus showing that the Big Ten truly is suffering from “who?-like” symptoms this season.  From top to bottom you wonder what the teams were doing, losing to Appalachian State, North Dakota State, and Bowling Green.  To be fair the majority of those losses have been suffered by a Minnesota team that has reduced itself well below mediocrity, but it does not exterminate the fact that a BCS conference lost to several non-BCS opponents.  And who did WVU lose to? South Florida.  A team who, in the following weeks seems to have collapsed under the pressure, but how many times over the years have we seen an up-and-coming team rally at home to defeat a highly ranked opponent? It happens year in and year out.  This season is no different.  Except for the fact that this year, the one loss team squeaking it’s way into the National Championship will be West Virginia.

Pat White and the Mountaineers have several tough tests ahead, no matter what the critics say.  Playing at Cincinnati is no guarantee this season, just ask USC deflater Oregon State.  UConn is rolling harder than a club junkie in New York City, and no matter how bad Pitt may appear to be, rivalry games are never a sure win.  Not to mention a nationally televised game against a Louisville squad who could could put up 50 points in any given game. 

Up to this point, the Mountaineers have dismantled opponents, made them look like children playing in the retention pond in their neighborhood against the goliath of a team one street away.  South Florida played their hearts out against the Mountaineers and came away with a victory, which, on occasion, happens.  But this Mountaineer team is poised to make a run at the National Title despite that loss.     

The teams that sit in front of West Virginia have a tough road ahead.  Ohio State must face Wisconsin, Illinois, and Michigan.  No easy task for any team, despite the Big Ten's lack of depth this season.  LSU has another tough battle against their former coach, and finally plays a tough road game (my opinion, home team got lucky, which, like i said, on occasion, happens).  Not to mention that if the Tigers were to win out they would still have to play the SEC East champion in the SEC Championship game.

Arizona State and Oregon square off this weekend in what should decide the Pac-10 championship, meaning one of these teams will have to drop in the BCS rankings.  Should ASU win, it would set up a "do-or-" situation against a ticked off USC team.  Oklahoma sits slightly above WVU, and faces a reeling Texas A&M squad this Saturday, but must go against rival Oklahoma State  and play in the Big XII Championship, a game in which they have had trouble the past few attempts.

Boston College survived in a victory over Virginia Tech in a game in which they were dominated for 58 minutes.  They showed why it is important to play the whole 60, but did they look good enough that they could assuredly pass by Maryland, Clemson, and Miami to go along with an ACC championship victory on a neutral field? Only time will tell.