MORGANTOWN - On Tuesday, West Virginia had its game week press conference.
That's because, finally, it's game week.
And for the Big 12, it's go time.
Time to go and win.
After last season, the conference received criticism for not holding a league championship game. It received criticism for its 2-5 bowl record.
It was like conference member WVU was back in the old Big East, which struggled at the end to keep its BCS slot. Many rocks were thrown at that league.
Of course, inter-conference play is important. And for the Big 12, this Thursday is Judgment Day. And Friday. And Saturday. It will continue throughout the non-conference schedule.
Imagine if TCU falls at Minnesota or Oklahoma State loses at Central Michigan on Thursday. Baylor is at SMU on Friday. Imagine if Texas is blown out at Notre Dame Saturday night. None of those are likely, but the point is this isn't the time for upsets.
"It's important each year for the conference - all conferences - to compete [out of conference] at a high level," Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy said this week in a teleconference. "It's really not any different for us than for any other league, the ACC, Big Ten, etc."
With all due respect, yes it is - at least in regard to respect. We've seen how brutal folks can be when a conference is down. The ACC has been bashed for years. The Big Ten went through a spell until Ohio State won its national title.
Some of the criticism upsets WVU defensive coordinator Tony Gibson.
"You hear all these so-called experts talking about strength of schedule," he said Tuesday. "Some of that you can't control. You play who you play. Some of these games were in place. You schedule games four or five years out. Who knew it was coming to this? If they want to re-do it, blow the whole system up and let's start over."
That, of course, isn't going to happen. The College Football Playoff is here to stay, and it's time for the Big 12 to make a statement. WVU needs to beat Maryland in a few weeks. An Oklahoma win over Tennessee would be nice for the league. Texas Tech is at Arkansas. Iowa State hosts Iowa.
It's odd because many Big 12 teams play away non-conference games this season. Too many, really. Maybe it's just a quirk of scheduling. But that quirk isn't going to help the Big 12 make what needs to be a firm statement.
n Texas and Notre Dame will command much attention on NBC Saturday night.
The Fighting Irish should be a strong contender for a playoff spot, while the nation awaits the awakening of the sleeping giant that is UT. Longhorns coach Charlie Strong, however, said don't expect Notre Dame to be startled by his team's new spread offense.
"They have a lot of good defensive personnel coming back, so I don't think you're going to surprise a well-coached football team like they are," Strong said. "At the end of the day you're going to have to line up and play. They know what we have at quarterback. They know some of our returning players. I don't think we'll surprise them at all."
n WVU's Gibson was in rare form Tuesday afternoon. Knowing the defensive coordinator for years, I understand the man to some degree. Going against an option team like Georgia Southern isn't his cup of tea. At all. Which he confirmed.
"I'm ready to get it over with and move on," he said with a head shake. "I've been at this for five months. I hope I never have to watch another snap of Georgia Southern after this game."
As I've addressed before, the 3-3-5 odd stack isn't exactly the perfect defense to meet the Eagles' attack. But Gibson shrugged his shoulders.
"I don't know any defense that is suited for the option - unless you go back 50 years to the 52-stack monster or something like that," he said. "I don't know if there's any built to stop it."
Georgia Southern coach Willie Fritz mentioned he'd like to throw more than 19 percent of his team's snaps this season.
"Good," Gibson said flatly.
The WVU assistant said his beloved blitzes "aren't in the game plan" right now.
Oh, and has all this messed with his head? "Yes."
n We in the media have given attention to WVU's starting wide receivers, etc., in the days leading up to Saturday's opener.
If you look at the most recent depth chart, though, there's another story: the number of West Virginians listed.
You probably know about Cody Clay, the pride of Alum Creek, and Elijah Wellman, the hard-nosed runner from Huntington.
But look around. Martinsburg's Darren Arndt is a backup to Clay at tight end/H-back, and his cousin, Justin Arndt, is one of three middle linebackers listed. Morgantown's Shane Commodore is listed behind Dravon Henry at free safety.
It goes on and on. Hurricane's Mike Molina is the No. 2 kicker and kickoff man. And the aforementioned city of Morgantown is very, very well represented. Jon Lewis is listed behind Noble Nwachukwu at defensive end. Billy Kinney is the No. 2 punter and holder. Then there's Amanii Brown.
Remember Brown? He's a 6-foot-5, 292-pound redshirt freshman listed behind Adam Pankey at left guard.
When WVU offensive line coach Ron Crook was going over his troops Tuesday, he made special mention of backup center Stone Underwood. Ditto tackles Grant Lingafelter and Marcell Lazard.
And also ditto Brown.
"He's gotten a lot bigger since he's been here," Crook said. "He's a lot stronger. He's gained a greater understanding of the techniques we use here. He's gotten a better understanding of the offense.
"Now, he's not ready to play in a football game right now, but I like the improvement."
Overall?
"I love having West Virginia guys," Crook said with a smile.