Much in life can be controlled.
On Monday, for instance, WVU coach Dana Holgorsen chose to cut loose of sophomore running back Donte Thomas-Williams for a "violation of team rules."
You could see it coming. DT-W had been in the doghouse all spring. In addition, the Mountaineers are suddenly loaded at the position with Kennedy McKoy and Justin Crawford joining Rushel Shell. No need to put up with nonsense, right?
But while Holgorsen can control some personnel matters, there's one thing he cannot control: the schedule.
One publication ranked strength of schedules for coaches on the "hot seat" and that of Holgorsen/WVU was No. 5 nationally.
It didn't get any easier on Monday either. Remember four-star running back recruit Alex Ross of Oklahoma? Well, reports are he's headed to Missouri, West Virginia's opening game opponent, as a graduate transfer. He'll be eligible immediately. Ross is a nice kick returner who simply got caught up in numbers at running back. OU, remember, has Samaje Perine and legally challenged Joe Mixon.
Keep in mind, though, that ranking was among coaches on the "hot seat." That includes guys like Purdue's Darrell Hazell and Kentucky's Mark Stoops.
Overall, though, WVU has a respectable, yet winnable non-conference schedule.
Let's start with Missouri. The Tigers are coming off an emotional season because former coach Gary Pinkel resigned after being diagnosed with lymphoma.
Former Mizzou linebacker Barry Odom took over and has a team predicted to finish somewhere in the SEC East pack after Tennessee, Georgia and Florida.
It is definitely not your father's 2013-14 SEC East champions. The Tigers went 5-7 last season and don't have a quarterback of note. They are, however, getting back standout defensive tackles Harold Brantley and Terry Beckner Jr., which will be nice early tests for WVU's offensive line.
Understand that West Virginia will be by far Missouri's biggest non-conference game. That should be offset, however, because the Mountaineers will be opening at home.
WVU's second game shouldn't be much of a test. Yes, the opponent is Youngstown State, which has a terrific football tradition. Also, the coach there is former Nebraska coach Bo Pelini. But the recent football tradition hasn't been so sparkling. The fighting Penguins finished in a three-way tie for sixth in the Missouri Valley Conference last season. They finished 5-6 overall.
Oddly, West Virginia then gets a week off. That should serve the Mountaineers well for the "neutral site" game against BYU in Landover, Maryland.
That will prove interesting. Remember, coach Bronco Mendenhall ditched BYU and went to Virginia. But the Cougars went 9-4 last season before losing to Utah in the Las Vegas Bowl.
Taking over is Kalani Sitake, a popular pick around that program. He brought in offensive coordinator and BYU legend Ty Detmer. The school returns a lot of experience and one of the nation's most talented 1-2 combinations at quarterback in Tanner Mangum and Taysom Hill.
Here's the key there though: While WVU is the biggest non-conference target for Missouri, it won't be a big deal for the independent Cougars. BYU will be playing Arizona, Utah and UCLA before the Mountaineers.
WVU's conference schedule? Well, the good news for Holgorsen and the Mountaineers is only one of the schedule's four true road games will be at an expected Top 25 team: Oklahoma State.
The others - Oklahoma, Baylor and TCU - will be played in Morgantown.
Of course, WVU isn't at a point where it can take any Big 12 team for granted. There were too many personnel losses on defense and just because Skyler Howard had a nice passing game in the Cactus Bowl against Arizona State doesn't mean he's golden. The Sun Devils' secondary was atrocious.
That said, this schedule sets up nicely for West Virginia. The team should be fired up to open the Big 12 slate at home against Kansas State. If you remember, WVU fell on its collective face in Manhattan to complete the regular season in 2015.
The Mountaineers continue to wade into conference play by visiting Texas Tech before hosting TCU, a bottom Top 25 candidate.
Finally, the bar rises when the Mountaineers visit Top 15 candidate Oklahoma State.
What else is interesting is how the Big 12 set up the conference schedule. Unlike 2015, the games between top teams will be more spread out with the four main title contenders all in action on conference championship weekend.
Remember how folks felt having Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, TCU and Baylor all against each other in one month hurt the league? That won't be the case this year.
Notice too WVU will be one of those teams in action on championship weekend. The Mountaineers will have two off-weeks early in the season and host Baylor on Dec. 3. That lines up as a huge conference game if BU is indeed a Top 10 team.
Should be interesting. The data out there says WVU won't be one of the Big 12's top four teams, but we'll see. ESPN's Football Power Index has the Mountaineers' chances at a league title to be at just 3.1 percent. The FPI's projected win total for the team is 7.5 games.
Would that be enough to save Holgorsen? Maybe. Maybe not. But the coach can't complain about the way the schedule sets up.
He doesn't have it as difficult as, say, Auburn's Gus Malzahn within the SEC. WVU's non-conference schedule is respectable, but it's not like that of USC, which plays Alabama, Utah State and Notre Dame. Heck, Oklahoma plays Ohio State. Virginia Tech plays Tennessee and Notre Dame.
So while Holgorsen and his team might not be able to control the upcoming schedule, a close look shows it's at least manageable. Playing within the Big 12 and including College Football Playoff scheduling considerations, hey, this is as good as it gets.