Country Roads Confidential: A WVU Mountaineers podcast

The Mountaineers will let their coaches, staffers and players return to campus in phases this month. How will that work? Who needs to be here soon? Who benefits the most? How would we arrange it? Plus news about the roster, staff and protests as well. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It’s time to talk about sports again and not simply the return of sports or the pause in sports. Tom Bragg, formerly of the Charleston Newspapers and HD Media and now out on his own, dishes about the Mutant League, sports without crowd, Neal Brown’s expectations and what he knows he’ll be writing about and what he hopes he’ll be writing about when WVU is back on the field again. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Plans for Neal Brown’s Q&A started more than a month ago, WVU football has yet to announce a plan for returning to campus, there are some surprises about returning to campus and Shea Campbell may be starting a trend in Division II. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The NCAA is letting three sports back resume on a voluntary basis. It’s good news for WVU, and weeks ahead of schedule. What will this look like and how stands to benefit? To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Sudden developments on and off the field point to West Virginia getting back to campus before too much longer and having a two new players on defense. Chris and Mike discuss the events and many other current and expected developments. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Chase Harler and a friend have started a skill development business, and Harler’s basing a lot of it on his experiences as a high school and college player. The former guard talks about his business and his vision but takes some time to discuss his time at WVU, what awaits the Mountaineers and more. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

And overlooked and underappreciated aspect of this time is how student-athletes deal with being displaced and having none of the routines they cling to on campus. It’s a major change, and it’s no wonder coaches are so concerned about their mental health. Mike talks with WVU’s Dr. Scott Barnicle about what student-athletes are enduring and how mental well-being has been more embraced in sports. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

One set of ratings shows how the recruiting business says the Mountaineers fared on signing day. A second set explains how those classes performed for the team. We created the second and compared it to the first, and this episode covers that exercise and what can be learned from the data. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

College football has an attendance problem, but programs have a time frame to fix it. Chris and Mike talk about the problem, the silver lining and the solutions and then turn their attention to moves to help student-athletes market themselves and moves to bring recruits into the fold. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The finish line is gradually getting closer, and schools have to have plans in place. West Virginia is progressing and should be ready when it happens. Chris and Mike discuss some of those events and when and how they can occur before using a magazine preview to talk about the 2020 season. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Bob Huggins, Neal Brown and Kenny Robinson have each given us a topic to explore and attempt to explain. Who’s tempting Oscar Tshiebwe? How could football have an extra scholarship? Why was an academic counselor targeted on Twitter? To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It’s been a strange offseason, but it’s also been a good offseason for WVU sports. And now, there are encouraging signs for fall sports, for players returning to campus and for student-athletes to make some money. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Sports are back, and some WVU players and players with WVU affiliations will be picked before the draft is over. Chris and Mike discuss two candidates before reviewing Mike’s list of players who will be taken in the next few drafts. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The 2010 Gator Bowl was an oddly arranged celebration of Bobby Bowden’s career, and West Virginia was the invited guest for the Florida State legend’s final game. We look back at the stories from before, during and after the game and where the occasion rests in Mountaineer history. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Test your football knowledge and your math skills all at once as you try to assemble the best WVU roster with $24 to spend on eight players. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

WVU basketball can use or stash an open scholarship, but Bob Huggins won’t steal from a colleague. WVU football is adding to an impressive recruiting class, but his colleagues will try to steal from his collection of talent. What’s the difference and how to the coaches navigate it? To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Test your football knowledge and your math skills all at once as you try to assemble the best WVU roster with $66 to spend on 22 players. Chris and Mike conclude with 11 players and $33 on defense and explain their picks and the path they took to their rosters. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Test your football knowledge and your math skills all at once as you try to assemble the best WVU roster with $66 to spend on 22 players. Chris and Mike begin with 11 players and $33 on offense and explain their picks and the path they took to their rosters. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today’s episode assumes college football will start on time for the 2020 season. It’s not guaranteed, and some alternatives are discussed, but fingers are crossed as Chris and Mike compare starting June 1, July 1 and Aug. 1. Any option will necessitate some changes, and the recruiting calendar will be affected, too, but that might bring about a necessary revision as well. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Eight months after reaching the 2010 Final Four, WVU basketball signed five players who only barely contributed to the program but contributed mightily to a situation Bob Huggins would have to rescue himself from years later. Today’s episode remembers the downfall and how the Mountaineers rose again To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The quarantine continues, but Chris and Mike change things up. Rather than discuss what was lost, they spend the episode on what to expect next season. Returning players, a challenging schedule, an open scholarship and plenty of lineup possibilities fill the conversation. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The pause is a week old, but a Q&A should lighten the mood. Chris and Mike dip into reader questions and give the best answers available right now while previewing what’s ahead for sports and the website. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Let's go back to the mid-2000s. YouTube had just been invented, Reggie Bush had just conquered college football ... and a tiny running back named Noel Devine was about to go viral. Trey and Charles Power talk about the experience that was watching Devine's highlights, why he became a cautionary tale, and why his name still resonates all these years later. This is The Rewind with The College Football Daily. You can watch Noel's highlights along with the guys here. Hosts: Connor Tapp, Trey Scott Guest: Charles Power Tweet at the Show! @CFBDailyPodcast Find the 247Sports podcast for your favorite team here! To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Joe Mazzulla joins Mike to discuss the the sudden end to the NBA season, what keeps him busy these days, memories and regrets from his time spent playing for the Mountaineers and his coaching aspirations. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Sequestered in Legoland in California, Chris joins Mike on the scene in Morgantown for a conversation about the many reactions to the Coronavirus situation, what WVU has done and what everyone will do next. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

There were only happy endings as the regular season arrived at the finish line Saturday and West Virginia did all that it could do by defeating fourth-ranked Baylor by a dozen points. The Mountaineers remembered and showed off who they are and what they can do and did it right in time for the Big 12 tournament. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

West Virginia can feel like a winner again and doesn’t have to worry about a string of losses away from home any longer. The Mountaineers defeated Iowa State in a back-and-forth game that saw the best and sometimes the worst of this team. But wins matter right now, and WVU took care of a few lingering questions in snapping a three-game slide and a six-game streak away from home. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The script repeated itself once again Monday night as the Mountaineers committed turnovers, missed free throws, couldn’t rely on the 3-point line, ran players in and out of the game and lost on the road. They’re 1-5 in the last six games and 1-7 on the road in Big 12 play, and consequently they have a losing record in conference play. How bad is it and how bad can it get? To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In a game it couldn’t lose, West Virginia build and lost a 10-point lead, fumbled key moments and lost on the road again to a TCU team it clearly outclassed at home last month. The Mountaineers are 1-6 on the road with four straight losses and have a prickly game Monday in Austin against Texas. Chris and Mike cover what went wrong, what continues to go wrong and whether WVU can do anything about it. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Neal Brown’s second spring begins on March 10, and there’s a lot to like and a few things to monitor once you put together the pieces of a two-deep. Chris and Mike discuss Wednesday’s EerSports.com prediction piece and wonder what changes might occur. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Bob Huggins hinted at changes, and he followed through with a new starting lineup and a shorter rotation. Wouldn’t you know it, West Virginia won for the first time in two weeks and swept the season series against Oklahoma State. The second half was better than the first, and a few performances gave Huggins plenty to consider before the upcoming road trip. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

No harm in losing to the best team in the country, but West Virginia had stretches Saturday that rank among the worst of the season. The Mountaineers have lost three in a row and have to switch things up in a hurry against a favorable schedule so that they can preserve their postseason positioning. Chris and Mike discuss all of that after the breakdowns in Waco and wonder if you can criticize the offense when it doesn’t really run offense. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Kansas pulled some more jewels from West Virginia’s crown, and the Mountaineers are no longer unbeaten at home and now have their first losing streak of the season. The No. 3-ranked Jayhawks turned the game around in the second half and sent WVU staggering toward a road game Saturday against No. 1 Baylor. Chris and Mike meet up to discuss what continues to go wrong, what reasons exist to think it will change and what adjustments they saw against the Jayhawks. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Mountaineers wanted to change the way onlookers think and speak about the team, and they didn’t accomplish that Saturday. WVU’s issues on the road continued, and now the season enters a difficult and defining stretch. Mike and Chris discuss the reality and the potential of this team and how it can use the final eight games of the regular season to position itself for the postseason. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Practically nothing went wrong for the basketball team, and the good outnumbered the bad in an easy win over Iowa State. The football team started signing day with some question marks and ended it with two exclamation points. Chris and Mike review the events on the court and off the field. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Maybe it's not as big of a deal as it used to be, but Wednesday is still a signing day on the college football calendar. It might be pretty cool at West Virginia this year, too. Chris explains why as he and Mike set the stage for the occasion, detail possible additions to the roster and discuss a provocative text Mike received Sunday night. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

West Virginia improved to 4-0 after a loss with a win Saturday against Kansas State. It wasn't the prettiest product, and the opponent again wasn't the best following a defeat, but the Mountaineers could have been on the wrong side of this one. Chris and Mike chat about the successes after failures, the pecking order on offense, the keys to the game and the outlook the rest of this season. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

West Virginia couldn’t make shots and Texas Tech wouldn’t miss any Wednesday as the Red Raiders built a big lead in both halves and held off every charge the Mountaineers made. Chris and Mike discuss the latest loss to a desperate team, how this fits in the learning process and what’s next for WVU. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

West Virginia won for just the second time in the history of the Big 12/SEC Challenge and capped a compelling week with a second one-sided victory. The Mountaineers handled Missouri early, pushed back a charge in the middle of the game and imposed their will five days after clobbering Texas at home. What’s happened in the past week and what happens now? Chris and Mike have the answers. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

With one of the most emphatic performances in quite some time, West Virginia defeated Texas and obliterated any side-effects on Saturday’s loss to Kansas State. The Mountaineers dominated every category and submitted a number of individual performances and highlights to make everyone feel much better. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

West Virginia left a lot on the table with a performance that left a lot to be desired. Bob Huggins was dejected in defeat and watched his team and his opponent both play out of character. It's just one game, but was this one game that different from many others? Mike has thoughts on Saturday and beyond. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

WVU had one of its familiar defensive performances and one of its best offensive performances in years in an 81-49 victory against visiting TCU. It didn't happen right away, but the Mountaineers eventually did what they wanted against what was one of the two unbeaten teams in Big 12 play. Mike discusses the good signs in the game and moving forward. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

West Virginia returned home after a lengthy time away from the Coliseum and treated a sellout crowd to a Big 12 win against the team that nearly won the national title a season ago. Bob Huggins wasn’t happy, and we attempt to figure out why and explain his frustrations. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Gerad Parker and Jeff Koonz are the newest additions to West Virginia's coaching staff as a busy week reaches a sudden conclusion. How'd the Mountaineers do and what do the salaries tell us about the present and the future? Mike has the answers. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

After road teams went 0-5 Saturday to start Big 12 play, West Virginia used its second conference road game of the season to even its Big 12 record. There were some familiar frustrations but some pleasing performances, too. Mike reviews the late game in Stillwater and what went right at the end of the road trip. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

West Virginia had a 10-point lead but couldn't hang on and lost for the eighth time in as many trips to Kansas and Phog Allen Fieldhouse. There was plenty to discuss on a long list of likes and dislikes in our first basketball postgame podcast. It begins with what to think of officiating and Oscar Tshiebwe and then tries to figure out what to make of pretty much everyone and everything else after the Big 12 opener. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Following a run of podcasts to end 2019, the hosts are back for a new year and a new look at the basketball team. What's new following the win against Ohio State, who needs to pick it up, how will things go against Kansas? But there's also room for football with an updated look at recruiting and Neal Brown's coaching staff. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

With strict parameters in place, Chris and Mike close the decade by looking back on WVU basketball through the years. Today's episode picks and, of course, debates the top players at each position. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The 2019 football season was about change, from the top of the program to the top row of the bleachers and everyone and everything in between. Covering the team on a daily basis was part of that, and it was sometimes slightly and sometimes significantly different this year and it was before. Chris and Mike discuss what was new, what was good, what was interesting and what might be different again in the future. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

With strict parameters in place, Chris and Mike close the decade by looking back on WVU football through the years. Today's episode picks and, of course, debates the top players at each position. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices