The Shotgun/Throwdown (11/28/18): For Holgorsen, there are more reasons to stay than leave

Welcome, By-Godders, to The Shotgun/Throwdown, WVU’s best place for sports links, information, sophomoric humor and daily distractions.

Football

Sugar Bowl out of picture even if Texas slips below West Virginia in rankings | WV MetroNews
Officials from West Virginia athletic department and the Big 12 confirmed the Sugar Bowl is off the table for the Mountaineers, squelching a brief glimmer of hope that popped up among fans and some journalists with the release of the latest College Football Playoff rankings Tuesday night.

HERTZEL COLUMN: There are more reasons to stay than to leave for WVU’s Holgorsen | Times West Virginian
If Dana Holgorsen is going anywhere, there is no indication of it to date.

West Virginia in hot pursuit of LSU DB commit Dreshun Miller | WV MetroNews
As college football’s early signing period approaches on Dec. 19, West Virginia needs to make a push to beef up its 2019 recruiting class.

HERTZEL COLUMN: Is WVU’s defense as much of a problem as everyone thinks? | Times West Virginian
The cries have been heard. In the wake of Oklahoma’s dismantling of West Virginia — in a game that could have sent the Mountaineers into the Big 12 Championship Game against Texas but instead sent them off on a rage against a defense that followed giving up 45 points at Oklahoma State with giving up 59 to the Sooners — fans were screaming for an end to Tony Gibson’s tenure as defensive coordinator at the most or at the least scrapping his 3-3-5 defense.

Basketball

WVU Continues Homestand Wednesday Night Against Rider | West Virginia Athletics
West Virginia resumes its three-game homestand Wednesday night with a midweek Coliseum meeting against Rider, the preseason coaches' pick to win the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference this season.

WVU basketball: Huggins expects 'really hard game' when Rider visits Mountaineers | Charleston Gazette-Mail
The name on the front of the jersey might not strike much fear into the hearts of most, but when Rider visits West Virginia University on Wednesday night coach Bob Huggins knows the Mountaineers will have their hands full.

Mountaineers favored big, but Rider ranked higher in new NCAA metric | WV MetroNew
Only the most avid college basketball enthusiasts around town would know Rider University, located in Lawrence Township, N.J., is a member of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference.

West gets hot again as WVU prepares to face Rider | Times West Virginian
There are some stories that are worth repeating because they just keep repeating themselves, and so it is that we again look at West Virginia forward Lamont West.

Wednesday Coliseum Parking | West Virginia Athletics
Coliseum parking on Wednesday from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. will be extremely limited. Students who have classes on the Evansdale campus may park for free in the Coliseum lots near the Natatorium and Arboretum until 4 p.m. Space is limited at both locations.

WVU at No. 21 in USA Today Coaches Poll | West Virginia Athletics
The West Virginia University women's basketball team ranks at No. 21 in the most recent USA Today Sports Coaches Poll, released on Tuesday.

Around the Big 12

How Texas’ game is designed to really stress Oklahoma | SBNation
The Sooners might be a game away from the CFP, but there’s a reason the Longhorns have already beaten them once.

Texas Tech isn’t an easy place to win, but starting fresh might be smart | SBNation
Kliff Kingsbury’s time fell short of realistic expectations, but probably not by a whole lot.

Around the NCAA

New College Football Playoff rankings show each title game’s CHAOS POWER | SBNation
Here’s how much havoc all 10 conference championships are capable of wreaking.

Georgia can beat Alabama ... if the Dawgs actually finish drives | SBNation
UGA is Bama’s equal in almost every category except red zone offense ... in which UGA isn’t even Rutgers’ equal.

Pitt’s wild history of upsets and near-upsets, updated before the ACC title game | SBNation
Pitt’s wild history of upsets and near-upsets, updated before the ACC title game

This is a great time for UNC to reset, but is Mack Brown really a reset? | SBNation
The Heels can catch up to NC State and compete in the ACC Coastal, if they get the Brown of the ‘90s and ‘00s.

NFL Panic Index 2018: The only thing the Panthers defense can stop is their playoff hopes | SBNation
This week we’re panicked about the Panthers pass defense, a Steelers brain fart, the Jags’ hopeless QB future and the 49ers’ bright future.

The Greatness of Stephen Hillenburg and ‘SpongeBob SquarePants’ | The Ringer
The Ringer staff remembers some of the creator’s most enduring work

Van Morrison’s ‘Astral Weeks’ Is 50, but It Never Ages | The Ringer
What is it about ‘Astral Weeks’ that inspires this kind of hallowed tone? And even more puzzlingly, why does it keep regenerating its own fan base?

Disney is just going to acquire all the currency in 2019.

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