Scout.com: Beilein: 'No Comment'

Say it ain't so!

Besides the obvious answers (money, money, & more money), why would Coach Beilein leave WVU?

Perhaps some would say, "He'll never be able to match his early success." To that I respond, "Who cares?" WVU fans are a different breed. We do not expect to be a Sweet 16 team year in and year out. Would we enjoy it? Absolutely. But we don't require it.

WVU fans have soaked up every last drop of the accomplishments made by Beilein and our Mountianeers in the last 2 seasons. So much so that we would probably enjoy mediocre success until 2010.

Face it. We learned our lesson following the Bobby Bowden debacle of the late 1970s. Seriously, since he left and began building a successful FSU program. WVU has never fired, or forced out, a football or basketball coach.

We have become the Pittsburgh Steelers (without the Super Bowls) of College Sports. (For those who don't know it, the Steelers have had only two coaches in the past 36 years, Chuck Noll from 1969-91 and now Cowher, who has been in place since 1992) Rich Rodriguez and John Beilein have given us a mountain of memories in a very short time since coming to Morgantown. It would take a major setback (back to back to back well-below .500 seasons) before the Mountaineer faithful would begin to even whisper about replacing these two men.

But then some people would suggest that Coach Beilein has done all he can at WVU and should go where he can accomplish more? His five seniors are gone.

Five years ago I (and perhaps many other Gold and Blue faithful) might of subscribed to this theory. But now, we have seen the promised land. We have thrown aside the pessimism that was standard issue for the Mountianeer faithful. Now I say, give him the most athletic group of young men he has ever coached (thats what I'm hearing about next years squad) and lets start climbing that mountain again.

Don't go Beilein. Stay... just a little bit longer. (fade to black, turn up the Jackson Browne)

Scout.com: Beilein: 'No Comment'