Down a coach and national title berth, W.Va. heads to Fiesta Bowl

Associated Press

CHARLESTON, W.Va.  - No. 11 West Virginia is still hurting after blowing a chance to play for the national championship with a loss to Pittsburgh.

Then came head coach Rich Rodriguez's announcement that he was taking the job at Michigan and won't be around to coach the Mountaineers in the their Fiesta Bowl matchup with Oklahoma.

But West Virginia players look at Rodriguez's departure as a business decision and point out that playing in Arizona against the third-ranked Sooners accomplishes their goals of winning the Big East Conference title and playing in a BCS bowl.

Safety Ryan Mundy says he and his teammates don't expect anyone to feel sorry for them.

Mundy says while players would've liked to have vied for the national title and for Rodriguez to still be at the helm, they're focusing on things they can control, like preparing for Sooners.

If the Mountaineers are looking for motivation, they can become 1 of just three teams to win 11 games in each of the past three seasons.

The others are LSU and Southern Cal.

Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.