I've always supported the Coal Bowl. Despite what WVU's administration proclaims, I'll always believe the game is great for the STATE of West Virginia and is an event that gets Herd/Mountaineer fans jawin' months before they actually meet on the field. It's a rivalry. Common sense tells you that. Certain fans can say it isn't..but it is. You can ignore the ESPN rating of the game, tell yourself the sold-out games aren't being attended, and scoff at the amount of money that's injected into Morgantown and Huntington during game day, but the fact remains....it's a rivalry.
With that said, I do feel these will be the last two football games we'll play in a long, long time. WVU is going to end the series. Period. No amount of money or "prodding" by the legislation will get them to continue the Coal Bowl. They're done and they are going to keep stalling on negotiations and let the series run out. When it comes to anything Marshall/WVU related, this is how WVU operates. It really shouldn't come as any surprise.
Let's go out and win one, if not both, of the last games and move on. I never thought I'd say that, but that's the best thing for Marshall to do. Savor the victories and then transition into the next phase of Marshall football. We have a very proactive athletic director who has the capability of bringing some exciting games to Huntington. We now have Virginia Tech, Louisville, Purdue, and Navy on our home schedule. I'm confident Hamrick will continue to negotiate future series with BCS teams. ;D