2012 Orange Bowl, West Virginia Vs. Clemson: Complicated Chain Of Events Brought WVU To BCS Bowl

WV Illustrated notes the chaotic process through which the West Virginia Mountaineers came to win a spot in the Orange Bowl to play Clemson.

“Regardless of what happens, you’ve just got to keep playing, you’ve got to keep playing, you’ve got to keep playing and you’ve got to find a way to win at the end,” he says. “For the last three games, our guys have been able to do that.”

The Mountaineers needed three straight wins of three points or fewer to earn a tie atop the Big East. Then they needed two straight wins by Cincinnati to force a three-way tie between WVU, Cincinnati and Louisville that ultimately resulted in WVU coming out on top. And all of that only resulted in WVU getting a BCS bowl berth that most college football fans think the Big East doesn’t deserve.

But hey … whatever! No. 15 Clemson vs. No. 23 West Virginia is by far the lowest-profile BCS matchup, but it’s still a BCS matchup. And for all the crazy events that brought them here, the Mountaineers do have the best hope of any Big East team of making the conference somehow look good.

For more on WVU football, check out the Smoking Musket.