The prevailing image of West Virginia is that of coach Don Nehlen whining in front of a TV camera, espousing reasons his Mountaineers – and not Florida State – should be playing Nebraska for the national championship.

These unknown, unappreciated Mountaineers have been fighting for recognition all season. They were picked to finish fourth in the Big East Conference.

Even as they continued to pile up victories, their viability as a true national-title contender was mocked from coast to coast.

“I read one [column) from Seattle and he called us hillbillies,” senior strong safety Mike Collins said. “He talks about the ‘Big Least.’ They can’t talk about the Big East like we’re a bunch of chumps. If Miami would have finished 11-0 or 10-1, it would be No.1 or No.2 in the country. It’s just because we’re West Virginia and we don’t get any respect. That’s all it’s about.

“There are all those articles about strength of schedule and that we’re nobody. We went out there and won all our football games, and they’re saying stuff like that. I’m kind of mad.”

Despite an 11-0 mark than included victories over Miami and Boston College to end the season, West Virginia was shut out of a national-title game against Nebraska. Still, West Virginia – No.2 in the coaches’ poll and No.3 in The Associated Press poll – could win a share of the national title if it defeats Florida in the Sugar Bowl and Nebraska loses.

Nehlen isn’t hedging at all.

“If we do win the game, I don’t think there’s any question we’ll get a piece of the national championship,” he said. “No way they can deny a 12-0 football team.”

Life sure was different for West Virginia back in ’88. Led by quarterback Major Harris, the Mountaineers rolled through the regular season. The closest an opponent came was 10 points. That team produced 17 NFL draft picks. Though they lost to Notre Dame 34-21 in the Fiesta Bowl, at least those Mountaineers got a chance to play for the title.

This season’s team, dominated by fifth-year seniors who signed with WVU after that ’88 campaign, was more survivor than predator.

The Mountaineers beat Miami and Boston College by identical 17-14 scores. They eked out a one-point victory over Virginia Tech (made possible by a missed field goal in the waning seconds), a two-point triumph over Louisville and a five-point victory over lowly Maryland.

“With the ’88 team, we knew we were good,” said Dale Wolfley, an offensive guard on the ’88 team and a graduate assistant this season. “What kept this team hungry is that no one gave them respect the whole year.”

Harris agrees.

“We had a lot of players on the [’88) team who got publicity,” he said. “It was handed to them; the food was already on the table. This year’s team doesn’t have that. They’re always trying to prove themselves.”

So far, the Mountaineers have proven themselves to everyone but AP voters.

Is Nehlen still upset?

“To be honest, I’ve talked about that probably too doggone much,” Nehlen said. “We were very fortunate to go 11-0. I’m not even sure we deserved to win our last game [at Boston College)… We did not play very well.

“I wouldn’t say we’re a great team by any stretch of the imagination. We just kind of hung together… and we won some games, I guess.”