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Steve Slaton and his West Virginia teammates stunned Georgia in the Sugar Bowl last January, one of the reasons the Mountaineers will be overrated this year, writes MSNBC.com columnist Ray Glier.

It is circled on a lot of calendars because both teams could be undefeated, but only if U of L gets by Miami. WVU is picked to finish first in the Big East; Louisville is picked to finish second. Neither team has much broken glass to walk over with their schedules.

It is ironic, but we were here last year wondering if U of L could run the table because of its offense and a supposedly weak schedule and get a crack at Southern California. The Cards slipped on the banana peel twice: they got stomped at South Florida 45-14 and lost in three overtimes to West Virginia 46-44.

It is also ironic that Louisville went into last season threatening an orgy of offense on every opponent, just like WVU this season.

So, I have words of caution if you are thinking WVU could sail toward a BCS game unbeaten.

Don’t take the bait.

U of L has a 245-pound tailback, Michael Bush, who could monopolize the football and keep it away from WVU’s terrific offense led by running back Steve Slaton and quarterback Pat White. The game is also on the road.

West Virginia lost a lot of key players on defense. The offense will hum along, but the secondary — WVU plays five backs — has just one returning starter.

Third, Maryland is a trap door the Mountaineers could fall right through. Ralph Friedgen had a lot of youth last season. They are seasoned and he can coach.

Finally, one of the biggest reasons West Virginia is in the Top 10 to begin with is the victory over Georgia in the Sugar Bowl.

As a Georgia resident and West Virginia alum I can give you a down-the-middle assessment of the Sugar Bowl and hold up under name-calling.

Georgia ran out of time in the Sugar Bowl last January. Be careful when measuring West Virginia for a national title based on that win.

WVU won fair and square, but that game had the look of a matchup, that if played 10 times, Georgia would win seven.

Screwy logic, sure, unless you are basing West Virginia’s 2006 Top 10 national ranking on that one game, that one victory over an SEC team. Then you have to look hard at that game.

Indoors. On a rug. Georgia faced a wicked offensive scheme it couldn’t prepare for.

West Virginia has eight starters back on offense and those guys sure looked scary in the Georgia Dome. But it is still a year away.

Me, I would love to see an unbeaten, national championship team in gold and blue, especially for a state full of pride. The bait is there, but if you are looking for a darkhorse national champion, don’t take it.

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