The West Virginia Mountaineers had finished the regular season with a record of 8 &ndash; 4 , which already included a defeat at the hands of Maryland . Like Friedgen , it was Rich Rodriguez 's third year as head coach of his program . West Virginia entered the game on a seven-game winning streak , as co-champions of the Big East conference
Big East
Big East Conference (1979–2013)
2004 Gator Bowl