MORGANTOWN, W.Va. - As far as West Virginia University football fans are concerned, Virginia Tech's exit from the Big East hasn't robbed the Tech-WVU rivalry of its passion. It has only enhanced it.

"We hate them even more now that they've deserted the Big East," Ryan Lewis, a WVU senior from Spencer, W.Va., said this week. "We'll beat Tech." Tech and Miami left WVU and the rest of the Big East last summer for the Atlantic Coast Conference, leaving many West Virginia fans bitter.

"They make me sick because they're with the" ACC, said Connie Negri, 85, a WVU season-ticket holder.

WVU fans are excited by the 4-0 record of the Mountaineers, who visit Tech today. Negri has WVU football memorabilia displayed in the window of the mini-mart she owns. Businesses around Morgantown display various pro-WVU signs.

West Virginia doesn't have a major pro team, so WVU fits that bill for many residents. That is especially true in Morgantown, whose population of 26,809 expands to more than 45,000 when WVU is in session.

"Morgantown runs around football," WVU sophomore Kelly Esslinger said. "That's all Morgantown is - high school football and Mountaineer football."

Enthusiasm has grown because of WVU's great start. The Mountaineers are ranked sixth in the Associated Press Top 25 poll - their highest ranking in 11 years.

"If we keep winning, it's going to get bigger and bigger," Brad Favro, 41, of Morgantown, said of the excitement. "Even the non-football fans can see we're ranked in the top 10.

"The football fans, we've always been supportive of the team. Now you've got guys that probably go to two games a year, three games a year, now they're all coming out."

Favro and Esslinger will be among the WVU fans at Lane Stadium today. WVU sold out its allotment from Tech of 4,000 tickets. Favro, a season-ticket holder, goes to all the WVU games, both at home and on the road. He is in the insurance field and arranges his work schedule around the Mountaineers' schedule.

Fans' enthusiasm sometimes gets out of hand. When the visiting Mountaineers upset then-No.13 Virginia Tech two years ago, students back in Morgantown set fires on campus and tore down the goal posts at Mountaineer Field. Students set about 90 fires after the host Mountaineers knocked off then-No.3 Tech last year.

"Two years ago was the best - the goal posts were torn down, all the fires," WVU senior Amy Barry said. "It was one of the best nights of my life at school."

WVU fans can't help wondering just how good the Mountaineers are this year because Maryland is the only quality team WVU has beaten. They figure today's game will tell them if WVU is for real.

"I don't know if we're top 10," said Rick Colvin, 58, a Morgantown florist. "We haven't played anybody yet except Maryland. We'll know more after the Virginia Tech game."

"I'm still a little nervous because they haven't played anybody yet," said Jim Walker, 41, a Morgantown doctor. "I'm eager to see what they'll do [at Tech]. It'll be a good test for them. We've only got about three tough games this year and this is one of them."

WVU is a heavy favorite to win the watered-down Big East, so West Virginia fans figure their team will finish the regular season unbeaten if the Mountaineers can beat the Hokies (2-2).

Jeff Foss, a Morgantown chemist, said the Tech game "means our season."

"The Hokies scare the heck out of me," said Foss, 44. "It's our last obstacle. No offense to Boston College, but I don't think they can compete. If we get past the Hokies, we will go undefeated."

WVU fans hope this year will be as good as 1988 and 1993. In both years, WVU went unbeaten in the regular season before losing its bowl game.

"Nothing compares to '88 right now, but this is close to it," said Favro, the man in the insurance business. "If we win this game, I think we run the table. This is the key game."

The departures of Tech and especially Miami give WVU a better chance to win the Big East, but WVU fans wish the two schools were still in their league. They regret that WVU can't test itself against fourth-ranked Miami. They are glad their team is playing Tech, but the last scheduled meeting in that series is next year.

"I wish they were still in the Big East. We all do," Mike Whitmer, 37, of Morgantown, said of Tech and Miami. "Now West Virginia's the only real team with any luster on them whatsoever in the Big East. Nationally the Big East is disrespected because Miami and Virginia Tech are out. They should have stayed."

"With the teams we're playing, it's probably not going to be that hard to go undefeated," WVU senior Dave Scaffido said. "I'm really sad that the Big East isn't that competitive for us. We're like overachievers. I'd rather have challenging games, something that you really look forward to."

Even if the Mountaineers go unbeaten, their weak schedule will likely keep them from playing for the national title. The Big East still has its automatic Bowl Championship Series berth, however, so WVU would get to go to a major bowl.

"If we get past the Hokies, we will go undefeated and probably play Oklahoma or Michigan or USC [University of Southern California] in the bowl game and probably lose by about 50 points," Foss said. "If we run the table and play Miami in the bowl game and beat them - if, if, if - how wonderful would that be?"

"That would be the greatest thing that ever happened to the state of West Virginia, no question about it," replied Whitmer, sitting next to Foss at a sports bar.