As Mountaineers everywhere gear up for West Virginia University’s Monday night match-up against the University of Georgia in the Nokia Sugar Bowl, a certain group of WVU grads is finding themselves in a situation that’s very sweet, indeed.

They’ll win either wayas WVU graduates who are currently enrolled in UGA ’s College of Veterinary Medicine .

And they include students like Isaiah Smith, a Riverton native and UGA vet student who joined the program after his graduation this year from West Virginia’s flagship university. Smith says to look for a great contest between the teams.

I think it’s awesome,he said.Really, I mean out of all the teams in the BCS (Bowl Championship Series) who would have ever thought of WVU and Georgia playing head-to-head?

Like many of his fellow UGA vet school students with WVU origins, Smith participated in WVU ’s Davis-Michael Scholars Program, a rigorous track for undergraduates who plan to enter veterinary school after graduation.

That program combines traditional undergraduate education in fields such as animal and veterinary sciences and biochemistry with special seminars and out-of-classroom learning experiences. The program also provides financial support to students who qualify for the need.

Rebecca Brailer, a UGA vet student and 2003 WVU graduate, naturally agrees.

The Davis-Michael Scholars Program provided resources to me that I may otherwise not have had in veterinary medicine,the Charleston native said,such as finding an opportunity for me to work in a biochemistry laboratory.

UGA is a popular choice for their professional studies, as its one of three schools participating in a reciprocal agreement with the State of West Virginia .

On Monday, the two schools will become rivals in the Georgia Dome. But the professional relationship for vet students has been on longer than that, said Dr. Robert Dailey, coordinator of the Davis-Michael Program.

Because West Virginia doesn’t have a veterinary school, the state contracts with three schools,Davis said.That means a higher chance of qualified applicants being accepted at a lower tuition than out-of-state students.

The two other schools are the Tuskegee Institute and Ohio State University , Dailey said.

Brailer, meanwhile, said that while her new school is a peach, some things just can’t get in the way of �€~Eer loyalty.

I think I made the best decision to go to veterinary school at UGA ,she said.The town and the school are great, but let there be no mistake: I still and always will bleed Blue and Gold. Go, Mountaineers!

Such loyalty is also shared by Erin Master, who enrolled in the UGA program after her 2003 graduation from WVU .

I hope that WVU kills Georgia ,she said, unabashedly.I was born and raised in Morgantown , and no matter how long I’m away, my blood still bleeds Blue and Gold.

Smith, though, won’t be bittersweet, no matter what the final numbers on the scoreboard say. His shared geography between Morgantown and Athens , Ga. , will take care of that, he said.

You know what the best part of it is for us vet students? he asked.We win either way.