Big 12 Breakdown and The Big Question For Each School : #11 WVU
By Cade Welty and Sean A Dillon
We’re breaking down the Big 12 as we get closer to the 2026 season. We’re breaking down each team getting closer and closer to #1. Today we look at Oklahoma State
#16 – Iowa State #15 – Colorado #14 – Kansas #13 – cincinnati #12 – Oklahoma State #11 West Virginia
West Virginia: Is this a foundational year?
The sounds of country roads echo in Milan Puskar Stadium, but in recent years the sound has been a lot quieter. With only one winning record in their last 7 seasons, the Mountaineers look to rebuild their program under Rich Rodriguez again.
In 2025, West Virginia had their worst season since 2013 by going 4-8 overall with a 2-7 conference record. The team started off 2-1 before going on a 5-game losing streak that saw them lose by an average of 19.5 points per game. The Mountaineers brought back a familiar face for the 2025 season with the reunion of head coach Rich Rodriguez, who reached 60 wins in 7 seasons (2001-2007) in his first stint with them.
What gauges a foundation year?
Well, an improvement on the team’s record is the most obvious way of gauging it. But what if they tie their record but win every other game instead of being streaky? What if they only lose games by 10 points instead of 19? There are many what-if’s in this sport, so we will give you three reasons that this could end up being a foundational year for the Mountaineers.
The first sign is an improvement of their record, with having a winning record and becoming bowl eligible would be a huge bonus. Those 6 wins that are needed to be bowl eligible could be a tough task with one of the hardest Big 12 schedules. They will play 5 of the top 7 teams from the 2025 season. Also worth noting they will be on the road for three of those games when they travel to Texas Tech, Utah and TCU.
The next reason is that Rich Rodriguez has a track record of improving teams in year two. With winning records at WVU, Michigan and Troy all coming in the second season as head coach. In year two at West Virginia (2002), they went 9-4 and year two at Michigan (2009) saw a 5-7 record, which was an improvement from 3-9.
During Big 12 Media Days:
Rodriguez discussed how he feels on the 2026 roster with claims such as “Win Now” on the roster construction or “I feel confident we’ll be a lot better this year.” But he also said they have to prove it first.
Well, that leads into our third reason, it is roster construction and funding for the team. The Mountaineers brought in the 20th best high school class in 2026 with 4 blue chips and 49 overall commits and the looks of a foundational class have been built. The transfer portal group is a solid class, with it being the 21st best in the country that is headlined by star transfer RB Cam Cook, who led the entire college football world in rushing yards with a 1,659 and scored 16 touchdowns on 295 carries. Rich Rodriguez has been making sure everyone knows that West Virginia is going to run the ball. Another forgotten transfer that could make it a dual-threat rushing attack was Oklahoma transfer QB Michael Hawkins Jr, who was known for his running ability during his time in Norman.
The two areas that will need massive improvement are the offensive line as they struggled to block consistently all year, allowing 31 sacks and 3.7 yards per carry. Both are good for the bottom of the Big 12. The defensive unit that allowed 36 points per game will need all the help from the incoming transfers if they want to prove their stats from last year.
At the end of the 2026 season, the Mountaineers just need to show direction. If that means a one-win improvement to even winning a bowl game, then so be it. Just prove you have a formula to win and “Country Roads” will be heard across the Big 12 again.
West Virginia 2026 Football Schedule :
Conference Games *
9/5/2026, Coastal Carolina : 11:00 A.M. CT
9/12/2026, UT Martin, Time : 12:00 P.M. CT
9/19/2026, vs Virginia, Time : 6:30 P.M. CT
9/26/2026, Oklahoma State *, Time : TBA
10/3/2026, at Iowa State *, Time : TBA
10/10/2026, Arizona * , Time : TBA
10/17/2026, Cincinnati * , Time : TBA
10/24/2026, at TCU *, Time : TBA
11/7/2026, at Texas Tech *, Time : TBA
11/14/2026, Kansas * , Time : TBA
11/21/2026, Houston * , Time : TBA
11/27/2026, at Utah * Time : 8:00 P.M. CT
Sean’s Thoughts:
RichRod… the man who was almost a Red Raider coach, returning to the hills to reclaim former glory in the deep dark hole of West Virginia football. Let’s be totally honest: last year’s 4-8 train wreck was a complete stinker and about as far from “glory” as you can get. Can RichRod actually dig them out this year?
In the legendary words of the Minions: “Ehh… no.”
Look, do I see them scraping together 5 or 6 wins? Sure, maybe. But they’re rolling out a transfer QB, a transfer RB, and a totally rebuilt offensive line that hasn’t played a single live down together yet. What could possibly go wrong?
Then look at the back half of that schedule: @ TCU, @ Texas Tech, brief relief from the butt-whooping with home games against Kansas and Houston, and then closing out @ Utah. Yeah… that could get painful real quick.
Practically everyone has the Mountaineers rotting in the basement of the Big 12 projections, and honestly, they might be right. But hey, I’ll be positive: if this offense can somehow stop hearing banjos long enough to figure out how to block, they just might surprise a few teams this year.