Rich Rodriguez’s second year back at West Virginia should look a lot better than his first, but the Mountaineers still land in the middle of the pack in my projected 2026 Big 12 standings.
I’ve got WVU finishing 10th, which is a step forward after a rough 2025 season. That team stumbled to 14th in the league while juggling five quarterbacks, dealing with a pile of injuries at running back, and trying to survive behind what was the worst offensive line in the conference. This roster still has holes and real questions, but it’s better equipped to handle Big 12 football.
The offense is the reason there’s real optimism. It has a chance to finish in the top half of the league, and if everything comes together, even crack the top three. That’s not a wild idea with the nation’s leading rusher, Cam Cook, in the fold and Mike Hawkins Jr. set up for what could be a breakout season.
The problem is on the other side of the ball. West Virginia should improve and be more competitive this fall, but the defense is what keeps the Mountaineers from being a team that matters in November.
At the top of the league, I’m sticking with BYU at No. 1.
Even if Texas Tech had Brendan Sorsby, there was still a strong case for the Cougars. Kalani Sitake’s staff has done a strong job developing talent and keeping its best players around, and this is a veteran group on both sides of the ball.
Twelve of the projected 22 starters are seniors.
Texas Tech checks in at No. 2.
The Red Raiders also bring back a veteran roster, but they lean more heavily on the transfer portal. Will Hammond is a quality quarterback and should be able to get the job done, though he’s coming off a torn ACL and may need some time to find his rhythm once he’s back.
LJ Martin stands out as arguably the best running back in the conference, and Bear Bachmeier now has a full year of starting experience under his belt. That puts him in position to establish himself as one of the Big 12’s best quarterbacks.
Utah comes in at No. 3, followed by Arizona at No. 4, Houston at No.
5, Kansas State at No. 6, and TCU at No. 7.
Arizona State is No. 8, Oklahoma State No. 9, and then West Virginia at No.
Behind the Mountaineers are Baylor at No. 11, Cincinnati at No.
12, Kansas at No. 13, UCF at No.
14, Colorado at No. 15, and Iowa State at No. 16.
Iowa State looks like the toughest rebuild in the league. The Cyclones lost well over 50 players to the transfer portal this offseason after Matt Campbell’s departure to Penn State, leaving them in a situation similar to the one West Virginia faced last year.
They’ve had to piece together a roster mostly built from lower-level transfers, and the schedule won’t help. Four of their first five league games are against Utah, BYU, Arizona, and Oklahoma State.
The talent and depth just aren’t there for Iowa State right now, though they should still be annoying enough to make a few games uncomfortable for teams that probably shouldn’t be sweating them.
In Other News...
West Virginia Just Landed A Back Who Could Change Everything
Cam Cook is back in the Big 12 and heading to West Virginia after a dominant 2025 season at Jacksonville State, where the senior running back used an extra year of eligibility to keep his career going. His arrival gives the Mountaineers a proven runner with a track record of carrying an offense, and it comes at a time when West Virginia is looking to get its ground game back on track after a difficult season.
Cooks production at Jacksonville State was the kind that turns heads across the league, and West Virginia is betting that skill set can translate quickly in Morgantown. The fit makes sense on paper, especially for a program that wants more punch on the ground, but the real question now is how the Mountaineers plan to use him and just how much he can reshape their rushing attack once he gets into the system. [Read more 🡒]
Rich Rodriguez Just Landed A Big Piece For WVU's O-Line Future
Rich Rodriguezs latest addition to the West Virginia offensive line pipeline comes in the form of Tristan Hardin-Roberts, a Blount High School lineman from Mobile, Alabama who gives the Mountaineers another developmental piece up front. Hardin-Roberts arrives with the kind of frame and versatility coaches like to work with, and he was able to sort through a handful of suitors before settling on Morgantown.
West Virginia beat out Oklahoma State, South Florida and Tulane for his commitment, a notable win as Rodriguez continues building out the future of the line. He is expected to begin at tackle, though the staff could always revisit his best fit once he gets on campus and adds more weight, leaving a little room for the final answer on where he settles in. [Read more 🡒]
Why Geimere Latimer Already Feels Like A Perfect WVU Fit
Geimere Latimers path to West Virginia has already made him look like the kind of player this staff tends to value. A highly successful high school quarterback in Georgia, he had to navigate skepticism from Division I programs about both his position and his size, then reinvent himself as a cornerback at Jacksonville State. He played in every game there and helped the Gamecocks win a Conference USA championship, a strong sign that the move away from quarterback did not slow him down.
Now Latimer is back with coaches he knows, which matters in a program that has leaned on familiarity and versatility in the secondary. After stops at Jacksonville State and Wisconsin, he arrived in Morgantown with a chance to settle into a role that fits his skill set, and the expectation is that he will work at nickel back. For West Virginia, that kind of adaptable defender can be especially useful, and Latimers journey suggests he may be ready to make the most of it. [Read more 🡒]