Nick Saban is backing West Virginia to have a real shot in the Big 12, and he likes the matchup enough to call the Mountaineers his pick against Oklahoma State.
Saban made that clear Friday afternoon on The Pat McAfee Show, pointing to West Virginia’s ability to lean on the run game as the key factor in Saturday night’s opener at Milan Puskar Stadium. Under the lights, with the crowd expected to be loud, the Mountaineers can start league play 1-0 and, with a win, will almost certainly be ranked by Sunday afternoon.
“I think there’s a lot of teams in the Big 12 that actually have a chance, and I think West Virginia, obviously, is one of the teams that’s a little bit of a surprise. The one thing I like about West Virginia in this game against Oklahoma State… when you can run the ball like they run the ball… the quarterback and the tailback, you can shrink the game. And when you’re playing against a team like Oklahoma State, who is going to throw it, and the quarterback’s going to be the whole game and all that, if you can keep the ball away from them enough and can control the tempo of the game by running it, I think that gives you a hell of a chance to win.”
That pick comes a week after Saban rubbed plenty of West Virginia fans the wrong way by choosing Virginia to beat WVU in Charlotte. He explained that decision to McAfee as well, saying he sometimes prefers to pick the other side because of the effect it can have on players hearing all the praise.
“I’m picking them. But you know sometimes, when you pick the other team… You know, I used to hate it when I was a coach, and we had a night game or whatever, and we were watching gameday in a room with Ms.
Terry, and you guys all picked Alabama. It used to piss me off.
I wanted you guys to pick somebody else. I knew that our players were sitting there listening to how they were getting picked, and that rat poison is just pouring in, and now everybody thinks we’re going to win.
That’s why I picked Virginia (last week). It finally comes out.”
Saban also said he thinks Rich Rodriguez’s return to Morgantown and early success matters to people across the state, especially because of the pride tied to West Virginia roots.
“I think it’s great because the people in West Virginia have a lot of pride," Saban said about Rich Rodriguez being back in Morgantown and winning. "You know, I’m from there.
We all have a lot of pride in our state, and he’s a West Virginia guy. And for him to be successful there makes it double good.”
In Other News...
WVU Gets Much Needed Relief Ahead Of Oklahoma State Game
West Virginia got a little breathing room on the injury front ahead of its Big 12 opener against Oklahoma State, with the latest availability report bringing some encouraging signs for a roster that has been managing several minor knocks. Cornerback Nick Taylor was added as probable because of a minor injury, but the Mountaineers also cleared two players from the list, a useful bit of housekeeping as they get closer to kickoff.
The receiver room looks steadier, too, with Jaden Bray and Prince Strachan both listed as probable. Bray is working back from a recent hip injury, while Strachan is positioned for an expanded role, giving West Virginia a little more flexibility as it heads into a conference game that should offer an early read on how ready the offense is to handle its depth challenges. [Read more 🡒]
WVUs Oklahoma State Test Turns On A Brutal Late Collapse
West Virginias trip to Oklahoma State turned into the kind of game that can swing on a single mistake, with the Mountaineers hanging around deep into the second half before the whole thing started to unravel. The simulation had plenty of offense on both sides and enough back-and-forth scoring to keep the matchup tight, setting up a finish that felt every bit like a Big 12 shootout.
In the end, the decisive play was as brutal as it gets for a road team trying to survive in Stillwater: a late fumble return touchdown that broke the game open and sent Oklahoma State to a 42-34 win. For West Virginia, the result in the simulated report serves as another reminder that in this league, one untimely turnover can undo a nights worth of good work in a hurry. [Read more 🡒]
Phil Steele Just Added Fuel To West Virginia's Biggest Early Test
Phil Steele is already looking at West Virginias first real Big 12 measuring stick and likes what he sees. The longtime college football analyst said he expects the Mountaineers to handle their conference opener against Oklahoma State, pointing to a team he believes has enough balance on both sides of the ball to make an early statement. He singled out the kind of players who can swing a September game and framed West Virginia as a program with the pieces to start league play on the right foot.
Oklahoma State, meanwhile, comes into the matchup carrying some recent questions, and Steele also pointed to the bigger picture around the Cowboys performance against Oregon. For West Virginia, the intrigue is less about reputation and more about whether the preseason confidence holds up when the games start counting in Big 12 play. A win here would do more than validate an analysts prediction - it would immediately alter the tone around a Mountaineers team trying to establish itself early. [Read more 🡒]