West Virginia’s 2026 road slate is about as manageable as it gets, at least by the standards of a Big 12 season. The Mountaineers won’t leave home for a true road game until the first week of October, and only four trips away from Morgantown are on the schedule.
That kind of setup makes the ranking pretty straightforward, even if one stop in particular carries the kind of baggage WVU fans know all too well. The House of Horrors in Ames is not sitting at the bottom of this list. Not even close.
The easiest road test, at least on paper, is the trip to TCU. Amon G.
Carter Stadium has not exactly been a nightmare for West Virginia through six visits, with the Mountaineers winning four of the six meetings in Fort Worth. They probably should have had five, too, if not for the infamous “pass interference” call on David Sills V.
TCU is expected to have a solid team in 2026, but replacing Josh Hoover, who transferred to be Curt Cignetti's next guy at Indiana, won’t be simple. WVU also gets a bye week after that game, so the Mountaineers can empty the tank knowing recovery is right there waiting.
The next step up is the trip to Iowa State, and this is where the setting matters as much as anything else. The Cyclones may be in a rebuild and could wind up among the Big 12’s weakest teams in 2026, but Ames has never cared much about that kind of logic.
Just ask Will Grier and the rest of the 2018 WVU team. The crowd there is loud, relentless, and capable of tilting a game.
Defensive coordinator Jon Heacock is gone, and Matt Campbell is gone too, which is good news for the Big 12, but Jimmy Rogers looks like the right man for the job. This will be West Virginia’s first true road game of the year, and that alone makes it a tricky one.
The toughest assignment, though, comes at Utah. Rice Eccles Stadium has earned its reputation, with the Utes winning over 73% of their home games since moving there in 1998.
The timing only adds to the challenge: a 9 p.m. ET kickoff on Black Friday, courtesy of the Big 12, in a place that figures to be full and loud.
Morgan Scalley is entering his first year as head coach, but he has been around the program for nearly two decades, so the learning curve should be short by the time game No. 12 arrives. If this matchup had come earlier, Iowa State might have had a stronger case for the No. 2 spot, but the draw worked against WVU here.
And then there’s Texas Tech, which stands out as the most difficult road test of all. The Red Raiders have been in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons this offseason, and Brendan Sorsby is gone, which is a major loss.
Even so, the quarterback room still looks strong enough to keep Texas Tech in the mix, especially once Will Hammond is healthy. He could lead this team to a Big 12 title and beyond.
West Virginia does get a bye week before that game, which should help with rest and preparation, but that wasn’t enough to change the ranking. The Red Raiders’ talent and depth make this the one WVU has to fear most.
In Other News...
Several Former Mountaineers Just Reached Crucial NBA Crossroads
A cluster of former Mountaineers is reaching different NBA crossroads at the same time, which makes the summer feel especially busy for West Virginia fans tracking old names. Treysen Eaglestaff is heading into the next stage of his pro journey after going undrafted, and Summer League will give him a chance to show he belongs on an NBA floor while every possession carries extra weight for a player trying to turn opportunity into a contract.
Jevon Carter is also in motion after being waived by Chicago and landing with Orlando, while Miles McBride is another name to watch as front offices keep sorting out rosters and trade possibilities. For a program that has sent plenty of tough, adaptable guards into the league, this is the kind of stretch that can reshape a career fast, and the next few weeks should tell a lot about which of these familiar faces is headed for a stable role and which one is still waiting for the next break. [Read more 🡒]
WVUs 2027 Class Still Has One Problem Fans Know Too Well
West Virginias 2027 recruiting class is in the part of the calendar where optimism meets silence. The coaching staff has finished its official visits and has now entered a dead period with limited communication, which means the work done in June has to carry the class for a while. Eleven of the 23 commitments came in that month alone, and the staff is still sorting out where the next additions might come from as it evaluates needs across quarterback, running back, tight end, defensive line, edge rusher, cornerback and safety.
The bigger issue, as always, is keeping the class together long enough to see it through. Even with a strong early haul, some committed prospects are still going to draw attention from other schools, and West Virginia is also weighing whether the transfer portal can fill a few of the thinner spots. If the Mountaineers can hang onto the core and add at the right positions, this class still has a chance to look far better than the quiet stretch around it suggests. [Read more 🡒]
WVU Athletics Finally Has Fans Feeling Something They Havent In Years
West Virginia fans have spent plenty of recent seasons waiting for something to point to across the athletic department, and this one offered a little bit of everything. CBS Sports overall-sports ranking put WVU 32nd among 68 Power Four schools, a sign that the Mountaineers were competitive in more than one corner of the schedule. Mens and womens basketball, baseball and volleyball all gave the program some visible momentum, with athletic director Wren Baker and several coaches helping push the department into a more optimistic place.
The most encouraging part for the fan base is how broad the progress felt. Volleyball reached .500 for the first time in a few years, baseball made a deep postseason run, and the womens basketball team paired its Big 12 tournament title with a strong spring that had the program hosting an NCAA Tournament game. Even with football still trying to find steadier footing after Rich Rodriguezs first season back ended 4-8, the bigger picture around WVU athletics looks different than it has in years, and that alone has changed the mood around Morgantown. [Read more 🡒]