West Virginia already banked one win to open the year, and that matters more than the way the Coastal Carolina game looked coming down the stretch. The Mountaineers got the result they needed, and now the schedule gives them a chance to start snapping a few droughts that have hung around Morgantown for years.
The first one is the easiest to point out: WVU can begin 2-0 this Saturday. That sounds ordinary enough, but it has been a long time since that happened. The Mountaineers have gone 2-1 in non-conference play in all but one season since 2018, yet they’ve repeatedly stumbled early, losing openers to Maryland, Penn State, and Pitt, or game two to Missouri, Oklahoma State, Kansas, and Ohio.
So yes, 2-0 may not sound flashy, especially when the wins come against a G6 team and an FCS opponent. But wins are wins, and right now the Mountaineers need every one they can stack.
They can also chase something a little bigger over the first three games. The last time West Virginia won its first three contests was back in 2018, and getting there this year won’t be simple.
Virginia is a talented, experienced team coming off the best season in program history. Its defense is stingy, and Beau Pribula can cause problems for this WVU defense once he starts moving around.
That one doesn’t have to be solved immediately, but it fits the larger picture. If the Mountaineers handle the early stretch, they’re at least setting themselves up the right way.
And 2018 keeps popping up for a reason. That was the last season when football felt truly fun in Morgantown, at least by the standards this program has been chasing since then.
West Virginia finished that year ranked 16th in the final College Football Playoff rankings and 20th in the AP Top 25. Even with a nine-win season in 2023, the Mountaineers still haven’t gotten back into the rankings.
If not for the Hail Mary allowed against Houston, there’s a strong chance that would have changed.
If you’re looking at the opening part of the schedule and asking what it would take to turn some of this around, the answer starts with Virginia, then continues with the first two Big 12 games against Oklahoma State and Iowa State. Virginia would be the only quality win in that stretch, but five weeks into the season, there aren’t likely to be many undefeated teams left standing anyway.
In Other News...
WVU Added A New DB But One Key Question Still Looms
West Virginia added another defensive back to its future plans this week when former Georgia defender JaCorey Thomas committed to join the program beginning in the 2026 season. Thomas got a look with the Carolina Panthers at rookie minicamp after going undrafted, but he did not sign an NFL contract, leaving his next stop pointed toward Morgantown instead.
For the Mountaineers, the move adds more depth to a position group that never stops needing it, even if Thomass exact timetable on the field is still unsettled. His arrival does not push anyone out of the current rotation, and the remaining question is when, not whether, he will actually suit up once he gets to campus. [Read more 🡒]
WVUs Defensive Breakthrough Came With One Immediate Concern
West Virginia opened the season with the kind of defensive performance Zac Alley had been chasing, squeezing Coastal Carolina on the ground and sending constant heat at the quarterback. The Mountaineers produced 39 pressures, their most in Alleys 13 games, a notable jump for a defensive line that entered the year with plenty of inexperience and still managed to look disruptive from the start.
The problem for West Virginia is that the breakthrough came with a major health scare attached. Darius Wiley went down with a lower-body injury during the game and had to be carted off the field, leaving the Mountaineers waiting for an update on his condition. For a defense that finally flashed the activity and edge it wanted, the next question is whether it can keep that momentum if Wiley is forced to miss time. [Read more 🡒]
WVUs Schedule Just Got More Interesting After Week One
Week Zero did not do West Virginia many favors on the schedule front, and the early returns across the Mountaineers upcoming opponents already have a different feel to them. The roundup of recent game performances showed how much can change in a hurry, with several future foes opening their seasons by setting the tone for what should be a more revealing stretch once the schedule gets rolling.
Oklahoma State and Cincinnati in particular now sit on opposite ends of the early conversation, which matters for a West Virginia team trying to judge where the real trouble spots might be. The Cowboys opener raised immediate questions about their polish, while Cincinnatis debut suggested a much higher ceiling at quarterback than some may have expected. For the Mountaineers, the bigger picture is still forming, but the first week at least gave a few upcoming matchups a little more edge. [Read more 🡒]