West Virginia’s fast start is already showing up in the bracketology world.
After rolling past Niagara and Stetson in its first two games, Ross Hodge’s team has moved up in ESPN bracketologist Joe Lunardi’s latest projection. Lunardi now has the Mountaineers in the field as a No. 10 seed in the Midwest Region.
That’s a notable jump for a team that spent much of the offseason hovering around the bubble in Lunardi’s view. A big reason for the optimism is Miles Sadler, but the early returns have also highlighted how well the rest of the roster fits together and how much depth WVU appears to have.
Lunardi’s bracket has West Virginia lined up against No. 7 Marquette in the opening round.
The rest of the Midwest Region in his projection includes No. 1 Duke, No.
2 Michigan State, No. 3 Arizona, No.
4 Alabama, No. 5 Iowa State, No.
6 Arkansas, No. 8 Texas A&M, No.
9 Indiana, No. 11 Grand Canyon, No.
12 High Point, No. 13 Memphis, No.
14 Santa Barbara, and No. 15 St.
Thomas/Queens, with Bethune-Cookman/Long Island as the No. 16 seed.
West Virginia is grouped with Auburn, Iowa, and TCU in Lunardi’s “last four byes,” while North Carolina State, Clemson, Oklahoma State, and VCU sit in the “last four in” section just behind them.
The schedule is about to get a lot more revealing. WVU has one more buy game Thursday against Mercer before the level of competition jumps.
Next week, the Mountaineers head to Las Vegas for the Players Era Tournament, where they open against Auburn. On the second night, they’ll face either Kansas or UNLV, and on the third day they’ll get one of Houston, Notre Dame, Florida, or Rutgers.
After that trip, West Virginia still has another major test waiting: a neutral-site game against North Carolina on Black Friday in Charlotte.
By the time December arrives, the picture should be much clearer on what this team is and what kind of Big 12 season it will need to put together to hear its name on Selection Sunday.
For now, the No. 10 seed feels like a fair snapshot of where things stand. It’s still a young team, and the schedule only gets tougher from here.
In Other News...
WVU Offense Is Earning Serious Buzz Ahead Of A Big Test
Kansas heads into Saturday evenings matchup with West Virginia still searching for traction, but the bigger conversation around this game has been the Mountaineers offense and the problems it can create. After a close loss to UCF left the Jayhawks at 3-6, Lance Leipold spent part of the buildup acknowledging just how difficult this trip could be, pointing to West Virginias quarterback and the other playmakers around him as the kind of group that can stress a defense in a hurry.
For West Virginia, the buzz is coming at a useful time, because this is the sort of test that can either validate the momentum or expose the gaps that still need cleaning up. Kansas will have to deal with the pace, the versatility and the overall explosiveness that has made the Mountaineers a tougher opponent to prepare for, and ESPNU will have a good one to follow when the teams kick off Saturday night. [Read more 🡒]
Kansas Faces A Brutal Test With Bowl Hopes On The Line
The stakes are clear when Kansas heads to Milan Puskar Stadium on Nov. 14, 2026, with bowl eligibility still hanging in the balance. The Jayhawks are 3-6 overall and 1-5 in Big 12 play, which means they need to win out to reach a postseason berth, while West Virginia enters at 5-4 and needs one more victory to lock up its own bowl spot.
That setup gives this one a late-season edge that should make it feel bigger than a mid-November conference game. West Virginia has the more comfortable path, but not by much, and Kansas is walking into Morgantown with no margin left for error. ESPNU will carry the game, with kickoff set for 4:30 p.m. CT, and both teams know exactly what is at stake. [Read more 🡒]
WVU Just Got A Key Secondary Boost For Its Defensive Rebuild
West Virginia got a meaningful piece of offseason news for its defensive rebuild when Andrew Powdrell let the coaching staff know he intends to return for his fifth and final year of eligibility. Powdrell has been one of the more versatile pieces in the secondary, moving between free safety and cornerback as the staff tried to find the best fit for both his skill set and the teams needs.
His return gives the Mountaineers another experienced option in a backfield that will likely keep evolving as the roster takes shape. Where Powdrell lines up next season could still hinge on incoming transfers, but his presence alone should give West Virginia some stability and flexibility as it tries to piece together the secondary for 2025. [Read more 🡒]