West Virginia is back in familiar territory: 3-0 and staring at a chance to reach 4-0 for the first time since 2018 when Oklahoma State comes to town this Saturday.
That kind of start is rare in Morgantown. Since 2000, the Mountaineers have done it only seven times, and those seasons usually turned into something worth remembering.
Across those seven years, WVU averaged 9.4 wins. Under Rich Rodriguez, that number jumped to 10.3.
The early stretch has mattered, and the history says a fast start usually means a good year is coming.
One of the cleanest examples came in the 2005 season, when West Virginia rolled past East Carolina and UCF, knocked off No. 21 Maryland 19-16, and then handled James Madison.
The run ended in Week 5 on the road in Blacksburg with a 19-13 loss to Virginia Tech. Even then, the Mountaineers didn’t fade right away.
They rattled off four more wins before finishing with a three-game skid, capped by a Gator Bowl loss to No. 17 Florida State.
The 2007 team had a much uglier beginning, but it still survived. That group won the Sugar Bowl season opener 15-7 despite coughing the ball up four times, then beat Wofford, Maryland, and East Carolina before finally running into No.
3 Virginia Tech. It was a rough-looking start to a special season, but the record kept moving in the right direction.
In 2008, West Virginia opened with seven straight wins before falling at No. 5 Louisville, 44-34, in a game that turned into a shootout.
The Mountaineers bounced back with wins over Cincinnati and Pitt, then lost to USF before closing the regular season with a win over No. 13 Rutgers, with backup QB Jarrett Brown starting in place of the injured Pat White.
That year ended with a 38-35 win over Calvin Johnson and Georgia Tech.
The 2010 season had the Rich Rodriguez offense flying early before the wheels came off in Week 5 at No. 18 USF.
West Virginia out-gained the Bulls 437-274 but gave the ball away six times, including three lost fumbles. The next week, the Mountaineers dropped 55 on Syracuse, then kept rolling until, well, you know.
Before that night that no Mountaineer fan speaks of, West Virginia had beaten three ranked opponents in four weeks by an average of 25 points per game. The year finished with a statement against Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl.
By 2012, Geno Smith was putting up huge numbers and the hype had reached full blast after his 8-touchdown game against Baylor and the road win over No. 11 Texas.
But that Texas win turned out to be the high point. West Virginia did not have the depth or the surrounding talent to keep up in the Big 12, and five straight weeks passed without a victory.
The Mountaineers finished with wins over Iowa State and Kansas before losing to Syracuse in the Pinstripe Bowl.
The 2013 team also flashed plenty of early-season drama. WVU survived a pair of one-score games against BYU and Kansas State to get to 6-0, then lost for the first time at Oklahoma State.
The Mountaineers won four of their last five regular-season games, with the other loss coming in a 56-28 beating at Oklahoma. The season ended with a 31-14 loss to Miami in the Russell Athletic Bowl.
Then came 2018, the last time West Virginia started 3-0 and had a real shot at running the table early. The Mountaineers won their first five games and went to Ames ranked No. 6 in the country, only to see the offense stall out in a loss to then-freshman QB Brock Purdy.
WVU answered with 58 points against Baylor, 42 against Texas in a down-to-the-wire finish, and 47 against TCU. But all it needed was one win in its final two games against Oklahoma State or Oklahoma to reach the Big 12 title game.
Instead, the Mountaineers blew a three-score lead in Stillwater and then lost a 59-56 shootout to Oklahoma. Several key players sat out the bowl game, and Syracuse won that one 34-18 in the Camping World Bowl.
Now West Virginia gets another chance to join that list. A win over Oklahoma State would put the Mountaineers at 4-0, and history says that usually means a season with some real juice behind it.
In Other News...
WVU's Biggest Home Night In Years Comes With Real Stakes
West Virginia is getting one of those home nights that can define a season, and there is more riding on it than atmosphere alone. Milan Puskar Stadium is set for a major prime-time setting, and the Mountaineers are trying to turn a strong start into something bigger by staying perfect through the opening stretch and putting themselves back into the AP Top 25 conversation.
Rich Rodriguez has pointed to the energy around the program and the value of protecting home field, which makes this one feel less like just another September game and more like a measuring stick. For a team still trying to prove its early momentum is real, a night game in front of that crowd offers a chance to keep building and a reminder that the next step has to happen where West Virginia is supposed to be toughest to beat. [Read more 🡒]
WVU Injury Outlook Suddenly Looks Better Heading Into Oklahoma State
West Virginias injury picture is starting to clear up just in time for a trip to Oklahoma State, and that matters for a team that took a few hits in the recent game against Virginia. Rich Rodriguez said Nick Krahe will be limited in practice but is expected to play, while Jaden Bray is dealing with a hip bruise and should be back soon. The outlook is also encouraging for Ball, who is expected to play after being knocked out, giving the Mountaineers a little more stability as they try to manage the week.
There is even more room for optimism at running back, where Martavious Boswell and Talley are expected to be available. On the perimeter, Prince Strachan should see his role grow after being used sparingly last week, which could give West Virginia another option as it heads into a matchup that can use every healthy body it can get. [Read more 🡒]
Oklahoma State Knows Exactly What Awaits West Virginia Under The Lights
Oklahoma State is heading into one of the more charged environments in the Big 12, with Eric Morris already framing the trip to Morgantown as the kind of test that can turn a game on its head after dark. Morris had plenty of respect for what Rich Rodriguez is building at West Virginia, and he singled out quarterback Mike Hawkins as a dynamic presence in an offense that has grown noticeably since last season. For the Mountaineers, that is the sort of public praise that usually comes with a warning label.
The challenge for the Cowboys, Morris said, is not just the crowd or the setting, but staying clean with communication and tackling against a run game that can punish any lapse. West Virginia has shown enough improvement to make opponents prepare differently, and under the lights at home the margin for error gets even thinner. It is the kind of matchup where the details matter from the first snap, and Oklahoma State clearly knows it is walking into a place that rewards precision more than bravado. [Read more 🡒]