West Virginia’s 2027 opener is getting a new date, and it comes with a first for the program.
WVU athletic director Wren Baker announced Monday morning that the Mountaineers’ game against Ohio, originally set for September 18 at Milan Puskar Stadium, has been moved up to Saturday, August 28. That puts West Virginia in a Week 0 game for the first time.
The change only affects that matchup for now. West Virginia is still set to host Southern Miss on Saturday, September 4, and VMI on Saturday, September 11. The series with Ohio will wrap up on September 1, 2029, in Morgantown.
The Mountaineers and Bobcats are in the middle of a three-game series that already showed why West Virginia knew the trip to Athens would be a tough one. Ohio has been a strong Group of Six program and has already knocked off Power Four competition, including Iowa State in 2023.
That game also turned into a rough one for West Virginia in the first year of Rich Rod 2.0. The Mountaineers lost running back Jahiem White and wide receiver Jaden Bray to season-ending injuries, and even with the offense struggling, the defense gave them a shot by posting a second-half shutout. But too many three-and-outs caught up to West Virginia, and Ohio finished off the upset, 17-10.
West Virginia still owns the all-time series, 13-5. The Mountaineers are 11-2 against Ohio in Morgantown, but they have never won in Athens, going 0-3. Two of those losses came way back in 1897 and 1949.
West Virginia’s Big 12 home slate for that season includes Arizona State, BYU, Iowa State and UCF. The road schedule features Baylor, Cincinnati, Colorado, Kansas State and Oklahoma State.
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The most intriguing part is how many of those battles feel open-ended. Devin Vass has the look of a lineman who could force his way into the conversation, Malik Agbo has drawn attention with his progress, and the receiving group has its own wild card in TaRon Francis. Add in the tight end competition and the possibility that John Neider could become a useful option sooner rather than later, and it is easy to see why this camp could reshape the offense faster than expected. [Read more 🡒]
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The receiver room is where the picture gets murkier, because West Virginia is still trying to sort out which options can stay on the field long enough to matter. Jaden Bray is the kind of talent who would make the answer easy if health stopped being part of the discussion, while Ryan Ward gives the tight end group a more straightforward anchor. On the other side of the ball, Nate Gabriel is the name that keeps surfacing inside the defensive line room, and that matters because the Mountaineers broader 2026 outlook will depend on whether their best players are merely promising pieces or the kind who can carry a reset under a changing staff and shifting roster. [Read more 🡒]