West Virginia’s bowl picture looks a little cleaner after the Mountaineers survived Cincinnati in a 45-42 shootout, and that win was the kind that can change how people view a team’s postseason path.
The reason was simple: dropping to 3-4 would have made the climb much steeper. With the Big 12 slate still loaded with some of its toughest teams, WVU needed that one badly, and now the first bowl projections are starting to show up.
Athlon Sports listed West Virginia in the Liberty Bowl against Oklahoma. College Football News slotted the Mountaineers in the Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl against Army.
ESPN’s Kyle Bonagura had no projection, while ESPN’s Mark Schlabach matched WVU with Cal in the Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl. On3 Sports also had no projection, Sports Illustrated had no projection, and West Virginia On SI projected the Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl against Washington.
There’s still a long way to go, and the next step is no small one. Winning at TCU this weekend won’t come easy, especially with WVU sitting as a near-touchdown underdog.
But the matchup does give the Mountaineers a real shot. TCU does not bring a high-octane offense, and this West Virginia defense has already made plenty of opponents look comfortable.
Even so, the Horned Frogs’ defense is the best in the league, so there’s pressure on both sides of the ball.
If WVU pulls off the upset, the path gets much more manageable. With four games left after that, one more win suddenly looks attainable, and the Kansas game is the one everyone keeps pointing to. Kansas has not looked strong this season and could enter that matchup at 2-7 or 3-6.
The loss West Virginia will keep circling back to is Iowa State. WVU had chances to get a stop late and could not finish the job, and the fumble at the end by DJ Epps only added to the frustration. The game was not decided by that one play, but if the Mountaineers had closed it out, they would be sitting at 5-2 and feeling much better about their postseason hopes.
The bowl options being floated right now include the Valero Alamo Bowl on Tuesday, December 29, 2026, the Pop-Tarts Bowl on Tuesday, December 29, 2026, the Kinder’s Texas Bowl on Thursday, December 31, 2026, the AutoZone Liberty Bowl on Saturday, January 2, 2027, the Cactus Bowl on Saturday, December 26, 2026, the Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl on Tuesday, December 22, 2026, and ESPN Events Pool of Games, which includes several bowls with indirect ties.
In Other News...
West Virginia Let A 15-Point Lead Turn Into A Bigger Concern
West Virginia had the game under control for stretches, but a 15-point lead slowly slipped away as Maryland turned an exhibition into a warning sign. The Mountaineers still got a strong scoring night from Finley Bizjack, who finished with 25 points, yet the early cushion did not hold once Marylands pressure and physicality began to tilt the matchup.
Andre Mills carried the Terps with 27 points, and Pharrel Payne added a double-double with 26 points and 13 rebounds as Maryland finished the rally and outlasted West Virginia 90-81 in overtime. For the Mountaineers, the bigger concern was not just the final result, but how turnovers and the loss of composure allowed a manageable game to become one they could not recover from. [Read more 🡒]
West Virginia Has A Big 12 Chance Fans Can't Ignore At TCU
A wild stretch in the Big 12 has opened the door for West Virginia in a way that seemed far less likely a few weeks ago. The latest round of conference results brought enough chaos, upset losses and shifting momentum to shake up the standings, and the Mountaineers now find themselves with a real chance to move up in the league picture if they handle business at TCU.
Week 8 brings the kind of matchup that can change a seasons tone in a hurry, especially with bowl positioning and the conference hierarchy still very much in flux. For West Virginia, the test in Fort Worth is about more than just one game on the schedule, because a strong showing would only add to the pressure on the teams around them and keep this unexpectedly open Big 12 race moving in their direction. [Read more 🡒]
WVU May Have Found The Best Way To Unleash Mike Hawkins Jr
West Virginias passing game has started to look a little different, and the change has given Mike Hawkins Jr. a clearer runway to make an impact. The Mountaineers have leaned more on quick throws to complement the run game, a shift that helped Hawkins pile up 464 passing yards against Cincinnati, one of the highest single-game totals in program history. Hawkins said the plan helped him get into rhythm early while also building more comfort with his receivers and running backs.
For a WVU offense still searching for its best version, that kind of balance matters. The staff has seen enough to believe there is more room for the passing game to grow as Hawkins becomes a more credible threat through the air, and the idea of that progress coming alongside the ground attack gives the Mountaineers a more promising path forward. [Read more 🡒]