West Virginia’s trip to Charlotte is shaping up to feel a lot less like a neutral-site game and a lot more like another Mountaineer home date.
That’s the expectation from WVU athletic director Wren Baker, who said the early ticket buzz has him believing the crowd will lean heavily gold when the Mountaineers face Virginia at Bank of America Stadium. On 3 Guys Before the Game, Baker said, “When we’ve talked to the folks in Charlotte, they’ve been very pleased with the Mountaineer turnout.
They’re concerned about the Virginia contingent. I’ll be shocked if it’s not a heavy pro-Mountaineer crowd.
Look forward to seeing people there. Let’s go, Mountaineers!”
It would not be a surprise. Charlotte has long been one of the biggest alumni hubs for West Virginia, and plenty of Mountaineers fans who live in the Carolinas can turn the game into an easy drive. For those still in West Virginia, especially in the southern part of the state, Charlotte is close enough to make the trip in a few hours.
The fan presence has already shown up in a big way before. When WVU played in Charlotte for the Duke’s Mayo Bowl against North Carolina in 2023, Mountaineer fans were estimated to make up about 80% of the crowd, even in the Tar Heels’ backyard.
Baker has made no secret of how much attention WVU has put on the Charlotte area. He said in the spring, “We’ve made an emphasis on the Charlotte area, for instance," Baker said back in the spring.
"It’s always a place we do really well, so that’s a place we have really tried to plant our flag. You want to do what’s right by the state and community, but certain neutral-site games give you an opportunity to draw revenue, to hit a broader audience, to play an opponent that maybe doesn’t have it in their schedule to do two games.”
West Virginia is set to return to Charlotte at least twice more in the coming years. The Mountaineers will open the 2028 season there against Tennessee at Bank of America Stadium, then come back in 2032 for another matchup with Virginia.
And Charlotte won’t just be a football stop for WVU this year. The men’s basketball team is also scheduled to head there on Black Friday for a major game against North Carolina as part of the Dick Vitale Invitational.
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Michael Hawkins Jr. was the catalyst, doing damage both through the air and on the ground as West Virginia found ways to put pressure on Virginia all game. The victory gave the Mountaineers their third win of the season and offered the Big 12 a notable out-of-conference boost, while also leaving West Virginia with a little more room to imagine what the rest of the year could still become. [Read more 🡒]