Head Coach: Neal Brown is in his 6th year as the Mountaineers head coach with a 31-29 record. The first 4 years were a struggle as they battled around .500 each season but he kept his “trust the climb” motto and last season it paid dividends with a 9-4 record and Duke’s Mayo Bowl win.
Program Outlook: West Virginia spent years on an island in the Big 12 far away from anyone they played. The first group of additions to the conference really helped alleviate that. They now have Cincinnati back on the schedule, while both programs used to focus more of their hate toward Pitt and Louisville there’s still some bad blood between the 2. UCF is a little further but still closer than a lot of matchups were. We’ll see the impact of that as we go but for the most part things are starting to look up for the Mountaineers program but this will be a critical year.
How does the 2024 Roster look?: There’s even more good news, there’s a lot of production back for this team. They’ll be led by QB Garrett Greene who took a massive step forward last year, his strengths are still geared more toward running the ball and he will need to make another step passing this season after only completing 54% of his passes last year. Greene isn’t alone to push the ground game forward, the Mountaineers have a great thunder/lightning duo in CJ Donaldson and Jaheim White. White in particular came on late in the year to add another element and they’ll be behind what’s expected to be one of the best offensive lines in the Big 12. So you can see why the passing game will be important, just being able to move it occasionally through the air would open it up so much for this dangerous ground game. West Virginia’s defense deserves some credit for last year’s improvement as well. They led the Big 12 in sacks last season and did it without one particular guy, it was a team effort. They could carry the most dangerous pass rush East of Utah in the conference again. There’s a lot to like in the secondary with an experienced safety duo and an overall unit that isn’t afraid to tackle. Depth and finding additional contributors was prioritized in the portal this offseason, injuries last year kept the defense from reaching their max potential.
Screenshot from fbschedules.com1
2024 Schedule Thoughts: Watch out because the schedule is going to be a lot tougher this season. West Virginia is never afraid to challenge themselves OOC and they have prioritized regional games lately so you see that with Penn State and the Backyard Brawl. Albany was a FCS semifinalist last year but lost a lot from the team, still a game West Virginia shouldn’t take lightly. Those OOC games will set the tone for the season. Big 12 play opens with an absolute gauntlet as the Mountaineers open with possibly 5 of the top 6 contenders to win the conference. The schedule eases up a tad in the last month.
Vegas Projection: West Virginia’s win total is set at 6.5 with the odds geared toward the over. It seems to show Vegas thinks they can mix it up with some of the top teams in the Big 12 but ultimately the schedule will lead to a lesson record.
2024 Best Case: Garrett Greene improves as a passer allowing the offense to really open up, while the defense takes another step. All of this becomes apparent right away when West Virginia sacks Drew Allar constantly and takes down Penn State on Big Noon to open the season. The Mountaineers roll past the rest of their non-conference schedule and then dominate Kansas at home to send a message that they’re true Big 12 title contenders. West Virginia solidifies that by winning 3 of the 4 games in that tough stretch. They bring it home winning out in November including surviving the trip to Lubbock that isn’t always kind to them. The Mountaineers face Utah for the conference championship and take down the Utes for a top 4 seed in the playoff. Once they make it there the Mountaineers are faced with another Big Ten opponent, Ohio State a nearby program they don’t ever play. They frustrate the Buckeyes offense and control the clock on the ground, eventually forcing a late Will Howard turnover to seal a massive victory. The run ends against Georgia in the next round but West Virginia is a contender again and finally is back to the top of their conference.
2024 Worst Case: Garrett Greene doesn’t take that next step, the passing game is non-existent which capsizes the offense and leaves too much pressure on the defense. West Virginia flails spectacularly on the Big stage to open the season as they fail to score a single touchdown against Penn State. They struggle worse than expected with Albany and worst of all lose to Pitt who is surprisingly improved. West Virginia loses the next 5 in blowout fashion leaving the season as a doomed one. They can’t even beat Cincinnati and finish the season with a 1-11 collapse. Suddenly the future of West Virginia football in the new Big 12 looks questionable.
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