What is West Virginia’s assessment of the Virginia Cavaliers?

There will be some familiarity on the sidelines when Virginia battles West Virginia Saturday.

Coach Tony Elliott and Coach Rich Rodriguez spent time at Clemson, when the former was a player and the latter was the offensive coordinator. The distant familiarity continues with the current players, as both Beau Pribula and Eli Holstein have played the Mountaineers when they were with other programs.

The stakes, for both teams, are also familiar.

To keep pace with the race to the College Football Playoff, Virginia needs a win against an underdog. On the other hand, West Virginia needs to prove it is remotely in the same realm as a ranked team. Rodriguez has studied the Cavaliers extensively.

"They've done a great job of getting their guys in, retaining them and developing them," Rodriguez said. "Now, they're playing with a bunch of grown men, and it shows on film. They're an experienced team that doesn't make many mistakes.”

Rodriguez’ assessment rings true — Virginia is built on experience, continuity and competitive depth. He noted the Cavaliers might be the most veteran team in the country.

The experience, according to Rodriguez, is especially prevalent on one of the best offensive lines in college football. Virginia’s elite front features all five starters with all-conference honors at least once in their careers.

“It's crazy to look at their O-Line,” Rodriguez said. “They've got two sixth-year guys, a seventh-year guy, and two fifth-year guys. I think it may be the most veteran team by far that we play. They're well-coached, and they've been in the system for a few years.”

The Clemson teams of days past were built in a similar fashion. Under the tutelage of the great Tommy Bowden (himself a West Virginia alum), the Tigers were an aggressive but disciplined football team, built on chunk runs and explosive plays.

Elliott took those concepts and applied them to his Cavaliers team. Rodriguez took notice.

“They're ranked, and they should be ranked,” Rodriguez said. “They played in the ACC Championship, and they're better now than they were a year ago, I think. It's going to be a big challenge, and our guys know that.”

For Virginia, this is just another game it is favored to win. Rodriguez, however, knows that this is a major challenge — and opportunity — for his program to steal a ranked win. The Cavaliers will need to prepare for an energized and hungry Mountaineer team.

This is not a new task. Elliott’s squad knows how to wear down opponents. Elliott’s Virginia team is also very familiar with Bank of America Stadium, the stage for a heartbreaking loss in last season’s ACC Championship Game.

Perhaps a return to Charlotte will motivate the Cavaliers even further. That would be unideal for a West Virginia crew still discovering how good it can be in 2026.

"They make you earn every blade of grass that you get," Rodriguez said.

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