Can WVU Top 5.5 Wins in Rich Rod’s First Year? The Road to Six is There

The hype has returned to Morgantown, thanks to the return of the prodigal son, Rich Rodriguez.

While the excitement is at a level we haven't seen in the Mountain State in quite some time, fans should temper their expectations for the 2025 season. With over 70 new faces on the roster, the Mountaineers will have a lot of adversity and disadvantages to overcome.

The oddsmakers at FanDuel Sportsbook have the win total set at 5.5 for WVU this season. Can the Mountaineers surpass that total and become bowl-eligible?

Short answer is yes.

How do they get there? Let's take a look.

Rich Rod's squad should be able to come out firing on all cylinders (despite so much newness) with Robert Morris and Ohio to open up the year. The road game to Athens is tricky, and the Bobcats should not be overlooked, but from a talent standpoint, the Mountaineers should be able to prevail and enter the Backyard Brawl at 2-0.

Pitt, believe it or not, is currently listed as a 1.5-point favorite for the Brawl on FanDuel. That could change by the time game week arrives. The home-field edge should help WVU greatly, with the crowd playing a major factor in the game. But let's just say for some reason, the Mountaineers lose to Pitt...there's still a path to six.

Years ago, a win over an FCS program wouldn't count toward bowl eligibility. Now, there are so many bowls, it doesn't really matter. You have some five-win teams receiving a bid, which is ridiculous, but proves my point. So, in the event they drop the Brawl, who are the four teams WVU could beat?

The two I immediately look at are UCF (10/18) and Houston (11/1), who are both on the road. The Knights are entering a massive rebuild, and although WVU is in a similar spot, they are still trying to build out Big 12 depth. Houston is great defensively, but doesn't have the offensive firepower to go with it. As long as WVU doesn't shoot itself in the foot offensively, I like their chances in that one as well.

That puts them at four, meaning we need to find two more wins in the seven games we haven't mentioned: at Kansas, vs. Utah, at BYU, vs. TCU, vs. Colorado, at Arizona State, and vs. Texas Tech.

I'll be honest, I don't see much of an opportunity for the final two games, so we'll just go ahead and cross them out. Colorado at home is a legit possibility, and perhaps even beating Kansas on the road. I even believe they could take down Utah, assuming things break their way and they play a clean game.

It will be pretty close, but six wins certainly feels attainable.

Note: This is a prediction and should not be considered gambling advice.

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Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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