Confidence Meter: How Much Do WVU Fans Believe in an Upset vs. Virginia?

Some mixed feelings from Mountaineer fans heading into this one.

Sep 12, 2026; Morgantown, West Virginia, USA; UT Martin Skyhawks defensive back Quincy Hamilton (22) tackles West Virginia Mountaineers wide receiver Armoni Weaver-Bomar (25) during the first quarter at Milan Puskar Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ben Queen-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

For the first time this season, West Virginia will enter a game playing the role of the underdog. But if you were to ask head coach Rich Rodriguez, it's probably the role he prefers, as does every Mountaineer. WVU always seems to play its best when it's told it can't do something, and this week, they are hearing that as they head to Charlotte.

While the Cavaliers are far more experienced and much further along, with their staff having been in place for a handful of years now, this is still a winnable game for the Mountaineers. How much do WVU fans believe in that?

We asked fans to rate their confidence in a poll on X, choosing from four options: 0-1, 2-4, 5-7, and 8-10— with 10 indicating full confidence in winning the game. Here are the results.

0-1: 13.2% of voters

There's always a chance that some Virginia fans stumbled upon the poll and voted here, or some Pitt fans who just want to see the Mountaineers lose, but 13% is a little higher than I was expecting, although it still finished third in the poll. Virginia is a dang good football team, but I don't see them as some juggernaut that West Virginia has virtually no shot against.

2-4: 37.7% of voters

I'll be honest, if I participated in the poll, this is probably the bucket I would have chosen, leaning toward the higher end with a four. Something about the first two weeks for WVU tells me there's a lot about this team we still don't know, including its ceiling. Are they much better than we realize? Are they exactly what they've shown? That uncertainty is what has many others and me landing here.

5-7: 40.6% of voters

Here is your winner! It may have only been by a few percentage points, but clearly there are a bunch of fans taking an optimistic approach heading into this game. If only X would allow for more options, I'd love to see how many of the votes would have picked a five compared to a six or seven.

8-10: 8.5% of voters

There's no way I would have ever landed here, but if you are of the belief that the Mountaineers will open up the offense and let Mike Hawkins Jr. sling it around and that the defense will figure things out, you can talk yourself into this choice.

Overall

50.9% of voters have little to no confidence in the Mountaineers pulling off the upset, while 49.1% do feel good. You can't get a much tighter poll than that.