How Many Wins Do WVU Fans Expect in 2026? Here’s the Breakdown From the Poll

Last week, the Big 12 Conference released the league portion of everyone's schedule, making West Virginia's 2026 slate complete. Shortly after it was revealed, I asked fans to look it over and vote for how many wins they expect from the Mountaineers next fall.

Below is the schedule and a breakdown of the poll on X.

The schedule

Sep. 5: vs. Coastal Carolina
Sep. 12: vs. UT-Martin
Sep. 19: vs. Virginia (in Charlotte, NC)
Sep. 26: vs. Oklahoma State
Oct. 3: at Iowa State
Oct. 10: vs. Arizona
Oct. 17: vs. Cincinnati
Oct. 24: at TCU
BYE WEEK
Nov. 7: at Texas Tech
Nov. 14: vs. Kansas
Nov. 21: vs. Houston
Nov. 28: at Utah

The poll results

Five or fewer - 5.5%

I figured this would get a handful of votes, primarily because of another huge turnover of the roster and a lot of unknowns. That being said, winning five or fewer would be a massive disappointment when you have seven home games and a winnable neutral-site game.

6 or 7 - 43.5%

Good job, folks! You've lowered the bar for your expectations and put it in a very reasonable neighborhood. Some of you will disagree, of course, but this is a fair expectation for this group. The talent is better, but there are still going to be some bumps in the road and some inconsistencies with such a young group.

8 or 9 - 42.4%

Eight could be possible if they get off to a red-hot start. If not, I don't see it happening with what they have waiting for them in the back half of the league schedule.

10 or more - 8.6%

Alright, I'll be honest. I'm not sure what this group of voters is comprised of. Is it folks being overly optimistic? Is it voting for it just because? Or do you really believe the talent has improved that much? Regardless of how you got to this vote, I'm super skeptical of you being right. Maybe you are. In that case, terrific!

After seeing #WVU's schedule, how many wins do you see for the Mountaineers in 2026? Be honest, now.
— West Virginia on SI (@SI_WVU) January 22, 2026