New Bowl Projections Are Out for WVU Following First Loss of the Season

An updated look at where the Mountaineers could go bowling.

Sep 26, 2026; Morgantown, West Virginia, USA; West Virginia Mountaineers quarterback Michael Hawkins Jr. (3) is knocked out of bounds by Oklahoma State Cowboys safety Mose Phillips III (18) during the third quarter at Milan Puskar Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ben Queen-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

It's wild how much one loss can drain out the hype and excitement to a 3-0 start, but with how West Virginia played defensively on Saturday night against Oklahoma State, it's understandable.

The Mountaineers gave up 609 yards of total offense, and it felt like every time you turned around, the Cowboys were hitting on an explosive play. WVU defensive coordinator Zac Alley had no answers and will now be tasked with facing a team hungry for its first win over a Power Four foe in Iowa State.

Despite the loss at home under the lights, the Mountaineers are still projected to get back on track and make a bowl game.

New bowl projections

Athlon Sports: Liberty Bowl vs. Auburn
CBS Sports: Texas Bowl vs. Auburn
College Football News: Cactus Bowl vs. Wisconsin
ESPN (Kyle Bonagura): Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl vs. Oregon State
ESPN (Mark Schlabach): Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl vs. New Mexico
Sports Illustrated: Liberty Bowl vs. Tennessee
West Virginia On SI: Liberty Bowl vs. Kentucky

A chance for the Mountaineers to recapture momentum

West Virginia University quarterback Mike Hawkins Jr. | Christopher Hall - West Virginia on SI

The first real taste of adversity has hit the Mountaineers, but it's far from time to panic. Iowa State's offense is struggling, which is a wonderful sight for this defense that just got shredded. As mentioned a million times before, Ames is a challenging place to play, but if you can take care of business and beat one of the expected Big 12 bottom feeders on the road, you come back for a two-game homestand at 4-1 (1-1), feeling pretty good about where things are nearly halfway through the season.

The stench from this three-score loss to Oklahoma State will quickly fade IF the Mountaineers are able to get back on track and clinch bowl eligibility by the end of that upcoming homestand. The defense needs to fix its issues, but the offense has its own problems to sort through as well, mainly becoming more balanced.

Remaining schedule

at Iowa State
vs. Arizona
vs. Cincinnati
at TCU
at Texas Tech
vs. Kansas
vs. Houston
at Utah

Big 12 Bowl ties for 2026-27 season

Valero Alamo Bowl — Tuesday, December 29, 2026
Pop-Tarts Bowl — Tuesday, December 29, 2026
Kinder’s Texas Bowl — Thursday, December 31, 2026
AutoZone Liberty Bowl — Saturday, January 2, 2027
Cactus Bowl — Saturday, December 26, 2026
Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl — Tuesday, December 22, 2026
ESPN Events Pool of Games (several bowls with indirect ties)