What a Perfect Conference for WVU Would Look Like in a Hypothetical World

Conference realignment has ruined college sports, ripping us away from some of the greatest rivalries in the country. West Virginia fans know this all too well, having to wait 11 years to see Pitt back on the schedule in football and just three matchups with their No. 2 rival, Virginia Tech, since 2005.

At one point in time, West Virginia was the true outlier among the power conference teams, being the only one so far away from the rest of the others in its league. Now, you have Stanford and Cal — two schools that are within driving distance to the Pacific Ocean — playing in the Atlantic Coast Conference. You have Oklahoma and Texas in the SEC, and then Oregon, Washington, and UCLA in the Big Ten. I bet the TV ratings are through the roof when Washington plays Rutgers...yikes!

Things just don't make sense anymore, and to be honest, I'm not sure if they ever will again. At least in terms of regional conferences making a return.

But what if they did? I have the perfect 12-team league for West Virginia, hypothetically speaking, of course. Well, you may disagree with parts of it, but I think we can all agree it beats a 10:30 p.m kick at BYU OR *gulp* an 11 p.m. ET first pitch for a semifinal matchup in the Big 12 baseball tournament.

The obvious ones: Pitt, Virginia Tech

It's honestly criminal that West Virginia and Pitt have to enter another hiatus before playing again in 2029. Once the Backyard Brawl does return, though, I fully expect the two schools to keep each other on the schedule annually. The bad blood isn't nearly as deep with Virginia Tech, but it exists. And depending on what part of the state you live in, you may have more disdain for the Hokies.

Tier 2 rivals: Maryland, Penn State, Syracuse

We can use the term "rivalry" loosely with all three of these. In both football and basketball, there's a ton of history between WVU and Syracuse, although it's not anything like the two schools mentioned above.

The Eers haven't played Penn State in a regular season basketball game since I've been alive, believe it or not. As a matter of fact, FIVE YEARS beforehand, last playing in 1991. Wild. The football side of it is, of course, extremely one-sided, but much of that was during the Joe Paterno era. It would be interesting to see this game be played more often and if WVU could be more successful. It's a low bar, considering the 9-50-2 record.

WVU has the upper hand in football and men's basketball over Maryland, and just like Penn State, despite being right next door, there's not a ton of hate. Playing each other more often would certainly change that.

A blast from the past: Cincinnati, Miami, Louisville, UConn

Ah, yes, what would this perfectly fake conference be without some more old Big East flavor to it? Cincy, obviously, is in the same league as the Mountaineers now, so not so much a "blast from the past" here, but the history does predate the Big 12.

Geographically, Miami would be a bit of an outlier, but don't worry, I'll help them out here in a minute with a travel partner. Having "The U" and Penn State would be great brand power for this conference.

West Virginia-Louisville feels like it could have developed into something had the two stayed in the Big East or had landed in the same league during conference realignment. WVU has dominated the football series (10-3) while the Cardinals have a similar edge in men's hoops (10-4).

With UConn, I know what you're thinking...why? This is more of a power move for men's and women's basketball. Remember, you can't just build a league, albeit a fantasy one, based purely on football. The Huskies would provide a huge boost to the strength of the league in that regard. For what it's worth, I had Boston College in their place at first, but realized UConn makes so much more sense.

The fillers: UCF, Virginia

To round out the league, I really had to think long and hard. Could have thrown in Boston College, Rutgers, or others with a history with WVU, but instead, I'm giving Miami their travel partner with UCF and tagging on UVA with Virginia Tech. That gives the Hokies their in-state rivalry and another close road trip for the Mountaineers.

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