Phil Steele Warns WVU’s Path to a Bowl Gets Tough if It Falls to Ohio

It's early, but it's a must-win game for the West Virginia Mountaineers this weekend.

Aug 30, 2025; Morgantown, West Virginia, USA; West Virginia Mountaineers quarterback Max Brown (6) and others celebrate a defensive stop during the first quarter against the Robert Morris Colonials at Milan Puskar Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ben Queen-Imagn Images | Ben Queen-Imagn Images

The importance of this week's game for West Virginia can't be overstated. Yes, most WVU fans are chalking it up as a win, simply because it's a Group of Six team, but this isn't your run-of-the-mill G6 team that you can whack by 40+ points. You're going to be tested.

Ohio won the MAC championship last year and has won over 30 games over the last three seasons. Just a couple of years ago, they tripped up Iowa State in Athens, 10-7, so there's no such thing as a guarantee, especially when there are still so many unknowns about this Mountaineer squad.

In his weekly appearance on the In the Gun Podcast, college football expert Phil Steele didn't reveal a prediction for the WVU vs. Ohio matchup, but did talk about how the outcome of this game could play a major factor in whether or not the Mountaineers can reach bowl eligibility this season.

“It would make it really tough (if WVU loses). I mean, look at the road schedule that West Virginia has this year. They play Kansas, who looks really good. BYU, Houston, Arizona State. And then, naturally, hosting Texas Tech, we know West Virginia has had all kinds of trouble with Texas Tech in recent years. They host TCU, and TCU looked pretty damn good against North Carolina. They host Utah. Utah looked great against UCLA. And they host Pitt. I think in all of those games, they could be the underdog. So, lose the game to Ohio, and I think a bowl is going to be pretty tough to get to.”

Taking care of business this week would go a long way in becoming a bowl-eligible team come late November. By losing, WVU digs itself a major hole before Big 12 Conference plays even begins or the Backyard Brawl, for that matter. Lose to Ohio and Pitt, and oh boy, it could snowball in a hurry.

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