Predicting Every Game on WVU Football's 2026 Schedule

Alright folks, it’s that time of year. I have put this off for several weeks because I want to try to get this as accurate as possible, and with so much roster movement in college football, predicting every game in either June or July is not going to produce the best guess as to what’s about to happen.

Now that the season is just a little over two weeks away, I have a pretty good feel for this West Virginia team and what it is capable of. Let’s not waste any more time and jump right into my predictions.

Sep. 5 vs. Coastal Carolina: W 38-17

Running record: 1-0

Yes, Coastal Carolina enters the 2026 season with a brand new coaching staff and a slew of new players, but they are still talented enough to keep it somewhat respectable. I don’t know if rust is the right word to describe what we will see in the season opener, but it’s not going to be a perfectly well-oiled machine, even against an inferior opponent. Once the offense settles in, the Mountaineers will take firm control and coast to the finish line.

Sep. 12 vs. UT Martin: W 45-6

Running record: 2-0

UT Martin went 6-6 last year, but really lacks the offensive firepower to even make this game somewhat interesting. WVU has never lost to an FCS school, and I don’t see this year being the first time it happens. I could have gone with a higher score here without question, but I get the feeling that with a big game on deck against Virginia and well over a month until the bye week, Rich Rod is going to want to get his starters out of the game as soon as possible and keep them fresh, while also getting experience for the younger guys.

Sep. 19 vs. Virginia (in Charlotte, NC): L 20-24

Running record: 2-1

Virginia is coming off the best season in program history and is the most experienced team in the country. It’ll be interesting to see what type of production they get out of the running back group, but they have a seasoned offensive line that can pave the way, creating an opportunity for one of those backs to have a big year. Defensively, they were pretty stingy a year ago and have the pieces to be a championship-caliber team on that side of the ball once again this fall. I went back and forth on this game and really see it being that type of contest on the field as well, with both offenses trading scores for much of the night. I’ll lean with Virginia and their experience, but this is certainly a winnable game for the Mountaineers.

Sep. 26 vs. Oklahoma State: L 26-30

Running record: 2-2 (0-1)

Initially, I had this as a win, but as I thought about it a little harder, this just feels like a game that could have a little bit of hangover effect from the previous week. Assuming WVU loses to Virginia, it will be the first time this team has faced adversity together, and although I do believe they will respond, Oklahoma State is not an easy team to return home to. I’m not as big of a believer in the Cowboys being a dark horse for the Big 12 this year as several others across the country are, but I do worry that the Mountaineers' secondary will struggle mightily in this game against Drew Mestemaker. There’s always one game on the schedule that feels like it could be a win but ends up not being one, just like there’s always one that looks like a loss and ends up being a win. Further down the schedule, I picked WVU to win a game you’re probably not expecting to balance this out.

Oct. 3 at Iowa State: W 23-17

Running record: 3-2 (1-1)

The Cyclones are going to have quite the uphill battle in 2026, having to replace virtually the entire team following the departure of Matt Campbell to Penn State. It’s eerily similar to what West Virginia just went through a year ago, being one of the most inexperienced teams in the league. All that being said, Ames is never an easy place to play no matter the situation, and I respect the heck out of Jimmy Rogers as a defensive mind. With virtually a new roster at Washington State last year, he churned out high-level production from his defense. My expectation is that he will do it again at Iowa State, although the offense will be quite a bit behind. This one won’t be pretty, but West Virginia gets back in the win column and picks up their first win against a Power Four opponent.

Oct. 10 vs. Arizona: L 28-38

Running record: 3-3 (1-2)

Another very winnable game here for West Virginia, whose fans will be fired up for the Coal Rush, but I don’t know if Zac Alley’s defense will be quite ready for the task of limiting Noah Fifita, who is easily one of the most prolific passers in the Big 12 and you could argue in the country as well. Not to mention, they have a very experienced running back in Ismail Mahdi, who rushed for 859 yards last season and has 3,640 yards to his name over the course of his career. If their defense makes some plays in the back end and gets good push upfront, it could be a disappointing night for the Mountaineers. One of these years they will win a Coal Rush game. I’m just not so sure it’ll be this year.

Oct. 17 vs. Cincinnati: W 37-21

Running record: 4-3 (2-2)

The Bearcats have a pretty stout offensive line, but everything around them on the offensive side comes with major question marks. Everyone is talking about how Texas Tech has to replace Brendan Sorsby, but really it’s Cincinnati that has to deal with it, and while JC French IV played well at Georgia Southern, I’m not sure he will be the answer to getting them over the hump and being a legitimate contender in the Big 12. A lot has to go right for the Bearcats this year just to become bowl-eligible, in my opinion. They have a bunch of new faces populating their starting units and two-deep, and to think that they will come into Morgantown and get a win seems a little far-fetched.

Oct. 24 at TCU: W 31-30

Running record: 5-3 (3-2)

The Horned Frogs are still trying to get back to where they were just a few years ago, playing for the national championship. Since then, they have put together back-to-back nine-win seasons, which is a bit of a disappointment, considering the stage they were on and had an opportunity to build from. I think we will see another slight regression from them again this fall with an offense that doesn’t have a bunch of dangerous weapons. Plus, this is also the game Cam Cook probably has circled on his schedule, although I wouldn’t necessarily call it a revenge game. Still, Cook should have himself a day and help the Mountaineers to a victory in nail-biting fashion.

Nov. 7 at Texas Tech: L 21-44

Running record: 5-4 (3-3)

Maybe in another year or two, West Virginia will be able to compete with Texas Tech. The depth is just not there yet, and with so many new faces on this roster, I don’t give them any chance to go into Lubbock and pull the opposite of the year in college football. Sorsby or not, the Red Raiders are equipped to make another run at the Big 12 crown and perhaps a deeper run in the College Football Playoff. It’s still odd for me to say that Texas Tech has a legit defense, because it wasn’t all that long ago where they were giving up 1,000,000 yards and points per game. OK, maybe not that bad, but you get the point: they were awful on that side of the ball for years. They were big spenders again in the transfer portal, as you would imagine, and should have no problem handling the Mountaineers at home.

Nov. 14 vs. Kansas: W 34-24

Running record: 6-4 (4-3)

This is an interesting year for Lance Leipold at Kansas. After dragging the Jayhawks out from the depths of hell, they have hit a little bit of a wall with consecutive five–win seasons. Jalon Daniels is finally in the NFL, so trying to recapture that magic this fall is going to be a difficult task, especially when they don’t even know who their quarterback is going to be and may not know officially until a few weeks into the season. Because of how well-coached this team is every year, regardless of record, Kansas will be a scrappy team that hangs around in every game it plays. Unfortunately for them, I see this one ending in West Virginia’s favor, which officially makes them bowl-eligible.

Nov. 21 vs. Houston: L 23-31

Running record: 6-5 (4-4)

WVU beat the Cougars on the road last year with a team that was not nearly as talented or deep as this one is. So naturally, it’s easy to think that they will be able to beat Houston again, especially with the home crowd behind them. I can definitely see that happening. I can also see Houston being a legitimate Big 12 contender with what will be one of the better defenses in the league, and a unit that gives West Virginia fits throughout the day. I’ll go with the latter as the Cougs dominate the line of scrimmage and bottle up Cam Cook in the run game. I have it as a one-score game, but we will say that West Virginia gets a late touchdown to make it more respectable.

Nov. 27 at Utah: W 35-30

Running record: 7-5 (5-4)

The final game of the season will take place on Black Friday at Rice Eccles Stadium, which is one of the most challenging places to play in all of college football. Because of how well the Utes have played over the years, dating back to their championship runs in the Pac-12, I think we all just assume that will continue even without Kyle Whittingham. This team is extremely young, and outside of quarterback Devin Dampier and running back Wayshawn Parker, it’s hard to really know what to expect out of this team. A slight step back for Utah should make this a more manageable environment for the Mountaineers, who I believe will end the regular season on a strong note, picking up their seventh win.

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