Predicting Who Will Be the First Team to Beat West Virginia in 2025

Who will the Mountaineers suffer their first loss to?

West Virginia University safety Kekoura Tarnue (14) | Christopher Hall - West Virginia on SI

Nine days remain until the West Virginia Mountaineers tee the ball up and kickoff the new season against Robert Morris.

It's a much more favorable start to the season, compared to what the program has seen in recent years, such as Penn State (twice), Pitt, Virginia Tech, and Maryland. It'll be a great opportunity to work out all or most of the kinks before playing a legitimate threat in Week 2 when they take on the Ohio Bobcats.

So, who is the team that is most likely to hand West Virginia its first loss this fall?

Ohio? No.

Dec 20, 2024; Orlando, FL, USA; Ohio Bobcats quarterback Parker Navarro (13) runs with the ball against the Jacksonville State Gamecocks in the second quarter at Camping World Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

Ohio may be a trendy upset pick in Week 2, especially with the Backyard Brawl lurking in the background. I do expect Ohio to give WVU a scare to some degree, but I believe Rodriguez will find a way to escape and improve to 2-0.

Pitt? No.

Nov 23, 2024; Louisville, Kentucky, USA; Pittsburgh Panthers quarterback Eli Holstein (10) throws against the Louisville Cardinals during the first quarter at L&N Federal Credit Union Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jamie Rhodes-Imagn Images | Jamie Rhodes-Imagn Images

Although the Mountaineers will be hosting the Brawl and will have a ton of energy and excitement leading up to it, with it being a shot at redemption, many national analysts are going to pick Pitt in this game. You've already seen some early predictions leak out, and you'll start to see an onslaught of them as we get closer to the game. Pitt lost six straight to end the year last season, including a loss to Toledo, but they'll be jumping on the Eli Holstein hype train, and there are just fewer unknowns with Pitt, resulting in more folks leaning in their direction.

I understand the logic, but I just don't see Rodriguez letting it happen. It's not like Pitt is two or three scores better than WVU. We're likely talking about this coming down to the wire in a one-score game. The Mountaineers will have a rowdy crowd behind them to help them out.

I'm going to go with Kansas.

Nov 16, 2024; Provo, Utah, USA; Kansas Jayhawks quarterback Jalon Daniels (6) passes the ball against the Brigham Young Cougars during the first quarter at LaVell Edwards Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images | Rob Gray-Imagn Images

Winning the Backyard Brawl would certainly be a huge boost of confidence, but handling that first big-time emotional high will be challenging, especially on the road, where the Jayhawks will be hosting their first Big 12 game in their newly renovated stadium.

WVU will exert a ton of energy mentally and physically to make sure they are the last one standing in the ring on September 13th, which will have them drained when heading to Lawrence.

Not to mention, Kansas is a pretty good football team. They had a disappointing year last season, but had some injuries at key spots and didn't get quite the play they expected out of Jalon Daniels. Assuming he returns to form, they could be a dark-horse team to watch in the Big 12.

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