Rich Rodriguez Thinks WVU Will Respond Well to Being Overlooked

The underdog role is typically one that the Mountaineers thrive in.

West Virginia University head coach Rich Rodriguez | Christopher Hall - West Virginia on SI

The game that every West Virginia Mountaineer fan has had circled on their calendar since the spring has finally arrived — Virginia.

Not because there is some deep level of hate for the Cavaliers, or because they are some juggernaut, but because this is the first time we will see the Mountaineers against another Power Four squad, which will give us an idea of where this team is truly at.

Don't get me wrong, Virginia is a damn good football team and could ultimately end up winning the ACC, but this game is more about West Virginia than it is anything else.

No one nationally is buying WVU's 2-0 start to the season, and can you blame them? They beat Coastal Carolina and UT Martin, so there is still a lot of respect to be earned, and that can happen this weekend in Charlotte.

"I hope there's a little chip on our shoulder that we need to prove ourselves. It's upon us now," WVU head coach Rich Rodriguez said Monday night. "You can prove yourself a little bit in the games you're favored, but normally, if you want to truly prove yourself, you're going to do it in a neutral-site game against somebody that's ranked in the top 25 and favored to beat you by double digits. I think they'll respond well."

After a dominating performance against NC State in Week 0, every college football analyst is talking about them in a much different light these days.

The reality is, anything can happen in college football, as we saw just last week in Stillwater when Oklahoma State beat No. 6 Oregon as 23.5-point dogs. According to FanDuel Sportsbook, the Mountaineers are 9.5-point dogs against Virginia. And let's be honst nine-ten point favorites lose games all the time. What happened in Stillwater last week is rarer.

Beating Virginia would completely change the narrative around the Mountaineers and have everyone talking about them like they were with Virginia after blasting NC State. Getting the job done isn't going to be easy, though, and Rich Rod knows it.

"They might be the most veteran or one of the most veteran teams in the country. It's crazy to look at their o-line. They've got two sixth-year guys, a seventh-year guy, and two fifth-year guys. I think it may be the most veteran team by far that we play. They're well-coached, and they've been in the system for a few years. They're ranked, and they should be ranked. They played in the ACC Championship, and they're better now than they were a year ago, I think. It's going to be a big challenge, and our guys know that. One thing that's really impressive, especially defensively, is that you can tell they are veterans because they're never out of place. Those guys know where they're going. It's going to be a big game for us."