Rodriguez Sees 'Signs' of Something Special Brewing at West Virginia

Can West Virginia be this year's Arizona State? What about this year's Indiana? Those are two questions I get a lot in my weekly mailbag here on West Virginia On SI, or if someone happens to see me out and wants to chat about the Mountaineers.

My response is usually one that doesn't fulfill the inquirer's optimism, but I don't completely rule it out.

As far as the Indiana comparison, it's a hard no for me. Why? Well, it's not so much about ripping off eleven wins as much as it is the schedule. The Hoosiers didn't play anyone a year ago, and when they did, they got pounded, both by Ohio State and then by Notre Dame in the College Football Playoff.

West Virginia's 2025 schedule is far from a walk in the park. They play two teams ranked in the preseason top 25 (Arizona State and Texas Tech) and three others who could see a number next to their name at some point this fall — Utah, BYU, and TCU.

There are so many unknowns with this roster, and that's the beauty of it. No one has any clue as to what the floor or the ceiling is for this bunch.

It's still extremely early, but after spring ball and eleven fall camp practices, head coach Rich Rodriguez is starting to get a good idea as to the type of team he has and what they're capable of doing.

During Monday's press conference, he was asked if this team has the "IT" factor or the drive to be a special group.

“It’s still a little early, but I see signs of it. I mean, I think we’ve progressed since the spring, and of course, there’s a lot of new guys. And I think we’ve progressed since the first practice, but it’s still not to the point where I never have to blow my whistle. I'm going to say, 'Woah, not Sic'em.' We're saying Sic'Em a little bit too much, and I want to get to the point where we're like whoa, whoa, whoa, we're good, we're good. We’re not there yet.”

This is partially why I believe a comparison to Arizona State makes more sense, but it's a two-step process. Two years ago, the Sun Devils went 3-9 and then shot out of nowhere in 2024, making the College Football Playoff. I don't think this team will only win three games, but there will be some struggles along the way. 2026 is when they can make that leap and complete the comparison.

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