The Five Keys to West Virginia Becoming a Big 12 Title Contender in 2026

The formula for the Mountaineers to be in the conversation next November.

Nov 8, 2025; Morgantown, West Virginia, USA; West Virginia Mountaineers head coach Rich Rodriguez walks with his team as they arrive before their game against the Colorado Buffaloes at Milan Puskar Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ben Queen-Imagn Images | Ben Queen-Imagn Images

For Rich Rodriguez and West Virginia, it is a steep climb to the mountaintop in the Big 12, but that is not to say it cannot be done. We've seen the second-year leap in this league with Kenny Dillingham at Arizona State, Deion Sanders at Colorado, Lance Leipold at Kansas, Kalani Sitake at BYU (in year two as a member of the Big 12), and so on.

So, what will it take for the Mountaineers to be in the conversation as a title contender next November?

No. 1: Fix the offensive line

This one couldn't be more obvious, could it? Aside from that o-line in 2019, which was atrocious, this was by far one of the worst offensive lines in recent history at WVU. My assumption is that left tackle Nick Krahe and center Landen Livingston will remain as starters, but it doesn't hurt to add some competition. If those two stay in place, plus the addition of freshman right tackle Kevin Brown, you're headed in the right direction.

Now, all of the focus turns to the interior, where they need to be big players in the transfer market for a pair of guards. A lot of the leakage this past season came from the guard spots, and when that's the case, you give your quarterback zero chance, as well as your backs.

No. 2: Land veteran QB to compete for starting job

I'm a firm believer in Scotty Fox's ability to be the guy, but I do think it would be beneficial to add a dynamic dual-threat veteran to the mix to create some competition. There's a lot to like about Scotty Fox's game, but you can't go into next season putting all of your eggs in that basket. If there's a proven commodity out there who has interest in coming to Morgantown, you don't pass up on him just because you feel good about Fox's future.

No. 3: Add more length, athleticism to the defense

One of the biggest issues the secondary had this past season was that they just weren't big enough to make a play on the ball. Michael Coats, Jason Chambers, and Jordan Scruggs all played well in coverage for the most part, but bigger, longer receivers had a field day against them. We've already seen some more length come through in the form of Vincent Smith, Rayshawn Reynolds, Da'Mun Allen, and N/S Emory Snyder, and more will be on the way.

This also needs to be the case in the front seven. There was a clear lack of athleticism up front and speed in the second level this past season. That can't be the case if you're looking to make a push for the Big 12 title.

No. 4: Spend wisely in the portal

Because of how large the 2026 class is, West Virginia won't have to bring in nearly as many transfers. That said, it's still going to be a decent-sized portal class because of the spots left behind from guys WVU tells to look elsewhere or those who leave on their own, in addition to those who graduated. The money is there for the Mountaineers to spend and be competitive for top-tier talent; however, it's still not Texas Tech money.

WVU has to be careful with how it allocates its money and not overpay for someone because it fits a clear position of need. That said, they can't be afraid to offer a big deal to someone who is a surefire hit. It's a fine line to walk. The last thing you want to do is have a transfer class of 15 or so, and only two or three of them turn out to be worth what you paid them. For a team coming off a 4-8 season, there are a bunch of areas that need to be fixed, so you can't dump the majority of it into one spot.

No. 5: Internal development

This is often overlooked because once people get a set of eyes on a player, they make an evaluation, and typically, they believe that said player will always stay where they are. Of course, that's not true for everyone. For this team to take a massive step towards contention, they need those who do return to go from average starters to solid starters, role players to starters, and guys buried on the depth chart to role players. The roster turnover will be pretty big once again, but Rodriguez isn't going to rely on 30-some freshmen and transfers to fill out the two-deep.

MORE STORIES FROM WEST VIRGINIA ON SI

Projecting the WVU RB Depth Chart Following Jahiem White & Diore Hubbard's Expected Departures

The Seven True Freshmen Who Could Make an Impact From Day One for WVU

Neal Brown Makes Head-Turning Comment About How He Left West Virginia

Why Losing Jahiem White Stings But Will Not Derail West Virginia's 2026 Plans

How to watch West Virginia vs. Little Rock: Tip-off time, TV channel, and odds