The Six Former Mountaineers Who Are on College Football Playoff Teams

Maybe here soon, the West Virginia Mountaineers will be playing this weekend in a College Football Playoff game, and perhaps hosting one. Could you imagine the scene for that?

This year, WVU will be watching the playoffs from home, and you may see a handful (or more) of familiar faces playing in this year's CFP. Here are the six former Mountaineers who are playing for a national championship.

HC Curt Cignetti (Indiana)

Hey, this list isn't just for players! Yes, we're counting Curt Cignetti, too! The former Mountaineer quarterback has done a magnificent job with the Hoosiers, taking them from the bottom of the barrel in the Big Ten to a No. 1 seed in the College Football Playoff by year two. Regardless of what happens, it's been an incredible two years for him in Bloomington. The Hoosiers will face No. 9 Alabama next week.

RB CJ Donaldson (Ohio State)

Donaldson may not be the typical Rich Rodriguez running back, but the Mountaineers surely could have used him this past season, especially to do what he did for the Buckeyes this season, handling short-yardage and goal-line situations. He's had the largest workload in Ohio State's backfield this season, except for their lead back, Bo Jackson. Donaldson leads the team with 10 rushing scores, but is experiencing a career low in yards per carry at 3.7. Ohio State is on a bye this week and will face the winner of No. 7 Miami and No. 10 Texas A&M.

WR Traylon Ray (Ole Miss)

Ray spent much of the season working his way back from an injury, appearing in just two regular-season games. Against The Citadel, Ray saw 11 snaps on defense at cornerback as the Rebels are considering playing him both ways moving forward. He has not logged any stats yet this season. Ole Miss will face Tulane this afternoon at 3:30 p.m. ET.

TE Jack Sammarco (Alabama)

Sammarco saw a bunch of playing time as a true freshman last year in Morgantown under Neal Brown and the previous regime. He made the jump to Alabama, which may be a move that pays off in the long-term. He's played in just two games this season, seeing action against UL Monroe and Eastern Illinois. Alabama beat Oklahoma on Friday night in their first-round game and will play No. 1 Indiana next weekend.

OL Justin Terry (Ohio State)

The young offensive tackle has played his way into the rotation in Columbus, serving as the backup at right tackle. He's seen a total of 57 offensive snaps this season, playing against Grambling, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Purdue, UCLA, and Rutgers.

DL Akheem Mesidor (Miami)

Mesidor was one of those monumental losses for WVU early in the transfer portal era. If WVU had the resources in place then as it does now, who knows? Maybe there's a chance he sticks it out in Morgantown. He's continued to develop into a really good player who is going to have a shot at the NFL. This season, he has recorded 46 tackles, 12 tackles for loss, and seven sacks — all career highs. He and the Canes will take on Texas A&M today at 12 p.m. ET.