When Can West Virginia Truly Expect to Win a Big 12 Title Under Rich Rodriguez?

As painfully bad as West Virginia was in year one (for the second time) under Rich Rodriguez, it came and went in the blink of an eye. A 4-8 record will have the Grant Town native hungry and determined to fix things in a hurry and get the program back on track.

How long will it take for WVU to win a Big 12 title? I laid out a timeline for what the expectations should be. Yes, it can happen much sooner, but this is a realistic year-by-year outlook. Remember, this is to win a conference title, not just being in the mix.

2026

No one is going to want to hear this, but this isn't where the expectation is to win big. Yes, anything is possible, and crazier things have happened. I just wouldn't raise the bar that high because it's a major ask, and this team has a lot of things to fix before it can be taken seriously as a contender.

Some folks don't agree with the "year zero" thing, and I'm not sure why. When you are forced to add 80-some new players, 40 of which are one-and-done seniors, you're essentially just trying to field a team. It's hard to establish a true culture when so many of those players came in for just six or so months.

In the old era of college football, aka six or seven years ago, I didn't believe in the year zero idea, primarily because you weren't vulnerable to losing a chunk of your roster. Now you are.

Next fall needs to be about internal development and being competitive in every game you play. Get to a bowl game, and anything over six wins is icing on the cake.

2027

This is what I call the transition year. You're moving out of the rebuild phase and into an era where more is expected of you. This will be year three for Rodriguez, meaning he'll have 2.25 recruiting classes in the program — the .25 comes from whatever remained from the '25 class, which isn't much.

Depending on the progress of internal development and the caliber of players landed on the recruiting trail and transfer portal, this could be where the Mountaineers make some noise. Getting to the Big 12 title is possible; however, it should not be the expectation. This is still going to be a relatively young team that is about to turn the corner.

2028

Now, you go for it. This is the year where the Mountaineers should feel good enough about the depth that they have established through the high school ranks, have a quarterback who has a bunch of starts under his belt, and can now compete for top-tier transfers with not as many needs to fill.

If West Virginia isn't playing meaningful games in November in 2028, Wren Baker's got a bit of a problem on his hands. Frustration from the fan base will reach new heights and have everyone questioning if Rich Rod 2.0 will ever be as successful as Rich Rod 1.0.

2026

2027

2028

MORE STORIES FROM WEST VIRGINIA ON SI