WVU’s Top-10 Toughest Schedule May Not Be as Bad as It Looks — Until November

Could it be another challenging year for the Mountaineers?

WVU Athletics Communications

Year two should be a much better representation of what Rich Rodriguez wants this West Virginia football program to look like, but there will still be some bumps along the way after they flipped the roster for the second time in as many years and have a bunch of talented players who need to gain experience.

On paper, this team should have enough talent to become both eligible, taking that first step toward getting the program back on track. However, it’s not going to be all easy, breezy, as college football analyst Phil Steele pointed out in his latest blog post on his website, breaking down the toughest schedules in 2026.

According to the data he used, the Mountaineers have the eighth-toughest schedule (tied with Baylor), facing five teams that were ranked inside the top 25 last year and had a cumulative winning percentage of 61.7. Nine of their 12 opponents reached the postseason.

The teams with a tougher schedule? North Carolina, Ohio State, Stanford, Nebraska, Mississippi State, Michigan, and Northwestern.

WVU's 2026 schedule

9/5 vs. Coastal Carolina
9/12 vs. UT Martin
9/19 vs. Virginia
9/26 vs. Oklahoma State
10/3 at Iowa State
10/10 vs. Arizona
10/17 vs. Cincinnati
10/24 at TCU
11/7 at Texas Tech
11/14 vs. Kansas
11/21 vs. Houston
11/28 at Utah

Why it may not be as brutal as it appears

WVU Athletics Communications

The first half or so of this schedule could be favorable if the Mountaineers find some confidence early on, getting out to a 3-0 start, which would include a win against Virginia in Charlotte.

Oklahoma State has a new coaching staff and essentially an entirely new roster, just like Iowa State, which they play in their first true road game of the year. The Cowboys are everyone’s off-season darling with the hire of Eric Morris and the addition of quarterback Drew Mestemaker. But like every other Big 12 team that goes through a coaching change, they will have their fair share of struggles. The fact that WVU gets both of those teams early in the year is a huge help.

The two-game home stand against Arizona and Cincinnati is not going to be easy by any means, but the Bearcats lost some key pieces off their roster, including quarterback Brendan Sorsby. Win one of those games, and you’re in good shape past the halfway point.

The big challenge, though, is from October 24th on, when the Mountaineers will take on potentially four Big 12 title contenders down the stretch in TCU, Texas, Tech, Houston, and Utah – three of which are on the road.