West Virginia Mountaineers 2025 College Football Preview, Prediction, Betting insights

West Virginia

View from afar: Rich Rodriguez in the West Virginia colors seems right, doesn't it? The man was at the helm for seven years, taking them to double-digit wins 3 times, and now he is back after winning Conference USA with Jacksonville State. Alley comes over from Oklahoma but worked with Rodriguez prior at Jacksonville State to call the defense. I like the familiarity. West Virginia seemed to be ticking over just fine, but Neal Browns time got cut short after a 6-7 season ending with a loss to Memphis in the bowl game. It's a total roster overhaul, absolute carnage trying to piece together what this team may produce on the field. But as we dug in deep, the one thing I feel confident about is that this team is going to be fun to watch! Expectations for this team, I'm sure, will be muted, but make no mistake about the people in Morgantown, they will expect to see some results, given that Neal Brown was no slouch. Can Rich raise the bar for this Mountaineer program?

Recruiting: West Virginia came in at number 10 in the '25 class. In 2024, West Virginia had the #6 class. Damn, damn Neal Brown must be salty he lost this job; bowl games and solid recruiting weren't enough in Morgantown!

Portal: 49 players in 46 out, you read that correctly! I like six players come over from Jacksonville State, the standouts being Cam Vaughn(WR) who was electric as a freshman, and Fred Perry(S) who could be a leader on the defense. Jimmori Robinson (edge) is a nice get from UTSA! Losing Donaldson(RB) to Ohio State hurts as him and White could have been a nice backfield.

Roster tidbits: The lines are transfers galore! You also lose two All-Big 12 performers from the lines on both sides, Milum and Jackson. QB will likely be Marchiol, who was 2-0 in his starts last year but didn't put up stats that would wow you. Where it's interesting is the skill positions could be electric for the Mountaineers. White(RB) has rushed for 800 yards plus in both years. Cam Vaugn was on the CUSA all-freshman team and has the upside to have a significant year. Singleton (WR) was second team all MAC. Defensively, the secondary could be really solid. Also, Coats was all Mountain West. Scruggs and Chambers graded well, but let's see how all the CBs fare stepping up in class. On the D-line, Vesterinen returns after his injury, which could be a huge help in the transfers assimilation. Fred Perry also follows Rich Rod from Jacksonville State and is supposedly a prominent leader amongst the group, nice to have that familiarity. Lastly, they have a guy on the O-line called Walter Young Bear, that is amazing.

Statistical pulse: Cam Vaugn ended last season with 183 yards and a touchdown against Ohio in the Bowl game. More on this later.

Schedule: At Ohio, Pitt in the non-con is a bit of a tough one! But Rich Rod did face the same Ohio team at the end of last season. BYU and Arizona State will provide not only big travel but tough foes. Utah, Texas Tech, and TCU come to Morgantown. This team needs to be buttoned up out of the gate since they don't get a bye until week 7.

Prediction: This Mountaineer team certainly piques my interest. The skill position, some pieces they added in the secondary, and the RB all could be more than decent. If the QB was a touch more exciting, I would be potentially whispering (not quite shouting) that this is a Big 12 dark horse. But with the O-line and QB questions, I just can't get there. However, this is a team that you'll want to get early, not late. Rich Rod brought over some of his guys from Jacksonville State, so they will be bought in and ensure this team doesn't throw in the towel if times get hard. This team getting to a bowl would be a serious accomplishment, so I'll say 5-7.

Actionable: Sigh, I really want to say West Virginia at 70 to 1 to win the Big 12 is worth a cheeky sprinkle, but I can't in good conscience go there. However whenever the books release the odds for leaders in statistical categories, take a gander at where Cam Vaughn to lead the Big 12 in receiving odds land, if he had a better QB I might be pounding the table here, but this kid comes with Rich Rod and will be the key piece in the West Va offense, he's going to be a stud.