Thankfully, the dog days of summer are almost over. Soon, you’ll be able to take a break from your College Football 25 binge and watch the West Virginia Mountaineers in action when they host top-10 team Penn State on August 31.

How will this year go for Neal Brown and Co.? Here is my annual game-by-game prediction for the upcoming season.

31.08. against Penn State – loss (0-1)

Believe it or not, I’ve been going back and forth on this one. On paper, it’s easy to see the difference between the two teams and it’s safe to assume that Penn State has this game in the bag. But Morgantown’s season opener against a great opponent makes me believe that West Virginia will keep the game close the whole time. It wouldn’t surprise me in the least if WVU found a way to win, but I’m going to trust my gut.

9/7 against Albany – win (1-1)

After winning a total of five games in 2021-22, Albany turned things around significantly last year. The Great Danes won 11 games and made it to the semifinals of the FCS playoffs. This is a much better team than most people think. West Virginia should have no worries here, but Albany will be ready to play.

14.9. at Pitt – win (2-1)

The Panthers lost so much talent from last year’s team, a group that only won three games. In some cases, you’d think that was a good thing. But not with the guys they lost in the portal. There are glaring holes all over this roster, and unless West Virginia just performs poorly, Pitt should lose this game by at least two points.

21.09. against Kansas – win (3-1, 1-0)

What a way to start the Big 12, right? Two years ago, WVU opened league play with a home game against Kansas, a week after losing to Pitt in the Backyard Brawl. The schedule may give you that sickening feeling of those two weeks in 2022, but take a deep breath. Things are different. Kansas QB Jalon Daniels is a special player, as is running back Devin Neal. The Jayhawks have what it takes to win a ton of games this season thanks to a favorable schedule, but they’re going to lose what will likely be viewed as their toughest road game of the year.

10/5 at Oklahoma State – Loss (3-2, 1-1)

For a moment, it looked like West Virginia was going to win its second straight against Oklahoma State. And then the botched punt return happened. The Mountaineers have had so many losing streaks in this series and haven’t done well in Stillwater matchups. Ollie Gordon ran over Jordan Lesley’s defense last season and I’d say there’s a good chance history repeats itself. The Pokes are more experienced and have the tools to shoot for the conference crown.

10/12 against Iowa State – win (4-2, 2-1)

This is going to be a really good football game. It has a low-scoring, tough atmosphere. Anthony Becht, soon to be inducted into the WVU Hall of Fame, will be in town to watch his son Rocco play quarterback for the Cyclones. I’m excited to see what he wears this Saturday and what his fan interests are. West Virginia battles its way to victory in a hard-fought battle of ground and strikes.

19.10. against Kansas State – loss (4-3, 2-2)

I initially chose WVU. But after thinking about it again, I decided to go with K-State. WVU is coming off a tough game against Iowa State and could be feeling the effects of the early part of the Big 12 schedule. Plus, Kansas State will once again be a team in the thick of it, presumably with a quarterback boost in Avery Johnson. Given the opponents, splitting those two home games isn’t the end of the world.

26.10. in Arizona – defeat (4-4, 2-3)

This is, if I’m being honest, a 50/50 situation again. For months, I’ve been looking at this as a loss for the Mighty Mountaineers. I still lean that way, but this game is probably more winnable than you and I realize. The Wildcats have a phenomenal QB-WR connection in Noah Fifita and Tetairoa McMillan, but they can’t rely on just those two all season. This feels like a back-and-forth, high-scoring, “old-fashioned” Big 12 shootout. In this case, I’m giving the home team a slight edge.

9.11. in Cincinnati – victory (5-4, 3-3)

I know what you’re thinking: Oh man, things are starting to go downhill. RELAX, as the great Aaron Rodgers once said. Assuming the teams I project WVU to lose to are as good as they say they are, it’s not like you’re underperforming. And as I mentioned with some of these losses, there’s a chance I’m wrong and things will look very different by this point in the season. Oh yeah, back to Cincinnati. Uh, yeah… no problem here. Chalk it up as a win. The Bearcats will probably finish in the bottom three of the league.

16.11. against Baylor – win (6-4, 4-3)

Dave Aranda’s Bears should be a little better in 2024, but not enough to walk into Milan Puskar Stadium and pull out a win. I expect this to be a statement game for WVU, proving that even though the record isn’t quite what they expected, they want to finish the season strong.

23.11. against UCF – win (7-4, 5-3)

Everyone is jumping on the preseason UCF bandwagon. Why? I don’t know. Probably because they signed former Arkansas QB KJ Jefferson out of the portal and got some key players back at the skill positions. So what. OK, maybe that’s a little harsh, but I’m just not convinced the Knights are a serious contender in 2024. And do you really think Garrett Greene will lose the last home game of his career? I don’t think so.

30.11. at Texas Tech – win 8-4 (6-3)

Texas Tech is in a strange position. Joey McGuire was thought to have things under control by now, but injuries have thrown the 2023 season into disarray. Aside from running back Tahj Brooks, there’s not much to like about this group. Playing in Lubbock is never fun, but for an average team that might not be in a bowl game, it shouldn’t be too loud. West Virginia wins its fourth straight to end the season and finishes in the top five of the Big 12 Conference for the second year in a row.

TaxAct Texas Bowl vs. Missouri – Win (9-4)

Honestly, I hope West Virginia makes it to the Pop-Tarts Bowl because Neal Brown deserves the opportunity to eat a giant Pop Tart after taking the plunge into mayo cooking a year ago. Instead, I think they’ll end up with that record in the TaxAct Texas Bowl against a mediocre SEC team in Missouri. Brown has been successful in bowl games throughout his career and will close the season with his fifth consecutive win.

Final thoughts

I understand that a lot of people won’t be happy with another nine-win season and will expect bigger things, like a Big 12 Championship or College Football Playoff appearance. But the reality is that nine wins with this schedule is much more impressive than the nine wins they got a year ago. This type of season doesn’t mean West Virginia will never reach those desired goals under Neal Brown, it just takes time. If things go the way I predicted (which they didn’t), this will be a huge step in putting West Virginia back on the map. This is still a pretty young team and don’t forget, Nicco Marchiol is waiting in the wings and can help the Mountaineers continue their ascent.

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