Column: WVU football on the verge of being in the AP top 25 for 1st time since 2018
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MORGANTOWN -- There's a Twitter/X account dedicated to West Virginia football and the top 25 rankings. "DaysWVUnotRankedinAPpoll" for those curious. It messages out every day the Mountaineers haven't been ranked in the top 25. How many days has that been? Over 2,800 days. That's almost eight years. Children have seen two presidential administrations before seeing West Virginia have a number in front of it on the ESPN ticker at the bottom of the screen.
It's been a long time. But that timer and account could be coming to an end. After WVU's upset win over No. 25 Virginia, the Mountaineers received votes in the AP Poll. WVU came in at No. 28 unofficially, and was ranked as high by a voter of 18 (I ranked them at 24, so don't get mad at me). The Mountaineers are on the cusp.
There's a chance WVU breaks the streak and is ranked in the top 25 after this weekend. The only team standing in their way of being ranked in the top 25 is Oklahoma State.
The Cowboys are a formidable foe and are 2-1 on the season. Oklahoma State also received votes in the top 25, and it was unofficially No. 30 and came in as high as No. 17. The Cowboys started off the year with a loss to Tulsa in a stunner, since there was a lot of hype around the new-look squad in Stillwater. Then, Oklahoma State shocked college football and upset No. 6 Oregon at home. Just like that, the Cowboys erased the Week 1 loss.
Oklahoma State takes a 59-0 win over Murray State into Morgantown on Saturday night at 7 p.m.
The Cowboys were the talk of the offseason. Oklahoma State has new head coach Eric Morris, from North Texas. In his final year with the Mean Green, Morris had his team a win away from the College Football Playoff. He brought most of his top players with him, including quarterback Drew Mestemaker, running back Caleb Hawkins and wide receiver Wyatt Young.
Mestemaker has had his ups and downs through three games. He is tied for 15th in passing touchdowns, 16th in passing yards and has thrown four interceptions. His QBR ranks 35th in the FBS. Hawkins had a 100-yard rushing game against Oregon, but has only one rushing touchdown. Justin Bowick leads the team in receiving yards with 281 and three touchdowns.
Defensively, the Cowboys are solid defending the rush and pass. Getting to the quarterback isn't one of their strengths, but Oklahoma State has allowed under 100 yards per game rushing and under 170 yards passing. The Cowboys held Oregon quarterback Dante Moore to under 200 yards passing, and they held the Ducks under 100 yards rushing.
Oklahoma State, on paper and for two games on the field, is a tough out. The talent is there. Sometimes, the Cowboys just don't show it, like against Tulsa.
The question is if Oklahoma State can show it against WVU and Rich Rodriguez, who is coming off one of his biggest wins since coming back to Morgantown. Both teams will be juiced up to start Big 12 play, but also have the chance to make the top 25.
It means a lot more for WVU. The Mountaineers are closing in on eight years of not being ranked. Oklahoma State was ranked in 2024, but fell off a cliff last year, so it'll be nice for it, too.
Rodriguez doesn't care much about rankings, but fans definitely do.
"I don’t ever worry about that," Rodriguez said. "The final one is what’s the most important and where you’re at there."
It's hard to pick this game because both of these teams show highs and lows. You could get the Tulsa version of Oklahoma State or the Oregon version. The same could be said about WVU's defense. Coastal Carolina/U.T. Martin defense, or Virginia defense.
After watching WVU dismantle Virginia, I think the Mountaineers have what it takes to win this game. The offense and defense showed they were capable of winning against a Power Four opponent
This game is also under the lights of Milan Puskar Stadium, which is the first of the season. I think the Mountaineers move to 4-0 and are ranked in the top 25 after this weekend.
Prediction: West Virginia 31, Oklahoma State 28