Trust the Beard: WVU Sports+

West Virginia Football just made a statement in Charlotte, knocking off No. 25 Virginia 38-27 — and it feels GOOD to be a Mountaineer again.Welcome to FROM THE COUCH: No Stats. Just Feelings.This isn’t the prediction model. This isn’t a deep statistical breakdown. This is a WVU fan reacting to what we just watched and what this win could mean for Rich Rodriguez and the West Virginia Mountaineers moving forward.West Virginia is 3-0, coming off a ranked win, knocking on the door of the AP Top 25, and beginning to look like a football team developing a real identity.Maybe this rebuild — or reload — is further along than we thought.Now the question becomes: Can WVU carry this momentum into Big 12 play?Drop your thoughts in the comments:If you enjoy #wvufootball Football news, #mountaineer Football reactions, Big 12 Football analysis, Rich Rodriguez coverage, WVU predictions and West Virginia sports talk, subscribe and join the conversation.

WVU Football is 2-0, but now the real test arrives. After West Virginia’s dominant 52-7 win over UT Martin, the Mountaineers head to Charlotte for a neutral-site showdown with Virginia on September 19. In this episode of Trust The Beard, I break down what we learned from the UT Martin win, update The Beard Hot Take Tracker, and go deep into WVU vs. Virginia. We’re looking beyond the box score at the matchups that could decide this game — Michael Hawkins and the WVU offense, Zac Alley’s defense, Virginia’s explosive passing attack, third-down defense, pass rush, strength of schedule, turnovers and more.Then I put everything into the Beardologi Prediction Model for the full numbers-based projection: spread, projected total, final score and win probability. The model has spoken... but do I agree with it?Drop your WVU-UVA score prediction in the comments, and if you enjoy detailed Mountaineer football analysis, LIKE, SUBSCRIBE and share the video with Mountaineer Nation!#WVU #WVUFootball #HailWV #Mountaineers

West Virginia went 4-8 in Year 1 under Rich Rodriguez — so how in the world could WVU go 9-3 in 2026? In the final chapter of my 4 Weeks of Fire series, I break down every game on the 2026 WVU Football schedule, reveal my path to 9 wins and a potential Top-5 Big 12 finish, and explain why Year 2 Rich Rod, the transfer portal, NIL, roster development, Cam Cook, a potentially Top-50 defense, and improved health could accelerate the Mountaineers' rebuild. We dive into the biggest swing games against Virginia, Utah, TCU, Houston, Arizona and Oklahoma State, including one major road upset prediction that could completely change WVU's season. Is 9-3 crazy—or is West Virginia ready to become one of the biggest breakout teams in college football? Let me know your WVU record prediction in the comments!

Could Rich Rodriguez be headed for some hardware in 2026? We dive into the history of the Big 12 Coach of the Year, the surprising precedent set by Matt Campbell at Iowa State, and why you don’t necessarily need 10+ wins—or even the best team—to take home the award.With WVU Football entering 2026 with low preseason expectations, could an 8- or 9-win season put Rich Rod squarely in the Big 12 COY race? We break down Rich Rodriguez’s Coach of the Year history, the Big 12 preseason consensus, and the coaches on my 2026 COY watchlist.

Can West Virginia finish 2026 with a Top 50 defense?In this video, we break down the five numbers that could define WVU's defense in 2026, comparing the Mountaineers to the average of nearly 100 Top 50 defenses from 2021-2025.