With WVU set to move away from playing 11 Power Five opponents, who should be included on their annual non-conference schedule?
Morgantown, WV – In an interview a couple of weeks ago, WVU’s Neal Brown let it be known that he is not a fan of playing 11 Power Five teams. Instead, Brown would like to move to a structure that includes one Power Five opponent, one Group of Five opponent, and one FCS opponent.
While the Mountaineers already have future schedules in place, we are going to come up with a dream schedule for the Mountaineers. We have created a set list of 3 teams that we feel the Mountaineers should play annually – absolutely nobody else included.
Without further ado, here is the ideal non-conference slate for Mountaineer Football.
- Game One – Marshall (2-for-1 series): The Mountaineers and Thundering Herd have not met on the gridiron since 2012. Now that West Virginia is open to adding a Group of Five team to their schedule, it opens up the opportunity for the return of the Friends of Coal Bowl. West Virginia and Marshall should be each other’s season opener annually, as long as the series is a 2-for-1 (2 in Morgantown, 1 in Huntington). It would get the fans talking, and each meeting would be an almost guaranteed sellout.
- Game Two – FCS Opponent: West Virginia always has one FCS opponent on their schedule. This slot could easily be filled by Youngstown State, Towson, or Eastern Kentucky. I can’t foresee the Mountaineers making this game anymore challenging than it needs to be.
- Game Three – Pitt (Home-and-Home): Last season proved that this series is still relevant. WVU’s last non-conference game every season should be their most emotional, and it should be against the Pitt Panthers. Having the Backyard Brawl back is good for College Football. In a perfect world, this game would be played every single year with no breaks in-between. Hence why it was included on our ideal annual non-conference slate.
What is your ideal non-conference schedule for the Mountaineers? We would love to know your thoughts!
