The Next Four Games Will Make or Break the WVU Football Season

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Now that we have all had a few days to shake off the disappointing loss to Oklahoma State, it’s time to focus on the future. The reality is that the Oklahoma State loss can be a sign bad of things to come in Big 12 play for WVU or minor bump in the road towards becoming a real Big 12 contender. WVU still has everything to play for and more than likely controls their own destiny win it comes to a winning season, bowl game, Big 12 championship, and even a Playoff spot. Did I just say playoff spot? Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. I’m not saying it’s likely. I just want to emphasize that all possibilities are still on the table for this team. But the margin for error has shrunk and these next 4 games will decide whether this will be a season we announce ourselves as a real contender in the Big 12 or just another year in the bottom half of the conference. Let’s take a closer look at the next 4 weeks of WVU football.

Week 5 game: @ Iowa State

Iowa State is currently 2-2 with wins against Southeast Missouri State and Bowling Green. Their best performance is probably a 16 – 13 loss at Iowa. They have a first year head coach in Jimmy Rogers and a ton of roster turnover due to their former coach Matt Campbell taking players with him to Penn State. They have shown that they can play good really good defense at times this year though they did give up 31 points in their loss to Utah. Fan Dual currently has us as 3.5 point underdogs which I find very surprising. On paper it should be the most likely win out of the next 4 games, though it’s really going to come down to how our team responds following a loss and going on the road.

Week 6 game: Arizona

Arizona is currently 3-1 with it’s lone loss coming at the hands of BYU in week 2. Their best win is against a 1-3 Washington State team. We are going to learn a lot more about them as they play an undefeated Cincinnati team this week (our Week 7 opponent btw). If we don’t get our pass defense figured out by then this could be a long day. They have a great quarterback and receiving core. I would rate this at either the 1st or 2nd hardest game out of our next 4.

Week 7 game: Cincinnatti

Cincinnati is currently 4-0 with wins against 2 Power 4 opponents in Boston College and Kansas State. They have a run first offense that is putting up some solid numbers. The win against Kansas State was a bit strange in that Kansas State outgained them and had significantly more first downs, but still lost. I do still have my doubts about this team. Let’s not forget that they started out 7-1 last year before finishing 7 – 6. We will see if they are real when they play Arizona this Saturday.

Week 8 game: @ TCU

TCU is currently 2-2 with losses to UNC and UCF. They play BYU and Baylor over the next 2 weeks and it’s very likely that they lose both of those games. This game still has my attention though, because it will be the 8th week in a row the WVU team has played and it’s a long road trip to Texas. My hope is that the wheels have come off what is already a frustrated fan base when it comes to TCU coach Sonny Dykes and go in and handle business. If the TCU team that shows up against us is the same one that lost to UCF we should be just fine.

Dream Scenario: We go 4-0

We are so back! We go into our bye week at 7 – 1, ranked, and with momentum heading into the toughest part of our schedule. Our games against Texas Tech and Utah could be de facto Big 12 Championship elimination games. We have announced to the Big 12 that we will be bottom dwellers no more, and you must take us seriously. Barring a complete meltdown against Kansas we finish with at least 8 wins and a huge step forward in Rich Rod’s 2nd year back.

Almost Heaven Scenario: We go 3-1

We have a solid team this year. We are beating teams we should beat, and won at least 1 of the toss up games as well. We go into the bye week 6-2, bowl eligible, an outside shot at the Big 12 championship, and ready to make some noise against the heavyweights of the conference.

Ok, I Guess Scenario: We go 2-2

We are slightly better than last year, but beyond that the jury is still out on this team. We go into the bye week still needing one more win for bowl eligibility. It should come against Kansas, but confidence will not be high. Finish the season strong and you can set the foundation for a big step forward next year.

When Does Basketball Start Scenario: We go 1-3

What started out as a promising season with a ranked win against Virginia, now looks like the wheels are coming off. Huge question marks around whether or not Rich Rod still has the magic to win at this level. Zac Alley might be unemployed. We limp into the bye week needing an upset win against either Texas Tech, Utah, or Houston in order to go to a bowl game that will be played somewhere cold and likely in mid December.

The Disaster Scenario: We go 0-4

It’s been 5 weeks since we had anything to cheer about. Time has lost it’s normal shape.  Days blur into each other.  Sleep comes in short blocks.  All hope is lost.

Which scenario do you think is most likely over the next 4 games for us? Let me know in the comments.

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