ESPN Reporter Projects WVU to Make College Football Playoff as Big 12 Champion

Pat McAfee picking WVU to make the College Football Playoff can be dismissed as biased, but he’s not the only ESPN personality high on the Mountaineers in 2024. Long tenured reporter Marty Smith revealed West Virginia as one of his top four seeds in the inaugural year of the 12-team playoff.

Smith has WVU clocking in as the No. 4 seed thanks to winning the Big 12. His other conference champions are Georgia out of the SEC, Ohio State as the Big Ten champion and Clemson lifting the ACC trophy.

Okay y’all. We’re half an hour from the 2024 CFB season kickoff. Let’s see how cold our @CFBPlayoff prediction takes are come December! 😂

My Top 4 (P4 conference champs) are:

4. @WVUfootball
3. @ClemsonFB
2. @OhioStateFB
1. @GeorgiaFootball

Who y’all got?…

— Marty Smith (@MartySmithESPN) August 24, 2024

It’s possible Smith was convinced by Neal Brown’s strong comments during his recent appearance on the “Marty and McGee Show” that Smith co-hosts along side Ryan McGee.

Brown defended his players being slighted by failing to make ESPN’s list of the top 100 college football players.

“I texted one of your colleagues at ESPN the other day. They did this top 100 players list in college football. ‘And I’m like, man, how do you still have a job when you’re doing a top 100 players list and Greene’s not on it.’ Cause I don’t get,” said a clearly agitated Brown.

WVU HC Neal Brown Rants About His Players Being Disrespected Nationally

And of course, Brown made it clear Greene is not the only Mountaineer he feels was subbed. “We got a tackle Wyatt Milum that’s gonna be a first or early second round pick. He wasn’t on the list either,” explained Brown.

Brown even sprinkled in some sarcasm into his rant. “I’m just wondering did you not get to W as you were looking at players, cause West Virginia, you know. Did you not get all way down to our name.”

During this same appearance, Brown also detailed what WVU football means to the state of West Virginia and and reiterated about feeling his team and players are being overlooked nationally, how the new format of the College Football Playoff provides easier access and how his team needs to be ready for their regional rivalry matchups with Penn State and Pitt prior to the start of conference play.

Both hosts agreed that Brown’s team could surprise people this season and win the Big 12.

Much to Brown’s chagrin, the Mountaineers were left out of the top 25 of both the Coaches Poll and the Associated Press’ poll.

“If you just look at our resume, how we finished the year, quality wins we had last year with what we had coming back, that resume is going to get in the Top 25. So what gives? I don’t know. Our top players are being undervalued,” said Brown when prompted for his reaction to entering the season on the outside looking in.

But regardless, Brown is fired up. In fact, WVU’s head coach admitted to being more fired up at the start of fall camp this year than any other year since he’s been in Morgantown.

“I’ll start with this, I’m fired up about this group. So this is year 22 for me as a coach, year 10 as a head coach, and probably as excited as I’ve been,” said Brown while kicking off fall camp.

“I really feel comfortable with our staff, and it’s layered. Everybody can coach, which I think is a good rule. I think that’ll help us especially in fall camp, and within our development guys once we get into season. Our support areas are really strong right now, academic strength conditioning, nutrition, sports psych, athletic training, our medical group. I feel like they were really strong in those support areas. I really liked the leadership of this team. If you look at the guys that have been here and grown through our culture, really pleased where that’s at,” he added.

For a related story, a national media member says Neal Brown and WVU can make the College Football Playoff without winning a Big 12 title.