Mountaineers Finish Ranked in Top 25 of Major Poll

The Mountaineers were not included in the Associated Press’ top 25, but that does not mean they failed to finish the year with a ranking from a major poll.

In keeping with tradition of the major polls often having some minor differences, West Virginia managed to slide into the Coaches Poll. WVU owns the No. 25 spot in the final edition of the Coaches Poll for the 2023 season.

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— West Virginia Football (@WVUfootball) January 9, 2024

The final top 25 is supposed to take into account the bowl games and College Football Playoff results. Despite failing to earn a ranking in the AP poll, West Virginia did receive 90 votes.

The ranking in the Coaches Poll marks the first time the Mountaineers have been ranked in any major poll under head coach Neal Brown. After WVU’s Duke’s Mayo Bowl win over North Carolina, Brown said he believes his team deserves to be ranked and that he will be including West Virginia when he casts his vote. In a fitting twist, it turns out Brown’s fellow coaches agreed and that’s the poll that awards a ranking.

WVU’s argument for being ranked stems from finishing with nine wins, including a convincing bowl victory over a Tar Heels team that won eight games out of the ACC. In addition to nine overall wins, the Mountaineers won six games against Big 12 competition. He did also take a moment to ponder what could’ve been too.