Vanderbilt Earning AP Rank Makes Unacceptable Fact for WVU Football Even Worse

A new development in the Associated Press’ top 25 makes another embarrassing fact for the WVU football program look even worse.

Vanderbilt getting ranked cuts down the list of Power Four schools who haven’t been ranked in the AP Top 25 since 2019 to just these three:

West Virginia
Rutgers
Texas Tech

Vanderbilt getting ranked cuts down the list of Power Four schools who haven’t been ranked in the AP Top 25 since 2019 to just these three:

West Virginia
Rutgers
Texas Tech

Unlike say Rutgers, WVU has a history with a standard that makes being part of this group unacceptable.

— Mike J. Asti (@MikeAsti11) October 20, 2024

While the Mountaineers did crawl into the final Coaches Poll for the 2023 season, the Mountaineers have not been part of the AP poll at all under Neal Brown.

The last time West Virginia was ranked by the Associated Press was in the final poll for the 2018 season. Dana Holgorsen’s team finished his last season at WVU at No. 20.

WVU did open the 2024 season after receiving 17 votes in the preseason AP 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 in August when prompted for his reaction to not being ranked heading into the 2024 season.

For anyone who thought the vibes couldn’t get any worse for WVU fans, think again. Mountaineer Nation erupted in anger and disappointment while watching West Virginia be dominated by Kansas State to the tune of a 45-18 loss on Saturday night.

WVU Fans Erupt in Anger Following KSU Loss, Absence of Key Players

The loss sunk WVU to 3-4 on the season, triggering a new low for the 2024 Mountaineers. West Virginia now heads out west for a long road trip and the first matchup as Big 12 foes with Arizona next week.

On Sunday, the Big 12 announced that WVU’s next game against Arizona at Arizona Stadium in Tucson, Arizona, will be televised on FS1 at 7 pm ET.

Also on Sunday, DraftKings set Arizona as a slim favorite in their opening line. The Wildcats are currently listed as just a 1.5-point favorite.

For a related story, Neal Brown cleared up confusion about the injuries from Kansas State game.