WVU Against Regional Rival in Latest Bowl Projections

The latest bowl projections may leave WVU fans both disappointed and intrigued. While West Virginia is only predicted to appear in a minor bowl game, the Mountaineers are paired with a rival.

Brett McMurphy of the Action Network currently has WVU in the Gasparilla Bowl against Virginia Tech. The Gasparilla Bowl is located in Tampa Bay, Fla. and scheduled to take place on Dec. 20.

McMurphy does have West Virginia continuing the recent trend of this rivalry as a 3.5-point favorite in this possible matchup. WVU holds the Black Diamond Trophy after winning both of the last two meetings between the schools in this old school regional rivalry.

As far as what’s currently reality, the Mountaineers enter their first of two bye weeks at 2-2 (1-0, Big 12) and are coming off a 32-28 win over Kansas. WVU had to rally from an 11-point deficit to beat the Jayhawks.

West Virginia’s victory impressed the ESPN FPI (Football Power Index) enough to warrant a significant jump in their rankings.

The Mountaineers are now at No. 43, getting back within the top 50 following a dip all the way to No. 51 on the heels of the loss in the Backyard Brawl.

Despite all of the negativity swirling around the Mountaineers after blowing a game to a rival, WVU head coach Neal Brown was always confident his team would bounce back. And they did just that, rallying to beat Kansas after trailing by 11 points in the final minutes.

Brown explained the high character of his players is what caused him to never doubt them. Brown said they showed they can overcome adversity by never giving up when faced with another tough loss.

Brown feels the comeback win over Kansas on the heels of the loss to Pitt embodies why the 2024 Mountaineers are a group of fighters.

“This game to me, what I really tried to speak to them all week is this says who you are. They fought and they showed what kind of character and competitive character they had. Big win,” said Brown during his postgame press conference after the game.

It wasn’t just about the players showing up when it mattered the most for Brown either. He made sure to thank the fans, especially those who stayed throughout the entire game.

While the crowd thinned out significantly, and understandably so based on the long weather delay and the way West Virginia was playing at the time, Brown wanted to recognize those who helped to provide an advantage for the home team during their successful comeback attempt.

“I really appreciate the fans who stayed through the delay.”

No matter what, the resiliency of this group of Mountaineers will be tested again in two weeks on the road against Oklahoma State. WVU and OSU will kickoff at 4 pm ET and will air nationally on ESPN2.