WVU Football Becomes Bowl Eligible After Victory Over UCF

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – After a 31-21 win over UCF to cap off an overall rough home season, the WVU football program locked up a postseason opportunity by becoming bowl eligible.

West Virginia, now 6-5 (5-3, Big 12), will close the year by appearing in the 41st bowl game in school history. Despite entering the game as a home underdog to a struggling Knights team, Garrett Greene and the Mountaineers ran all over UCF to the tune of 200 rushing yards.

So regardless of the continued discontent from fans, Brown and WVU can now relax a bit, knowing they’re bowl eligible as they head to Lubbock, Texas to close the season against Texas Tech.

Brett McMurphy’s latest bowl projection:

A week after offering WVU and Neal Brown a chance at revenge, Brett McMurphy’s latest bowl projections provide that same opportunity for West Virginia’s opponent.

Two weeks ago, McMurphy of the Action Network had West Virginia facing Minnesota, the same program that beat WVU in the first bowl appearance of Brown’s tenure.

But most recently, the Mountaineers were paired with Army in the Independence Bowl.

The Independence Bowl will take place on Dec. 28 in Shreveport, La. If this projection comes true, it would be a rematch of the 2020 Liberty Bowl, with Army looking to flip the script and win this time.

Back in 2020, Neal Brown secured his first bowl win at WVU after a shortened season with a 24-21 victory. West Virginia was originally scheduled to face Tennessee, but the Volunteers had to forfeit their spot due to COVID-19 issues.

But in 2024, McMurphy has a currently undefeated Army team as a slight favorite. While the Mountaineers have endured a roller coaster of a season, Army entered the week 9-0 and in first place in the American Athletic Conference.

West Virginia is 17-23 all-time in bowl games, winning last year’s Duke’s Mayo Bowl over North Carolina. Brown is 5-1 in his career in bowl games, with this season marking his fourth bowl at WVU. Brown holds a 2-1 bowl record since arriving in West Virginia in 2019.

For a related story, WVU scored their first touchdown against UCF after recovering a fumble.