WVU Football Earns Top 25 Votes After Finishing Regular Season at 8-4

The critics of Neal Brown’s tenure at West Virginia often bring up that the Mountaineers have never been ranked nationally during his five seasons as head coach of WVU football.

And while that’s still true despite an improved 8-4 season in 2023, it looks like there’s a chance a bowl win could result in West Virginia finishing the year in the top 25. WVU actually earned 10 votes in the Coaches Poll on Sunday less than 24 hours removed from their wild win over Baylor in the final minute of the game. West Virginia did not gain any votes in the Associated Press’ poll.

WVU Escapes Disaster, Beats Baylor for 8th Win Thanks to Late Touchdown

Most will bring up how Brown’s team shouldn’t have even needed Garrett Greene to orchestrate a game winning drive in order to beat a 3-9 Baylor team, but the win did move their final regular record to one that’s impossible to ignore.

This now marks the first time WVU has received votes in a major poll since the first quarter of the season. West Virginia did flirt with inclusion in the top 25 as recent as October, especially while sitting at 4-1 with their only loss at the time being to the perennial top 15 Penn State Nittany Lions in State College.

Associated Press Voter Explains Vote to Include WVU in Top 25

It will now be interesting to see who the Mountaineers get matched up with in the bowl game and if winning that game can impress enough voters to actually jump into the top 25. Ending 2023 with a ranked season will be a boost in Brown’s sales pitch to fans to trust in the WVU football program’s climb.