WVU Football Included in Early Bowl Projections

WVU football is projected to play Air Force in the Armed Forces Bowl on Dec. 27 in Fort Worth, Texas, according to Brett McMurphy. McMurphy released his full Week 0 projections on Monday.

Air Force is coming off of another successful season under head coach Troy Calhoun, where the Falcons defeated James Madison in the Armed Forces Bowl. Air Force’s highest poll ranking last year came at No. 17 during the middle of the season.

Here’s McMurphy’s playoff projections:

1. Oregon – Big Ten**

2. Alabama – SEC**

3. Miami (FL) – ACC**

4. Utah – Big 12**

5. Ohio State – Big Ten

6. Georgia – SEC

7. Ole Miss – SEC

8. LSU – SEC

9. Penn State – Big Ten

10. Virginia Tech – ACC

11. Iowa – Big Ten

12. Texas State – Sun Belt

** = first-round byes

The College Football Playoff now moves to 12 teams after a near-decade of four teams. The top four conference champions receive a bye with the group of five schools also receiving an automatic bid. From there, the rest of the field is determined by at-large bids. This now opens the door for many teams to contend for the national title even after a loss or two.

West Virginia is coming off of a 9-4 season, capped off by a Duke’s Mayo Bowl victory over North Carolina. WVU HC Neal Brown and his staff have had a pretty quiet offseason with the transfer portal era considered. West Virginia opens the season on Aug. 31, hosting Penn State, before playing Albany and Pitt before Big 12 play begins.