Rich Rodriguez left West Virginia before it joined the Big 12, but he’s ready to take the conference and all of the challenges it presents on head first. He believes there’s a huge opportunity for the Mountaineers to make some noise in his first season as their leader since 2007.
Last year, there wasn’t a soul outside of Tempe who was riding with Arizona State to win the conference, and it rose above and accomplished the insane feat. Can West Virginia be this year’s version of the Sun Devils? That’s the goal for Rodriguez, and if you’re not working towards that, you’re not going to play on his Mountaineers squad.
“What’s interesting to me is that I probably know the Big 12 better than most other leagues because most of the teams in there I played while I was at Arizona. Like, half the PAC-12 is now there. Then, we played BYU a couple of times as well, so I know a lot of those teams and their programs. But every year is different. Arizona State went from last to first last year. We’ll be picked somewhere near the bottom. I’m not saying we’re going to be first, but there’s going to be — it’s not where one team is just going to dominate,” Rodriguez stated, via The Triple Option.
“I think it’s going to be kind of wide open. Probably going to be that way for a couple of years. So, our expectation is to win and compete for the championship every year, including our first year. This will be the hardest year, without question. The hardest year is the first year. But that being said, you know, the Big 12 is pretty wide open, I think.”
All told, Rodriguez has remained steadfast in his yearning to bring West Virginia to the highest level of college football. At 62 years old, he has no time for a filter any longer. He recognizes it’s all about winning in this sport.
“I guess I’ve gotten too old, at least to have coach-speak anymore,” Rodriguez said earlier, via the College GameDay Podcast. “I’m just like, if we’re not playing in contention in November for the conference championship, then I think it’s not a good year.
“… Now, will that lead to a bowl game and winning a bowl game and all that? Every year, our first goal is to win the league. Now, if you win the league, you’re gonna be in the Playoff. So, that’s going to be a goal as well, but that goes a lot along with it. I saw Arizona State do it last year. I know it was in Kenny [Dillingham’s] second year, but they went from down the bottom to the top. Now, can we do that in one year, not two years? That’s a harder ask to do, but certainly that will be our focus.”
Many won’t be picking West Virginia to win the Big 12 in 2025, but perhaps Rich Rodriguez and company can shock the world. After Arizona State’s ascension in 2024, bet against a team in the conference at your own risk.
