Thursday afternoon, the Big 12 Conference announced the 2021 football schedule thus completing the slate for West Virginia who had already announced the non-conference games of Maryland, Long Island, and Virginia Tech.
Now with the schedule fully completed, let's take a look at some of the biggest challenges West Virginia will have this year and if there are any areas where the Mountaineers have an advantage.
Strong non-conference opponents
The Mountaineers won't be playing the likes of Alabama (at least not until 2026) but they do play two Power Five opponents in the non-conference portion of their schedule which is something not a lot of schools are willing to do. Opening the season with Maryland will be an interesting game that West Virginia should be able to win but at the same time, gives them a legit test right out of the gate. Mike Locksley has recruited extremely well since returning to the program as head coach and has the team headed in the right direction. The Mountaineers will then return home to face Long Island and then Virginia Tech for the Black Diamond Trophy. Anytime West Virginia and Virginia Tech get together, it's usually a pretty solid football game and it'll be the first time since 2005 that the Mountaineers will host the Hokies. West Virginia leads the all-time series, 28-22-2.
There's going to be a lot of folks upset that Long Island is on the schedule but considering the strength of the Big 12 and the other two opponents that WVU has scheduled, they deserve one "cupcake" game.
Brutal September
Not only does West Virginia have Maryland and Virginia Tech in the first month of the season, but to make it even more challenging, the Mountaineers open up Big 12 play with Oklahoma....on the road.
At first glance, opening league play with Oklahoma may not seem ideal but it's actually not bad if you think about it. Would you rather catch them early in the year when they are still working on their chemistry or have them at the back end of the schedule when they're firing on all cylinders? I know which one I'd prefer.
October poses some challenges, but W's are there
The 2nd month of the regular season is a little bit easier, but two road games back-to-back at Baylor and TCU are going to be crucial. Luckily, West Virginia catches a break by having their bye week sandwiched in between the two games. To keep pace in the Big 12 race, the Mountaineers have to find a way to win both of those games plus the first game of the month which is at home against Texas Tech. Two of those three teams finished at the bottom of the league this fall, so the Mountaineers should be able to come up with some wins to start October. To close out October, Iowa State will come rolling into Morgantown and will likely be one of the favorites to win the Big 12.
November sets up nice
West Virginia will likely be favored against both Kansas State and Kansas but the matchups with Oklahoma State and Texas are going to be the biggest challenges. It's hard to tell how good Texas will be good in year one with Steve Sarkisian and Oklahoma State will have to reload with several of their top players heading to the NFL. Fortunately, West Virginia gets both of those games at home. If they can take care of business on the road, there's a good chance they can go, at worst, 3-1 in the final month of the season.
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February 12, 2021 at 02:26AM
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Initial Thoughts on WVU's 2021 Football Schedule - Sports Illustrated
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