On Wednesday, the Big 12 released the 2026 football schedule for all 16 conference teams, including the West Virginia Mountaineers. We'll come back and evaluate further at a later date (and maybe predict some results), but for now, let's take a quick glance at all 12 games for the Mountaineers and break each one down in a couple sentences.
A Closer Look at the 2026 WVU Football Schedule
WVU vs. Coastal Carolina - September 5
The Mountaineers open their season at Milan Puskar Stadium against the Chanticleers. Coastal finished this past season 6-7, going .500 in the regular season for the second consecutive year before losing to Louisiana Tech in the Independence Bowl. Former head coach Tim Beck was fired after the season, and former Missouri State coach Ryan Beard takes over after leading his last team to a 7-5 record and bowl appearance in their first FBS season.
WVU vs. UT-Martin - September 12
The annual FCS game for the Mountaineers comes against a UT-Martin opponent that went 6-6 overall. They bring a veteran head coach in Jason Simpson, who has spent two decades with the program.
WVU vs. Virginia (Neutral Site Game in Charlotte, NC) - September 19
The Mountaineers will play in the Duke's Mayo Kickoff Classic in Charlotte in Week 3 of the season, reigniting an old border rivalry with Virginia. The Cavaliers went 11-3 this past season, making the ACC Championship but losing to Duke. They went on to earn a Gator Bowl victory over Missouri, and were No. 16 in the final AP Poll and Coaches Poll. Virginia loses starting quarterback Chandler Morris as his eligibility has run dry and an NCAA waiver was denied for another year, but they recently signed Missouri's Beau Pribula and Pitt's Eli Holstein from the transfer portal.
WVU vs. Oklahoma State - September 26
The Mountaineers return home for their third game in Morgantown to open Big 12 play, and will square off against the the Cowboys. Oklahoma State also welcomes a new coach in Eric Morris, who led North Texas to American Conference Championship Game and a 12-2 finish. He brings his quarterback, Drew Mestemaker, along for the ride. He was the third-ranked quarterback in the transfer portal and a five-star transfer prospect after throwing for 4,379 yards and 34 touchdowns last season.
WVU @ Iowa State - October 3
WVU's first true road game comes in October this season, and the Mountaineers will face another first-year coach as Jimmy Rogers takes over the operation following Matt Campbell leaving for Penn State. Iowa State's roster was depleted in the portal and through graduation, with just 16 players from last year's team remaining at one point. The departures include starting qarterback Rocco Becht, who spent multiple seasons in Ames.
WVU vs. Arizona - October 10
WVU will return home against an Arizona team that was sneakily good in 2025, rebounding from a disappointing 2024 season to finish 9-4 overall and fifth in the Big 12. The Wildcats didn't garner much buzz until later in the season, but finished receiving votes in the AP Poll. Now, they are positioned to be in a good place entering 2026.
WVU vs. Cincinnati - October 17
Cincinnati looked like a surprise team last season for awhile, starting with a loss against Nebraska before reeling off seven consecutive wins and climning into the Top 25. But then the Bearcats closed the regular season with four consecutive losses before being manhandled by Navy in the Liberty Bowl, leaving Cincinnati 7-6. The Bearcats also lose their starting quarterback in Brendan Sorsby, who entered the transfer portal following the season.
WVU @ TCU - October 24
This is West Virgini'a first rematch from the previous season, and TCU edged out the Mountaineers 23-17 in 2025. West Virginia will have a better shot at revenge, however, as the Horned Frogs lose starting quarterback Josh Hoover. Still, the Horned Frogs went 9-4 last season and finished at No. 25 in the latest AP Poll.
WVU @ Texas Tech - November 7
WVU once again has Texas Tech on the schedule, as the Red Raiders come off a 12-2 finish, Big 12 Championship, and College Football Playoff appearance. Tech finished No. 7 in the AP Poll, and are set to brig in the eighth-best transfer class and 19th-best high school/JUCO class nationally, according to 247Sports. The aforementioned Brendan Sorsby will be their quarterback after transferring from Cincinnati.
WVU vs. Kansas - November 14
Last season, the Jayhawks continued to revert closer to the program norm with a second consecutive 5-7 season. But this is still a much better Kansas team with Lance Leipold at the helm than in previous era, and his long-time offensive coordinator who helped build Leipold's success at Kansas and at other prior stops, Andy Kotelnicki, has returned to Lawrence.
WVU vs. Houston - November 21
The Mountaineers upset a Top 25 Houston on the road, but the Cougars finished 10-3 with a fourth-place Big 12 finish and Texas Bowl win over LSU, and were ranked No. 23 in the final AP poll. And with Willie Fritz leading the program, there's no reason to believe that pattern of success continues for the program. This time, though, he Mountaineers get the Cougars at home.
WVU @ Utah - November 28
WVU closes their season with a road trip out west, and will play their fourth opponent of the season with a new head coach in the Utes. Morgan Scalley has taken over after Kyle Whittingham stepped down and eventually took an opening at Michigan. The Utes finished 11-2 overall, and beat Nebraska by 22 points in bowl season. They finished ranked No. 14 in the AP Poll.