One thing is for certain: when West Virginia football travels to Stillwater on Saturday for a showdown with the Oklahoma State Cowboys, neither team will consider this a trap game. This is due to both team's having lackluster seasons thus far which have less than exceeded expectations. Otherwise, for the Mountaineers, it could be a trap game, as they head into the following week's hosting of undefeated, No. 16 Iowa State.
However, the team will not look ahead -- indeed, they can't really afford to. Instead, they will concentrate on what's in front of them, and WVU will attempt to leave Stillwater with a crucial Big 12 win to move to one game over .500. on the year.
Oklahoma State can run the football, but the passing game is just as good, if not slightly underrated. Oklahoma State quarterback Alan Bowman has thrown for over 1,500 yards on the season with 11 touchdowns. Running back Ollie Gordon has been a bit under the radar from what was expected, with only 334 yards rushing so far with 4 touchdowns. But as WVU learned last season, he can wreck an opposing defense with his legs.
So what makes this game so crucial besides WVU's precarious record? Oklahoma State also holds the all-time win record versus WVU amongst current Big 12 teams with a 10-5 mark. Not to mention, Oklahoma St. has won eight out of the last nine games played against WVU. The Cowboys are one of the leading contenders to be a top program in the conference yearly following recent conference realignment shifts, and WVU needs to establish that they can stay competitive against the orange-and-black.
The schedule for WVU over the next four weeks is also a brutal one. After this weekend, the Mountaineers play No. 16 Iowa State, No. 20 Kansas State, and an Arizona team that just beat a top Big 12 team in Utah in consecutive weeks, with a bye week following. Those teams have a combined record of 11-2. So for those who "Trust The Climb," please be sure to double up on the fall protection -- that's a tough stretch of football to emerge from unscathed. A win this weekend will go a long way in putting WVU in position to be a conference championship contender and mitigating any other losses on the upcoming October slate of games.