Preseason AP Top 25 poll reveals West Virginia faces sneakily difficult 2026 schedule

West Virginia football is chugging along through fall camp, and so far, the buzz around the program seems cautiously optimistic for the program's second season under Rich Rodriguez's second tenure in Morgantown. But the schedule that lies in front of them could be quite difficult.

The Preseason AP Top 25 Pollwas released on Monday. And while you never want to put too much stock into a preseason poll, if the voters do turn out to be correct in their assessments, the Mountaineers could face a tougher schedule than they probably expected.

Rich Rodriguez draws multiple Top 25 teams, several other teams receiving votes on 2026 WVU football schedule

The Mountaineers face three teams that begin the season ranked in the Top 25, with No. 12 Texas Tech, No. 21 Utah, and No. 23 Houston all on the schedule. And when it comes to teams that received votes in that poll but didn't crack the Top 25, there are four opponents on the schedule: Arizona, TCU, Oklahoma State, and Virginia.

There had been a lot of buzz about the team's schedule beingfrontloaded with winnable gamessince it was released last winter. And while there are certainly opportunities for several wins, if Arizona, Oklahoma State, and Virginia live up to some voters' expectations, three out of six games on the opening half of the schedule could provide real tests.

And then, once you get to the final six game stretch, the three teams which earned Top 25 spots, as well as TCU (which was just five spots away from cracking the formal rankings) will all be awaiting. So while there has been a lot of talk about the ease of West Virginia's schedule this year, it might end up being a bit tougher than fans expected.

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