In Week 2, college football fans will be treated to a unique regional road matchup as the West Virginia Mountaineers make a 2 ½ hour trip to Athens, Ohio to face off with the defending MAC Champion Ohio Bobcats.
WVU football is facing the unusual challenge of travelling to a Group of 5 known for their raucous fan atmosphere, the Mountaineers are debuting over 80 new players this season, and Ohio’s has had recent success and nearly upset Big Ten opponent Rutgers in Week 1 on the road. This has many fans expecting a close game and a potential “trap game” for WVU ahead of a passionate Backyard Brawl that looms in Week 3, and the betting line opened with WVU as just a 3 ½ point favorite.
But when the thought of the trip to Ohio being a “trap game” came up during a press conference on Tuesday, WVU head coach Rich Rodriguez responded that he finds the idea “ridiculous.” He then set the record straight that he doesn’t want his players looking ahead to the rivalry game against Pitt.
“If they’re thinking about anyone else other than Ohio, they need to go somewhere else,” Rodriguez said.
WVU HC Rich Rodriguez calls the notion of Ohio being a trap game "ridiculous" and said if his players are "thinking about anyone else other than Ohio, they need to go somewhere else."
— RedditCFB (@RedditCFB) September 2, 2025
Rodriguez went on to add that he doesn’t even want players thinking too much about the game this coming Saturday, and that he’s more concerned about them focusing on the tasks ahead of them to prepare for this weekend’s contest.
“I don't even want them thinking about Saturday. I want them thinking, 'how am I going to get through today's practice,” quipped Rodriguez.