Since returning to the helm of West Virginia football in December, Rich Rodriguez has been off to the races as he aims to bring the Mountaineers back to national relevance and glory.
Recently, Rodriguez took time out of his schedule to sit down with ESPN's College Gameday podcast, where he answered questions on a number of topics.
During the interview, Rodriguez had an opening to share his opinion on what defines a "good" season, and what his goals are for the program at West Virginia. And his answer is likely music to the ears of Mountaineer fans who grew accustomed to a more muted approach from former WVU Head Coach Neal Brown.
“I guess I’ve gotten too old to do coach speak, but if we’re not in contention in November for the conference championship, then I think it’s not a good year," Rodriguez said. "Our goal every year is to win the league. If you win the league, you’re in the Playoff.”
Under Brown's six-year tenure in Morgantown, the Mountaineers' best finish in the Big 12 standings was a tie for fourth place in 2023 -- their other finishes in the league standing included a pair of fifth place and a pair of seventh place finishes when the Big 12 had just ten teams, and an eight place finish in 2024 amidst an expanded 16-team conference.
The Mountaineers have also not yet come close to sniffing College Football Playoff contention since the inception of the postseason format in 2014, nor have they even come close to a spot in the New Year's Six bowls that were the landing spot for elite non-playoff teams during the years of a four-team format for the playoff.
So for WVU football fans, Rodriguez's commitment to contending for conference championships and finding a way to be playing for a national championship in December and January must be refreshing.
During his first stint with the Mountaineers, Rodriguez was no stranger to this type of success -- the Mountaineers won four conference championships in the Big East under Rodriguez, and made two BCS Bowl appearances under his tenure. Though the latter of those games, the 2008 Fiesta Bowl, was coached by Rodriguez's assistant Bill Stewart after Rodriguez departed for Michigan.