The West Virginia Mountaineers find themselves in no man’s land in the middle of the Big 12 race. Neal Brown is 17-18 across his first three seasons and hopes to break through in 2022. He made a splashy offensive coordinator hire in Graham Harrell from the USC Trojans. His former quarterback J.T. Daniels enters via the transfer portal as an intriguing answer at the position which fits the scheme well.

Daniels will have a talented trio of receivers in Bryce Ford-Wheaton, Sam James, and Kaden Prather. This team is solid along both lines of scrimmage and has a chance to surprise the Big 12 if they can manage a tricky (but winnable) non-conference slate.

Here’s a look at West Virginia’s schedule with dates, times, opponents, and analysis:

Week 1 – at Pittsburgh Panthers

Date: September 1

Time: 7:00 p.m. ET

The Mountaineers are thrown straight into the fire against the reigning ACC Champions. This game is the 105th iteration of the “Backyard Brawl,” WVU has won seven of the last ten meetings, including three straight.

Week 2 – vs. Kansas Jayhawks

Date: September 10

Time: 6:00 p.m. ET

Conference play begins early with a Week 2 home game against the Kansas Jayhawks. The Mountaineers have won eight straight in this series.

Week 3 – vs. Towson Tigers

Date: September 17

Time: 1:00 p.m. ET

There aren’t many breaks in WVU’s schedule, but this figures to be one of them. The Towson Tigers finished just 4-7 at the FCS level a year ago.

Week 4 – at Virginia Tech Hokies

Date: September 24

Time: 7:30 p.m. ET

The Mountaineers’ second meeting against an ACC school in the non-conference comes against the Virginia Tech Hokies. This Thursday game will be played in Blacksburg, a tricky spot.

Week 5 – at Texas Longhorns

Date: October 1

Time: TBD

These teams have split the past four meetings despite the Texas Longhorns being ranked for three of those games. Steve Sarkisian has a loaded offense in 2022.

Week 6 – BYE

Week 7 – vs. Baylor Bears

Date: October 13

Time: 7:00 p.m. ET

The Mountaineers return from a bye to face the reigning Big 12 Champion Baylor Bears. WVU will be hungry to avenge last year’s 45-20 blowout loss.

Week 8 – at Texas Tech Red Raiders

Date: October 22

Time: TBD

This game will mark the second straight week in which WVU faces a team coming off a bye. The Mountaineers have lost three straight in this series. 

Week 9 – vs. TCU Horned Frogs

Date: October 29

Time: TBD

Neal Brown will hope to maintain his team’s success against the TCU Horned Frogs. WVU has won five of the past six meetings, including four straight.

Week 10 – at Iowa State Cyclones

Date: November 5

Time: TBD

The Mountaineers hit the road to face the Iowa State Cyclones in Ames. Matt Campbell’s team lost a lot of talent and production from a year ago but remains adamant that they’ll remain competitive in the Big 12.

Week 11 – vs. Oklahoma Sooners

Date: November 12

Time: TBD

Since joining the Big 12, the Mountaineers have never beaten the Oklahoma Sooners. Last year’s matchup saw WVU come up short in a 16-13 loss.

Week 12 – vs. Kansas State Wildcats

Date: November 19

Time: TBD

West Virginia has won five of the past six meetings. The Mountaineers haven’t lost in Morgantown to the Kansas State Wildcats since 2014.

Week 13 – at Oklahoma State Cowboys

Date: November 26

Time: TBD

This matchup has been challenging for the Mountaineers, who have dropped seven straight games in the series. A year ago, Mike Gundy’s squad came up just short in the Big 12 Championship.