College Football Rankings 2016: Projected AP Top 25 after Week 9

The Mountaineers looked like the one team in the Big 12 with a competent defense as they rolled to a 6-0 start. Then they faced Oklahoma State in Stillwater, and West Virginia had no answers for Mike Gundy’s team. The WVU defense held the Pokes to just 85 rushing yards, but Mason Rudolph completed 26 of 36 attempts for 273 yards and three scores to pace the upset. Skyler Howard had a rough day for West Virginia, throwing two interceptions and losing a fumble to tumble down the Top 25.

Now Dana Holgorsen’s team will need to deal out some upsets of its own if it is to play its way back into the Big 12 race. Next week they get the chance to rebound at home against Kansas, but the Mountaineers still face both Baylor and Oklahoma and also have potential trap games on the road at Texas and Iowa State. If they run the table, they will also need the Cowboys to lose once more. If both teams win out, the head-to-head win by the Pokes would hand them the confernece title.