West Virginia Football: 5 must-win games for Moutaineers in 2018

With so much expectation coming through for Will Grier and West Virginia football in 2018, here’s the five games they need to win to meet the hype.

West Virginia football takes the cake as the most hyped up offense in the Big 12 entering the 2018 regular season. A canceled spring game for the Mountaineers was disappointing to see considering we were expecting a huge showing from a healthy Will Grier and David Sills V.

All signs point to West Virginia ranked as a top 20 team entering the 2018 season. There’s too much returning talent on the offensive side of the ball, and some on defense too, for the Mountaineers not to at least get that level of respect this year.

The Big 12 is a wide open race, outside of the Mountaineers and Oklahoma Sooners at the top. It’s anyone’s best guess who steps up after them, or if someone can knock them off. The Texas Longhorns and Kansas State Wildcats do have the necessary tools to be a dark horse to pull off such a feat.

However, we’ll find out a lot about West Virginia from the word go in the fall. Things start off fast with a Week 1 matchup with what could be a rejuvenated Tennessee Volunteers squad, with a first-year head coach and former Alabama Crimson Tide defensive coordinator Jeremy Pruitt.

Then, the Mountaineers have to get past senior quarterback Ryan Finley and the NC State Wolfpack, on the road. There’s some huge tests for the Mountaineers on the way to a very tough Big 12 opener when they host head coach Bill Snyder’s Kansas State squad.

West Virginia does not have a single non-conference FBS opponent at home this year. Youngstown State (FCS) is the only team coming to Milan Puskar Stadium for a non-conference contest. The Mountaineers have six home games in total in 2018.

Here are five games the West Virginia Mountaineers must win to reach their potential in 2018.