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

By Andrew Miller

(Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images)
(Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images) /
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KNOXVILLE, TN – NOVEMBER 18: Jarrett Guarantano #2 of the Tennessee Volunteers looks to the sideline for a play call against the LSU Tigers during the first half at Neyland Stadium on November 18, 2017 in Knoxville, Tennessee. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
KNOXVILLE, TN – NOVEMBER 18: Jarrett Guarantano #2 of the Tennessee Volunteers looks to the sideline for a play call against the LSU Tigers during the first half at Neyland Stadium on November 18, 2017 in Knoxville, Tennessee. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images) /

You’d think that the Vols can’t be much worse than they were in the 2017 season, where they finished with just four wins and fired head coach Butch Jones. Now, they’re trying to rebuild with a talented dual-threat quarterback in Jarrett Guarantano and brand new head coach in Pruitt.

The first game of the year for the Mountaineers is played at a neutral site, at Bank of America Stadium (home of the Carolina Panthers) in Charlotte, N.C. Charlotte is likely to be crawling with Tennessee fans, but expect to see an excited West Virginia fan base travel very well here too.

A huge matchup between a still talented Tennessee secondary, and the vaunted West Virginia passing game will come to a head on opening weekend. This is one of the more exciting matchups to watch in Week 1, even if it does not have direct national implications, or at least so it seems.

West Virginia has an easier opponent the following week, so there’s absolutely no reason for them to overlook this contest. Moreover, don’t be fooled by Tennessee’s record last year, they’ll be a tough opponent come Sept. 1. Yet, West Virginia is no stranger to a big time opening weekend matchup either, given their 2017 season opener coming against the Virginia Tech Hokies. Expect West Virginia to come up huge with a key victory over an SEC opponent to kick 2018 off.

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