West Virginia football plays host to the No. 11 Texas Longhorns on Saturday at Milan Puskar Stadium. Here are three bold predictions for the matchup.
First-year WVU football head coach Neal Brown is about to play the Texas Longhorns for the first time in his career. He hasn’t bought into the apparent rivalry that Mountaineer fans have grown to appreciate since moving to the Big 12 from the Big East, but Saturday’s game could change his mind.
Much like the Mountaineers, Tom Herman and the 11th-ranked Longhorns are also 3-1. They haven’t really beaten anybody yet, though, with wins against Louisiana Tech, Rice, and Oklahoma State, but they did play the LSU Tigers tough — ultimately losing 45-38 at home. While that loss shouldn’t derail their season, it’s a bit puzzling why the Horns are ranked so high having beaten nobody. Of course, they did start the season in the top 10.
Regardless, a high-ranked Texas squad is good for West Virginia, and Brown in particular. He’s got another opportunity — his first at West Virginia — to knock off a ranked opponent. He’s just 1-3 against ranked teams from his days at Troy, but it’ll be just his second while defending his home turf; three of his four ranked opponent’s have hosted Brown and his teams. Will Morgantown provide a home-field advantage that propels the Mountaineers to victory?
Not many are giving the Mountaineers a chance against the Longhorns, but that’s exactly what could fuel WVU. Couple that with the simple fact they’re coming off of a bye week (as are the Longhorns), and West Virginia will be eager to get back on the field and prove just how dangerous they can be.