West Virginia plays seven games at Milan Puskar Stadium in 2026, only the fifth time that has happened since the Mountaineers joined the Big 12 in 2012, and five of the first seven are at home. The one early trip is a neutral-site date with Virginia in Charlotte, and the year ends on Black Friday night in Salt Lake City.
Rich Rodriguez is in the second season of his second tenure after a 4-8 debut in 2025 that included a 2-7 Big 12 record. The schedule gives him a soft September and a manageable travel load to work with.
Games That Will Define the Mountaineers’ Season
| Sept 19 vs Virginia | A Saturday night at Bank of America Stadium against a Cavaliers team that reached the ACC Championship Game and finished in the AP Top 25 last year. It’s the 24th meeting in the series and the first since the 2002 Continental Tire Bowl, played in the same building. |
| Sept 26 vs Oklahoma State | The Big 12 opener at home, and the 17th meeting between the programs. With five of the first seven at Milan Puskar, this is where a fast start gets built or lost. |
| Oct 17 vs Cincinnati | The old Big East rivalry, now a Big 12 fixture, and the last home game before the bye. Cincinnati gets a highlighted row every year on this page. |
| Nov 27 at Utah | The program’s first ever trip to Salt Lake City, on Black Friday night, in the FOX window. Utah went 11-2 last year and is in its first season under Morgan Scalley. |
How the Schedule Sets Up
Coastal Carolina and UT Martin at home give Rodriguez two tune-ups before Virginia in Charlotte, then Oklahoma State opens league play at home. The first road trip in a conference game doesn’t come until Oct 3 at Iowa State, which also has a new head coach in Jimmy Rogers. Arizona and Cincinnati follow at home, then TCU on the road before the Oct 31 bye.
November is where the record gets decided: Texas Tech in Lubbock, two straight home games against Kansas and Houston, and the Friday night finale in Salt Lake City. For the full conference picture, see our Texas Tech schedule and Utah schedule. The official schedule and ticket details are on WVUsports.com.
The Bottom Line
Seven home games, a neutral-site night game in Charlotte, an Oct 31 bye, and a Black Friday finale in Utah. After a 4-8 first year back, Rodriguez gets one of the friendliest schedule layouts West Virginia has had in the Big 12 era. Bookmark this page; results and kickoff times are updated throughout the season.