West Virginia fans did not have to wait long for Pat McAfee to give them something to rally around in 2026.
The former Mountaineers kicker and punter used ESPN’s College GameDay on Saturday morning to make one of the boldest Big 12 predictions of opening weekend. While discussing defending conference champion Texas Tech and BYU, McAfee pivoted directly to his alma mater and picked West Virginia to win the league.
“Oh, OK, BYU and Texas Tech. Give me West Virginia University to win the Big 12,” McAfee said. “We have a fully restocked roster. Anything can happen in the Big 12. Legitimately, give me West Virginia.”
McAfee’s West Virginia ties make the pick unsurprising on one level. The size of the prediction is another matter entirely.
West Virginia enters the season well outside the top tier of the Big 12 betting market. As of Sept. 4, sportsbooks listed by VegasInsider had the Mountaineers between +4000 and +5300 to win the conference. Texas Tech was the clear favorite, while BYU owned the second-shortest odds across most of the market.
McAfee Points to West Virginia’s Rebuilt Roster
McAfee’s “fully restocked roster” comment speaks directly to what Rich Rodriguez has spent the offseason trying to build in the second year of his return to Morgantown.
West Virginia’s roster features major turnover and several intriguing newcomers, including Oklahoma transfer quarterback Michael Hawkins Jr., Jacksonville State running back Cam Cook and highly regarded freshmen Kevin Brown and Matt Sieg. Rodriguez told the school’s official website ahead of the opener that he believes the 2026 Mountaineers are bigger, faster and stronger than last year’s team.
There is still plenty to prove.
West Virginia has not finished a season ranked in the AP Top 25 since 2018 and has posted four losing seasons in the past five years, according to WVU Athletics. Rodriguez has also acknowledged that so many new players create uncertainty early in the season.
That makes a Big 12 championship prediction aggressive, even coming from one of the program’s most outspoken supporters.
Big 12 Chaos Gives McAfee an Opening
Texas Tech enters 2026 as the team to beat after routing BYU 34-7 in last season’s Big 12 championship game. The Red Raiders and Cougars are again near the top of the conference market, making McAfee’s dismissal of the obvious choices even more notable.
His larger point is difficult to completely ignore. The Big 12 has provided plenty of movement near the top, and a rebuilt roster gives West Virginia an opportunity to change the conversation quickly if Rodriguez’s newcomers translate immediately.
The Mountaineers do not need to look like a conference champion in September. They do need to show that the gap between themselves and the Big 12’s best has closed.
McAfee clearly believes it has.
For a West Virginia fan base looking for reasons to believe the program’s latest rebuild can move faster than expected, one of the school’s most recognizable former players just gave it a massive one on national television.
Pat McAfee Makes Bold West Virginia Big 12 Prediction on College GameDay