Ranking WVU's 2023 Games by Difficulty

An in-depth look at West Virginia's football schedule.

The 2023 season is just around the corner and it's an important one for fifth-year head coach Neal Brown. Once again, the Mountaineers will play eleven Power Five opponents in addition to one FCS game. West Virginia will play all four of the Big 12's new members, two of which will be at home. 

Today, we break down the schedule by difficulty. Twelve being the easiest game and one being the most difficult.

12. vs. Duquesne

This might be the only game on the schedule that WVU fans don't have to worry about. The Dukes won't be mistaken for Youngstown State or James Madison. They're a very average FCS team that the Mountaineers should dominate.

11. vs. Cincinnati

Scott Satterfield has a bit of an uphill challenge in year one. The Bearcats will be competitive in the Big 12 but not this season. This is also senior day for WVU and by this time of the year, WVU should be playing its best ball.

10. vs. Oklahoma State

Every year Mike Gundy gets this team to play well above preseason expectations but I just can't figure out how he'll manage to do so in 2023. They lost a ton of pieces on defense and will have average to below-average QB play with Alan Bowman.

9. at Houston

Dana Holgorsen returns to the Big 12 and will do so with a fairly young team. However, I feel like there's a little more pressure on Neal Brown in this one. He can't lose to the guy he replaced. 

8. vs. BYU

Remember that Pitt quarterback who led a "f*** West Virginia" chant at a pep rally ahead of the Backyard Brawl last year? Yeah, well, he's now the QB at BYU. The Cougs will be tough to deal with in the trenches as always but this is a winnable game for the Mountaineers. 

7. at TCU

Replacing Max Duggan, Quentin Johnston, and several others on the offense won't be easy for the Frogs. They have some intriguing young talent but who knows how quickly they come along.

6. at Baylor

Baylor has the ability to compete for a spot in the Big 12 title but they could also end up being a team held back by average QB play from Blake Shapen. This one is a fairly even matchup that could go either way. 

5. at Central Florida

The Bounce House is an extremely difficult place to play and the Knights are the best equipped to make some noise of the Big 12's new members. This could be a long day for the WVU secondary, going up against John Rhys Plumlee.

4. vs. Pitt

The Panthers will probably take a slight step back in 2023 but there is immense pressure to win this game which is why I have it so high on the list. Neal Brown can't afford to lose to Pitt in consecutive years and potentially begin the season 1-2. This game could ultimately dictate the future for Neal in Morgantown.

3. vs. Texas Tech

It feels extremely weird to say this but Texas Tech might be in the Big 12 Conference title mix if they get off to a strong start. Neal Brown has yet to defeat the Red Raiders since taking over as head coach at WVU and this is probably the most talented team Tech has had since 2019.

2. at Oklahoma

The Sooners went 6-7 in Brent Venables' first season in Norman but I'm expecting a big bounce back in year two. The talent is there, especially at quarterback with Dillon Gabriel. They lost four games a year ago by three points each. They weren't as bad as it seemed. Not to mention, WVU hasn't won in Norman since joining the Big 12.

1. at Penn State

Playing in Happy Valley is always a challenge but to do it in the very first game of the year against a quality Penn State team is quite the task. The Nittany Lions might win this game in blowout fashion.

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