(Graphic Illustration - Monday Morning Quarterback - WVU Football - Image rendered through the use of ChatGPT)

Outcomes of games on a season football schedule can often depend to a great extent upon how a team and its opponents are playing at the time the game is played. That has been even more true during the West Virginia football season in 2025.

The upset loss at Ohio in the second game was a precursor of what would be a very disappointing season for West Virginia. Losing to a Mid-American Conference team was virtually unheard of in Mountaineer football lore. The Bobcats, who looked like one of the best teams in their league, then proceeded to lose to Western Michigan and a hapless Ball State.

Play this game in November and WVU would likely win handily.

West Virginia then gave fans hope with a dramatic comeback overtime win against arch-rival Pittsburgh. A couple games later the Panthers changed quarterbacks and turned into a juggernaut winning 6 of 7 games and still have a shot at an ACC Championship game. Play Pitt now and we would have to admit the outcome would not likely be favorable.

Then for a month the Mountaineers sent their fans into the depths of despair by being routed in four consecutive conference games by an average of 28 points. Two of those routs came at the hands of Kansas and Central Florida.

Yet, since then both of these teams have stumbled to losing seasons, and with WVU having improved if either of them were coming to Morgantown Saturday the Mountaineers would likely to be favored.

But the succeeding four games have shown considerable improvement in the fortunes in Morgantown. The Mountaineers were competitive in close losses to TCU and Arizona State, two teams which have had very good winning seasons, and upset another winning team at Houston. Play any of those games in late September or early October and WVU would likely have been hammered.

Even the win against a bad Colorado team might have been different if played early in the season when the Buffaloes were showing a little respectability.

All of that, of course, is meaningless. The only things that really matter are the actual results on the field, but sometimes it is interesting to speculate on the what ifs.

THIS SATURDAY: The one certainty during the 2025 season, however, is that it really wouldn’t matter when West Virginia would be playing Texas Tech. The Red Raiders are ranked fifth nationally and clearly the best team in the Big 12.

Their one loss to Arizona State was when their quarterback was injured. In the remaining Big 12 games they have won by a ridiculous average of 33 points.

They still have everything to play for so we can’t expect any letup this Saturday.

TEXAS TECH 42 WEST VIRGINIA 17.