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

If anyone needed to see the vast canyon between the 2025 West Virginia football team and the best in the Big 12 it was on display in brutal fashion in a 49-0 rout at the hands of Texas Tech Saturday. It was a humiliating afternoon and the worst defeat at home since 1891.

With the current state of college football we have to be realistic and understand that this disparity will not be able to be fixed in one year, or perhaps even longer.

A winning football program needs to recruit a high level, develop and retain those recruits, and fill in their roster with quality players through the transfer portal. West Virginia tried to build a competitive team in 2025 by bringing in over 70 new players, which is not a recipe for success. Frankly it is to their credit that they were able to win as many games as they did.

The 2026 recruiting class looks solid at this point, but we cannot expect players one year out of high school to immediately have an impact. There are a few talented players that remain, but there is no guarantee that some of them may not move on to greener pastures. And yes, there is always the transfer portal to bring in more players, but will they be of the quality to help this team improve?

The reality in college football today is that players can be paid, and the best players will understandably land where they will receive the greatest compensation. It is unknown to those of us outside the football program where WVU stands with financial rsources.

If you want to read more about how this new process can work successfully, look up Cody Campbell and the Matador Club at Texas Tech, an NIL collective. Campbell, who is the leading financial donor, among many others, announced earlier this year that the Matador Club had raised 63 million dollars since 2022, a staggering amount. It is thus not surprising when Texas Tech brought in 22 new players through the transfer portal for the 2025 season that the quality of their haul was a talented elite. Add those players to what was already a solid foundation we now see the best team in the Big 12 headed to the College Football Playoff.

The Red Raiders may have been among the best at this approach but far from alone. The SEC and Big Ten powerhouses operate in a similar manner. This is not to disparage any of their successes. They have violated no rules because virtually no rules exist. It is a big money free for all, and until there is a sensible management structure put in place that will not change.

It is difficult to see how West Virginia can compete in football at a consistent successful level in this environment. But all we can do is keep trying. In his postgame press conference Coach Rodriguez, who was candid and self reflective about where we are, committed to getting this fixed. We can only hope he can succeed.