Predicting the rest of the schedule

The Mountaineers are 4-1 (2-0) and have all of a sudden flipped everyone's expectations.

So, how many more games will this team win? Here's how I see it.
 
at Houston - Win

The Cougs will give WVU their best shot on a Thursday night home game. Former WVU head coach Dana Holgorsen has a handful of ex-Mountaineers on his team in RB Tony Mathis Jr., WR Sam Brown, TE Mike O'Laughlin, and S Noah Guzman. They'll be anxious for this one, but they have a lot of issues right now in the trenches and on defense. West Virginia should be able to control the line of scrimmage.

Record: 5-1 (3-0).

vs. Oklahoma State - Win

Oklahoma State is a mess and it doesn't look like they're going to get things figured out anytime soon. This is without question the worst team Mike Gundy has had since taking over the job. This should be a fun one for the Mountaineers as they celebrate homecoming.

Record: 6-1 (4-0).

at UCF - Lose

This is a winnable game. But the Bounce House is a tough place to play and starting QB John Rhys Plumlee should be back on the field by then. This is a coin flip for me, but I'll give UCF a slight edge.

Related video: TCU Falls To West Virginia, 24-21 (Dailymotion)
Record: 6-2 (4-1).

vs. BYU - Win

After dropping their first Big 12 game of the season, the Mountaineers return home for a tough matchup against BYU. The first team to ten may win this game. Both like to play physical, tough football, so this one isn't going to be for the folks who like high-scoring affairs. Mountaineers bounce back.
Record: 7-2 (5-1).

at Oklahoma - Lose

I don't see this being a blowout like many expect it to be. West Virginia likes to muddy the game up and that's not what Oklahoma wants. As long as they're healthy, WVU will have a chance to pull off a stunner. At the end of the day, Norman is a tough place to win and the Mountaineers know about that all too well having not won there since becoming members of the Big 12. Sooners escape.

Record: 7-3 (5-2).

vs. Cincinnati - Win

The Bearcats have a stingy front seven but by this time of the year, they're going to be dealing with depth issues. I believe WVU will be able to run the ball on them at will while the defense plays lights out. Mountaineers win comfortably.

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Record: 8-3 (6-2).

at Baylor - Win

I initially put this down as a loss but changed it last second. The Bears are having a down year and don't have a typical Dave Aranda defense. With Big 12 title implications on the line, WVU shows up and plays well enough to get the job done on the road.

Record: 9-3 (7-2).

Overall thoughts

As I just mentioned, I could see WVU losing that regular season finale. It wouldn't surprise me if this team finished 8-4 and if they do, that is still one heck of a season considering the preseason expectations for this team. If the Mountaineers do find a way to get to nine or more wins, Neal Brown is the clear-cut Big 12 Coach of the Year.

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WVU is stuck in that all too familiar situation; at least the fans are.

Do you start getting excited? ... Do you "let yourself" start to get excited about the Mountaineers' chances?

Let's be real, that's 95% of college fanbases. If you're not a Bama, Georgia, Ohio State, Michigan fan, or one of the other half-dozen other "blue bloods," it's hard to "trust the process." Because we've seen so many "climbs" fall short.

Is it time to trust Brown?

Probably not time to trust. Lol

But the rest of their games ate winnable. With exception of OU and maybe BYU

Oklahoma fans have no problem suddenly trusting Venables. Why not go all-in on Brown in Morgontown?

I know one thing, everyone (outside of Norman) would like to see WVU win the BIg 12 instead Oklahoma. ... Well, and maybe Ben, since he loves blue bloods.

Unfortunately, at WVU, this is the way it happens.

WVU would have a season of greatness and make it to the Big 12 Championship game, albeit, by beating OU this year, or losing to OU, and then having the tiebreaker over UT.

Then absolutely getting embarassed like TCU was in the National Championship game.

Aside from the 3 bcs bowl victories, to which I was at EVERYONE of them, lol.

That is WVU athletics... Take someone to the top of the MTN then push the fans right over the edge into the abyss of hope.