West Virginia battered by Texas Tech, 52-15, to finish regular season 6-6: Is it time to part with coach Neal Brown?

Texas Tech walloped West Virginia 52-15 in the regular-season finale Saturday at Jones AT&T Stadium, drawing a crescendo of criticism for Mountaineers coach Neal Brown.

Since his arrival in Morgantown in 2019, Brown has helped the team to a 37-35 overall record but is 25-28 in the Big 12 over that span. West Virginia (6-6 overall) reached bowl eligibility — its fourth time doing so in Brown’s six seasons — with its sixth victory against UCF on Nov. 23, but none of the teams the Mountaineers triumphed over won more than five games heading into the final weekend of the regular season.

On Saturday, Texas Tech (8-4) outscored West Virginia in every quarter, peaking with a 29-0 second frame. That makes 10 of 12 games this season in which the Mountaineers were outscored in the final half, per the AP.

The Mountaineers finished 5-4 in the Big 12.

What does Saturday’s thrashing mean for Brown?

Brown is no stranger to the hot seat. He coached his way off of it in 2023, leading West Virginia to a 9-4 rebound and a Duke’s Mayo Bowl victory after being picked last in the Big 12 preseason media poll.

In March he signed a one-year contract extension through 2027 and took a voluntary pay cut, forgoing $400,000 in salary increases over the next three years of the contract and electing to reinvest that money in his staff.

Brown earned $4 million in salary in 2024. More than $700,000 was added to the staff salary pool between the pay cut and an additional increase from the university.

Athletic director Wren Baker did not hire Brown, but Baker opted for patience when he took the job in November 2022, choosing to retain Brown despite back-to-back losing seasons. That patience was rewarded in 2023, so it will be curious to see Baker’s approach this time.

Brown’s amended buyout stipulates that he’s owed 75 percent of his remaining salary if fired, which would be north of $9.5 million if let go after this season. Along with additional staff buyouts, that’s a steep price for West Virginia to pay with the impending House settlement and $20-plus-million in annual revenue sharing on the horizon. WVU athletics had a total operating revenue of $106 million in fiscal year 2023, which ranked in the bottom half of the Big 12.

But in a newly wide-open conference and expanded College Football Playoff, there could be enough pressure to make a change after failing to finish better than .500 in the regular season for the third time in four years. — Justin Williams, staff writer, college football

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(Photo: Chris Coduto / Getty Images)