West Virginia head coach Neal Brown believes his team can achieve something this season that would be a first in program history – reach the College Football Playoff.

Simply based on the format expanding from a four-team field to twelve, WVU’s chances are already significantly higher than in year’s past. In the previous format, the Mountaineers would have had to win 10 or more games (maybe even 11 or more) and win the Big 12 Conference championship. Now, that’s not the case. There could be years where you may not play for the title game in Arlington, but still find a way into the CFP, although unlikely. Making it to the Big 12 championship could be enough to get you in that top 12, assuming you don’t get there with an 8-4 record.

As you would expect, West Virginia is considered a long shot to clinch a berth in the CFP with +1500 odds according to FanDuel Sportsbook.

They currently have the same odds as Big 12 foe TCU, but have longer odds than Appalachian State (+1400), UTSA (+1300), Tulane (+1000), and Memphis (+600). How so? The highest ranked Group of Five conference champion will punch their ticket. West Virginia has the ninth-best odds among Big 12 schools, checking in behind Utah (+260), Kansas State (+310), Kansas (+700), Arizona (+950), Oklahoma State (+950), Texas Tech (+950), Iowa State (+950), and UCF (+1100).

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Emmitt Matthews Jr. has been to the Atlanta Hawks Summer League roster.

The former West Virginia University forward spent last season with the Hawks’ G League affiliate, College Park Skyhawks. He made 30 appearances with 14 starts and averaged 3.3 points and 2.3 rebounds per game, including producing a season-high 13 points against the Maine Celtics, two games after snagging a season-high eight rebounds.

Matthews spent his first three seasons at WVU and averaged 6.4 points and 3.5 rebounds per game during that span before transferring to his home state and joined the University of Washington Huskies where he averaged 11.7 and 4.7 rebounds per game in 32 starts.

The Tacoma native returned to Morgantown for his final year of eligibility and helped guide the Mountaineers back to the NCAA tournament, averaging 10.2 points and 3.9 rebounds per game.

West Virginia has seen some great quarterback play over the years, specifically since the turn of the century. Who was the best at the position since 2000? We rank the top five below.

Note: Garrett Greene is not eligible due to being an active player.

I had a difficult time putting Marshall at No. 5 rather than No. 4. Between he and the next guy, it was splitting hairs. Marshall walked so Pat White could run. From 2002-04, he compiled a 16-4 record against Big East opponents and was named Big East Offensive Player of the Year in 2004. In addition to throwing for 43 touchdowns in his career, he scored another 24 with his legs.

During his playing career, you probably would have never thought he’d land on a list like this. But when you look at the overall production and record as a starter, he’s absolutely worthy of this ranking. Howard was not the most refined passer by any means, but his grit and toughness go unmatched. In my opinion, Howard is still under-appreciated. He’s one of just four quarterbacks to lead WVU to a 10-win season in the last 31 years – Jake Kelchner, Pat White, and Geno Smith being the others.

Grier may not have won 10 games like the previously mentioned Howard, but the two schedules he played against were significantly tougher than what that 2016 group saw. Plus, Grier had the Mountaineers ranked as high as No. 6 in the AP Top 25 poll in 2018 and were one win away from appearing in the Big 12 Conference championship game. Like the next guy on this list, he put up video game numbers. 7,354 yards and 71 touchdowns in two seasons is insane.

The best pure passer in school history? You could make a case for Grier or Marc Bulger, but it’s Geno for me. His program record 11,662 yards and 98 touchdowns may stand the test of time. A true generational talent and one that we may never see in Morgantown as far as throwing the ball is concerned, completing 67.4% of his passes for his career.

With all due respect to the others on this list, none of them are even in the same stratosphere as Pat White. He not only helped put West Virginia back on the map, but he had the Mountaineers on the doorstep of a national championship appearance in 2007. It blows my mind to this day how he never finished higher than sixth in the Heisman Trophy voting. White led the golden era of Mountaineer football. Had he arrived a few years later he would have been considered a surefire first-round pick.

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