Rich Rodriguez is embarking on a new chapter at West Virginia but there’s still some familiarity with the current conference landscape.
That’s because the Big 12 is currently composed of many of the teams that Rodriguez would square off against on a regular basis during his time in the Pac-12 at Arizona.
“I probably know the Big 12 better than most other leagues because most of the teams in there I played when I was at Arizona,” Rodriguez said on The Triple Option podcast. “Half the Pac-12 is in there and we played BYU a couple times as well.”
The Big 12 Conference also has become known for parity, with the league being wide open, as showcased by Arizona State winning it last season despite being picked last in the pre-season.
That wide open element to the league is something that is attractive for coaches.
Rodriguez understands that this team likely will be picked toward the bottom given the massive amount of change with players both exiting and entering the program.
But the expectation is still the same, even with all of that shifting.
“Our expectation is to win and compete for the championship every year, including the first one,” he said.
At this state, Rodriguez believes there’s too many unknowns to truly know where his team is at but given the changes to the transfer portal, teams can get to where they want to go quicker than in the past. It’s allowed the Mountaineers to overturn three-fourths of their roster this off-season.
“I do think the guys have a pretty good attitude. They have bought in and they’re trying hard,” he said.
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