Take Two: West Virginia's biggest home game?
WVSports.com Managing Editor Keenan Cummings and Staff Writer Wesley Shoemaker debate some various topics heading into the start of the 2024 football season.
Today, the pair look at the biggest home game on the schedule for the Mountaineers.
Biggest Home Game
KC: There are a lot of different ways you could look at this one as West Virginia is going to open the season against a top 10 team that has traditionally gotten the better of them in Penn State while also playing host to some high level Big 12 Conference opponents such as Kansas State, Kansas and Iowa State.
The Mountaineers are looking to compete for a conference title in 2024, but even with that said it’s hard for me to nitpick one of those games above the others right now with so much uncertain. Kansas State is picked No. 2 overall in the league so if I had to go with one there could be a strong argument there, but the matchup with Kansas to open Big 12 play is an excellent opportunity for the program to announce their presence.
Still even with all that being said it would send shockwaves across the college football landscape if the Mountaineers were able to knock off Penn State at home. It’s a golden opportunity for the Mountaineers in front of what will be a sold-out crowd with the Big Noon Kickoff show as the backdrop. The Big 12 needs as many marquee wins as possible and if West Virginia could come out with that it would set the tone for what many believe could be the best season yet under head coach Neal Brown.
I see the arguments that could be made for many different games, but the Nittany Lions are my pick.
WS: From the outside looking in, Penn State, a top-ten team, rivalry game, national stage, might be the biggest home game to some, but for me, it has to be Sept. 21 against Kansas.
WVU is vying for a Big 12 Championship appearance and with it a chance to make the College Football Playoff. While the win against Penn State would be a great win for this team and program as a whole, winning conference games against good teams seems to help fit the objective of making it to Arlington more than beating Penn State does.
In addition, last time the Mountaineers faced Kansas, Jalon Daniels was running circles on the turf at Milan Puskar Stadium and WVU was dealt an early-season loss. The Kansas game is the last game of a tough four-game stretch to start the 2024 season. It's also before a game against Oklahoma State. If you drop the Kansas game, OSU then feels like a must-win for the Mountaineers and if you can't get out of Stillwater with a win, you're 0-2 in the Big 12. Even if you beat Penn State, what good does that do you when you would be looking up at the rest of the Big 12.
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