Rich Rodriguez feels West Virginia not contending for the Big 12 would be 'not a good year'

In his first run as the head coach at West Virginia, Rich Rodriguez managed to win the Big East four times. Now, he expects to be just as competitive in the Big 12.

While making an appearance on the College GameDay Podcast, Rodriguez explained that not being a contender in the Big 12 would be a bad season. It’s a high standard to live up to and would require a quick turnaround, but it’s the standard that he expects of the Mountaineers.

“I guess I’ve gotten too old, at least to have coach-speak anymore,” Rich Rodriguez said. “I’m just like, if we’re not playing in contention in November for the conference championship, then I think it’s not a good year.”

The last time West Virginia finished in third place or better in the Big 12 title race was in 2018, the last season for Dana Holgorsen as the Mountaineers’ head coach. His replacement, Neal Brown, never did better than a fourth-place finish. However, they’ve never won the Big 12, with West Virginia’s last conference title coming as a Big East school in 2012 under Holgorsen.

The Big 12, for its part, is a parity-driven league. Last season, that saw Arizona State shock the conference by winning it and going to the College Football Playoff. The last time the same team won two conference championships in a row was Oklahoma‘s run from 2015 through 2020.

“Now, will that lead to a bowl game and winning a bowl game and all that? Every year, our first goal is to win the league,” Rodriguez said. “Now, if you win the league, you’re gonna be in the Playoff. So, that’s going to be a goal as well, but that goes a lot along with it.”

In his first tenure, Rich Rodriguez inherited a West Virginia team coming off a 7-5 season. They struggled in 2001, his first season, as he built the team in his own image, going 3-8 and finishing seventh in the Big East. A year later, they were consistently competitive, finishing second. Starting in 2023, Rodriguez led the Mountaineers on a run of four conference titles in five seasons.

“I saw Arizona State do it last year,” Rodriguez said. “And I know it was in Kenny [Dillingham’s] second year, but they went from down the bottom to the top. Now, can we do that in one year, not two years? That’s a harder ask to do, but certainly that will be our focus.”

West Virginia is going to have a completely flipped roster going into the 2025 season as Rich Rodriguez once again looks to rebuild the position. Fans will get their first look on August 30th against Robert Morris. Big 12 play kicks off on September 20th against Kansas.