West Virginia

The West Virginia University football program traces its origin back to November 28, 1891, when its first team fell to Washington & Jefferson 72–0 on a converted cow pasture. Despite its humble beginning, West Virginia enjoyed a 25–23–3 overall record prior to 1900, which proved to be a fruitful century of Mountaineer football. The early 1900s brought about early successes for the program, namely during the 1903 and 1905 seasons when WVU posted records of 7–1 and 8–1 respectively. WVU produced a 6–3 record in the 1904 season, despite losing to Penn State, Pitt, and Michigan by a combined score of 217–0. The 1908–20 period produced the four-year head coaching tenures of C.A. Lueder (1908–11) and Mont McIntire (1916–17, 1919–20), representing the longest coaching tenures during this early period of Mountaineer football. Lueder's Mountaineers produced a 17–13–3 record, while McIntire's teams produced the most success of any Mountaineer team prior to 1921, compiling a 24–11–4 record including an 8–2 finish in 1919. That same Mountaineer team also produced West Virginia's first ever Consensus All-American and potential College Football Hall of Fame inductee, Ira Errett Rodgers. Rodgers scored 19 touchdowns and kicked 33 extra points for WVU in 1919 season, leading the nation with 147 total points. Rodgers also threw 11 touchdown passes that season, an unheard of feat at the time and a Mountaineer record until 1949. The Mountaineers enjoyed their first period of success during the 1920s, coinciding with the successful coaching tenures of Clarence Spears (1921–24) and Ira Errett Rodgers (1925–30, 1943–45). Under the tutelage of Spears, West Virginia compiled a 30–6–3 record with its best performance coming in the 1922 season. The 1922 edition of the Mountaineers remains the only team in West Virginia history to produce an unbeaten season, finishing with a 10–0–1 mark. Spears's Mountaineers surrendered only 34 total points in 1922, posting six consecutive shutouts to finish the regular season. The 1922 season also produced notable victories against rival Pitt and against Gonzaga in the East-West Bowl, the program's first bowl game appearance. Offensive tackle Russell Meredith garnered First-Team All-American honors. In homage to the successes of the 1922 season, West Virginia University undertook construction of what became the first incarnation of Mountaineer Field.

The Mountaineers continued their success under Spears in posting subsequent one-loss seasons in 1923 (7–1–1) and in 1924 (8–1), with Spears departing the program for Minnesota thereafter. Ira Errett Rodgers replaced Spears and the Mountaineers posted an 8–1 record in 1925. After a 6–4 finish in 1926 and a 2–4–3 record in 1927, the program produced an 8–2 finish in 1928. Rodgers's first tenure as West Virginia coach ended with records of 4–3–3 in 1929 and 5–5 in 1930. Taking over for Rodgers in 1931 was Earle "Greasy" Neale, but his tenure was short-lived as the Mountaineers failed to produce a single winning season under his guise, going a combined 12–16–3 over Neale's three years as coach. Charles Tallman, an End who achieved All-American status with the Mountaineers in 1923 with the Mountaineers, replaced Neale in 1934 and produced immediate results as the program posted 6–4 records in 1934 and 1936. Although West Virginia posted a 3–4–2 record in 1935, the program produced an All-American in Joe Stydahar, an offensive tackle. "Jumbo Joe" later became both a College Football Hall of Fame and Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee. Despite his winning record, Tallman resigned after the 1936 season to pursue his career in law enforcement as Superintendent of the West Virginia State Police. Marshall Glenn picked up right where Tallman left off, leading West Virginia to an 8–1–1 record in 1937. The season concluded with an upset of Texas Tech in the 1938 Sun Bowl. Running back Harry Clarke led the way for the Mountaineers that season, rushing for a then school record 921 yards and 10 touchdowns. Glenn's success was short-lived, however, as subsequent WVU teams posted losing records of 4–5–1 in 1938 and 2–6–1 in 1939, leading to his ouster. West Virginia experienced a lag in success during much of the 1940s, producing only three winning seasons while witnessing the split coaching tenures of Bill Kern (1940–42, 1946–47) and the second appearance of Ira Errett Rodgers (1943–45). Under the direction of head coach Dudley DeGroot in the 1948 season, the Mountaineers returned to prominence with a 9–3 finish, adding another Sun Bowl victory to its resume with a 21–12 defeat of Texas Western (now known as UTEP). Despite that successful first season at the program's helm, DeGroot resigned after a disappointing 4–6–1 finish in 1949.

When Art "Pappy" Lewis became West Virginia's head coach in 1950, he remarked that it was the job that he had always wanted. Known by his peers as an exceptional recruiter and by his players as a father figure, Lewis established a family-like atmosphere within the Mountaineer football program. Lewis's Mountaineer teams held true to form, experiencing their most consistent success during the 1950s as it ever had previously. After forgettable campaigns in 1950 and '1951, the 1952 season brought WVU its first winning season since 1948. The Mountaineers finished with a 7–2 record, highlighted by a 16–0 upset victory of No. 18 Pitt in Pittsburgh.

Beginning with the 1953 season, the Mountaineers would reel off three consecutive eight-win seasons and five Southern Conference (SoCon) championships in six seasons. In 1953, the Mountaineers finished with an 8–2 record, their first SoCon championship, a No. 10 ranking in the Associated Press (AP) Poll, and a berth in the Sugar Bowl with Georgia Tech. The 1954 edition of the Mountaineers also finished the regular season with an 8–1 mark, losing their only game to Pitt by a 13–10 score. The Mountaineers did not earn a bowl bid, however, despite winning their second consecutive SoCon title and earning a No. 12 ranking in the AP Poll. In 1955, the Mountaineers engineered yet another eight-win season and SoCon championship, but upset losses to Pitt and Syracuse doomed West Virginia's shot at a bowl bid. Despite its disappointing finish, WVU produced two All-American offensive linemen and future College Football Hall of Fame inductees in Bruce Bosley and Sam Huff. Bosley earned Consensus All-American status that season, becoming the first Mountaineer to do so since Ira Errett Rodgers in 1919.

Despite finishing with a modest 6–4 record in 1956, West Virginia won its fourth consecutive SoCon title with a 5–0 record in conference play. The 1957 season resulted in a 7–2–1 record and a 3–0 mark in Southern Conference play. Although the Mountaineers once again compiled an undefeated SoCon record, they were not awarded the conference championship, as VMI earned the title with a 9–0–1 overall record and 6–0 record in SoCon play. In 1958, the Mountaineers had their first losing season in eight years, but their 4–0 record in SoCon play earned them a 5th conference title in six seasons. The 1958 season was the final season that West Virginia would win a conference championship under Lewis's tenure. The Mountaineers finished 3–7 in 1959, losing the final five games of the season by a combined score of 24–140. Lewis resigned as head coach afterward. Despite the program's drop off in success in his final two seasons as coach, Lewis produced 58 victories overall during his tenure at West Virginia, placing him fourth overall in the program's history.

After Lewis's departure, the program hit an all-time low in 1960 under first-year head coach Gene Corum, posting its worst season to date: 0–8–2. The Mountaineers were simply outclassed by their opponents, being outscored 40–259 on the season. The Mountaineers rebounded, however, and by 1962 were back to their winning ways, posting an 8–2 record and 4–0 conference record. Despite their undefeated conference record, once again the SoCon crown eluded the Mountaineers in favor of the VMI Keydets and their 6–0 record in conference play. West Virginia did not have to wait long for its next SoCon title, however, as the program won the title in the 1964 and 1965 seasons consecutively. The Mountaineers finished 7–4 in 1964 and participated in the Liberty Bowl against Utah, West Virginia's first bowl game in 11 years as well as the first major college football bowl game ever played indoors and to be broadcast nationwide in the United States. Corum's tenure ended thereafter, posting a 29–30–2 record over his six seasons as head coach. Corum's legacy went well beyond wins and losses, however, as he integrated WVU football in 1963 with the program's first African-American recruits in Roger Alford and Dick Leftridge.

Following the 1965 season, Jim Carlen took over for Corum as head coach. After a 3–5–2 finish in 1966, Carlen guided the Mountaineers to their 8th and final SoCon championship in 1967. West Virginia left the Southern Conference thereafter, participating as an independent until 1991. Carlen's Mountaineers would produce subsequent winning seasons in 1968 and 1969, posting records of 7–3 and 10–1, respectively. The 1969 edition of the Mountaineers was the most successful West Virginia team since the 1922 season. Not only did the Mountaineers win 10 games, but they earned their first bowl game victory since 1948 with a Peach Bowl victory over No. 19 South Carolina, as well as a No. 18 final ranking in the Coaches Poll. The dynamic rushing tandem of running back Bob Gresham (1,155 yards and 9 touchdowns) and fullback Jim Braxton (843 yards, 12 touchdowns) led the Mountaineers. Gresham became the second Mountaineer to ever rush for more than 1,000 yards (Garrett Ford, Sr. was the first with 1,068 yards in 1966). At the conclusion of the 1969 season, Carlen departed West Virginia for Texas Tech. The Mountaineers responded by hiring Bobby Bowden.

It appeared that the Bobby Bowden era of Mountaineer football could not have begun more smoothly early in the 1970 season, or so it seemed. The Mountaineers were 4–1 to start the season and led arch rival Pitt 35–8 at halftime in week six. What transpired was one of the most infamous collapses in Backyard Brawl and West Virginia football history. The Mountaineers surrendered 28 unanswered points, losing to the Panthers 36–35 and leading Bowden to remark that he had "embarrassed the whole state of West Virginia" in the process. Despite the disappointment of the Pitt defeat, West Virginia went on to finish the 1970 season with an 8–3 record. Fullback Jim Braxton and linebacker Dale Farley earned All-American honors.

The Mountaineers continued their winning ways under Bowden in 1971 and 1972, posting records of 7–4 and 8–4 respectively. The 1972 West Virginia team earned the program's first trip back to a bowl game in three years, participating once again in the Peach Bowl against North Carolina State. The season also witnessed the offensive prowess of running back Kerry Marbury and wide receiver Danny Buggs. Marbury ran for 16 touchdowns in 1972, a record that remained unbroken until 2002. Buggs recorded 35 receptions for 791 yards and eight touchdowns, ran for four touchdowns, and returned two punts for touchdowns to amass 14 total touchdowns.

The 1973 and 1974 seasons, however, were not successful campaigns for the Mountaineers, as they finished with records of 6–5 and 4–7. Despite the disappointment of those seasons, Danny Buggs earned All-American status for his contributions in both campaigns. The 1975 season was successful as the Mountaineers compiled a 9–3 record, a 13–10 Peach Bowl victory over North Carolina State, and a final ranking of No. 17 in the Coaches Poll and No. 20 in the AP Poll. Additionally, the Mountaineers upset the No. 20 Pitt Panthers 17–14 on a game-winning field goal in the closing seconds in yet another memorable chapter of the Backyard Brawl. Bowden later described the victory as one of the most exciting ones of his coaching career. Following the 1975 season, Bowden left WVU to become the head coach at Florida State, where he would become the second winningest coach in NCAA Division I-A/FBS history. In just six seasons with the Mountaineers, Bowden produced a 42–26 record, good for fifth all-time in the program. Bowden's departure not only signaled the end of his tenure at West Virginia, but to the end of WVU's winning ways in the 1970s.

Under the direction of Frank Cignetti, the Mountaineers endured four consecutive losing seasons. West Virginia completed the 1976 season with a 5–6 record, losing four of its final six games. The disappointment of 1976 was realized again the following season, as the Mountaineers posted another 5–6 finish in 1977. After a promising 4–1 start to the season, including an upset road victory over No. 11 Maryland, WVU lost five of its final six games. The Mountaineers finished 2–9 in 1978, being outscored 364–167. It was later revealed that Cignetti had suffered from a rare form of cancer during the season, nearly losing his life on the operating table during a procedure to remove his spleen in the winter of 1978. The 1979 season was Cignetti's final with the program. The Mountaineers produced another 5–6 finish, losing their first three games and later dropping three out of their final four games.

Despite the program's losing seasons during Cignetti's tenure, Cignetti managed to land prized recruit and future Consensus All-American linebacker Darryl Talley, as well as standout quarterback and future Athletic Director Oliver Luck and running back Robert Alexander. Cignetti's coaching staffs also consisted of some of the best coaches in college football, including Nick Saban, Joe Pendry and Rick Trickett (who, along with Rich Rodriguez, was later credited as an innovator in utilizing the zone blocking scheme in conjunction with the run-based spread offense at WVU). However, with a 17–27 record during his four years with the program, and in having to follow in the footsteps of the great Bobby Bowden (who later became the second all-time leader in victories amongst NCAA FBS coaches), Cignetti's legacy is one of the most conflicted in the program's history.

In the wake of Frank Cignetti's firing, the West Virginia Athletic Department determined that a full rebuild was in order. On December 10, 1979, West Virginia introduced Don Nehlen as its new head coach, the 30th coach in the program's history. Coinciding with Nehlen's hire was the construction of the second incarnation of Mountaineer Field, the program's current home stadium. Nehlen brought several changes to the Mountaineer football program, including a new logo and color scheme that remains in use to this day. The result was consistency and success for the program during his two-decade tenure at West Virginia. After a 6–6 campaign in 1980, Nehlen's 1981 Mountaineer team produced the first of 15 winning seasons under his direction. It also marked the first of three consecutive nine-win seasons and four consecutive bowl game appearances for the Mountaineers. Led by senior quarterback Oliver Luck's 2,448 yards passing and 16 touchdowns, the 1981 team posted a 9–3 record and earned a trip back to the Peach Bowl, where they defeated the Florida Gators 26–6. WVU also finished ranked in the polls for the first time since 1975, coming in at No. 17 and No. 18 in the AP and Coaches Polls, respectively.

The 1982 Mountaineers experienced similar success. Sparked by their come-from-behind upset victory over No. 9 Oklahoma to open the season, the Mountaineers finished with a 9–2 record, remaining ranked in the AP poll throughout the season en route to a Gator Bowl berth with Bobby Bowden and Florida State. Despite its Gator Bowl loss, West Virginia once again finished the season 9–3 and ranked 19th in both final polls. The team also produced the program's first Consensus All-American since 1955 in senior linebacker Darryl Talley. The Mountaineers won their first six games at the outset of the 1983 season, attaining a No. 4 ranking in the AP Poll. With a 41–23 upset loss to 1983 in week 8, however, West Virginia's hopes of an undefeated season collapsed. WVU lost three of its final five regular season games before defeating Kentucky in the Hall of Fame Classic to finish the season at 9–3. It was the third consecutive season for WVU to finish ranked, coming in at No. 16 in both the AP and Coaches Polls. Quarterback Jeff Hostetler led the offensive attack with 2,345 yards passing and 16 touchdowns, while Kicker Paul Woodside received All-American honors in converting 21 of 25 field goal attempts and all 37 of his extra point attempts en route to a team-leading 100 points.

Although the 1984 season had all off the makings of a memorable one for West Virginia, the Mountaineers experienced another letdown. WVU started the season with a 7–1 record, posting an upset victory over No. 4 Boston College and its first victory over Penn State in 25 meetings along the way. The Mountaineers were upset in each of their final three regular season games, however, losing to Virginia, Rutgers and Temple. WVU rebounded to defeat Texas Christian in the Bluebonnet Bowl, finishing the season at 8–4 with a No. 21 ranking in the final Coaches poll. The Mountaineers also produced three All-Americans in return specialist Willie Drewrey, kicker Paul Woodside, and tight end Rob Bennett. After four consecutive seasons of bowl berths and finishes in at least one of the polls, West Virginia went on a two-year drought in 1985 and 1986, finishing those seasons with records of 7–3–1 and 4–7 (Nehlen's first of only four losing seasons) respectively. The shortcomings of those seasons came to a head in 1987, where the Mountaineers endured a season of growing pains and near-misses. Despite a 1–3 start, West Virginia rallied to finish the regular season at 6–5 with four of its five losses coming by deficits of 5 points or less. Freshman quarterback Major Harris led the way for the Mountaineers, compiling 16 total touchdowns and providing glimpses of what was to come in his illustrious collegiate career. The season culminated in a 35–33 loss to No. 11 Oklahoma State in the Sun Bowl, a game in which the Mountaineers led 24–14 at halftime and lost on a failed two-point conversion attempt with 1:13 remaining.

The 1988 edition of the Mountaineers achieved an undefeated regular season, compiling 11 wins for the first time in its history. The success of the regular season culminated in West Virginia's first and only trip to a National Championship Game in its history, where the No. 3 Mountaineers met No. 1 Notre Dame in the Fiesta Bowl. Notre Dame went on to win 34–21 and claimed the national championship. West Virginia finished the 1988 campaign ranked No. 5 in both the AP and Coaches Polls. Major Harris compiled 610 yards rushing, 1,915 yards passing, and 20 total touchdowns on the season. Coming off of its first ever 11-win season and with junior Major Harris returning to lead a potent offense, West Virginia entered the 1989 season with high expectations and a No. 17 ranking in the AP Poll. The Mountaineers raced to a 4–0 record and to No. 9 in the AP Poll. In Week 5 against No. 10 Pitt, however, West Virginia fell victim to another memorable collapse in the Backyard Brawl. Trailing 31–9 in the 4th quarter, Pitt scored 22 unanswered points and kicked a game-tying field goal as time expired to force a 31–31 tie. The Mountaineers suffered another defeat the following week with a 12–10 home loss to Virginia Tech, followed by a 19–9 loss to No. 16 Penn State in State College. Despite those defeats, WVU finished the regular season at 8–2–1, a No. 17 ranking in the AP Poll, and a trip to the Gator Bowl to face No. 14 Clemson. The Mountaineers lost 27–7 and finished the season at 8–3–1 with a No. 21 ranking in the final AP Poll. The 1990 season, West Virginia's final as an NCAA Division I-A Independent, coincided with a 4–7 finish.

West Virginia entered the 1991 season as new members of the Big East in what became a 20-year affiliation with the conference. After finishes of 6–5 in 1991 and 5–4–2 in 1992, the Mountaineers returned to ranks of the college football elite in the 1993 season. For the second time in six seasons, West Virginia produced an undefeated, 11-win regular season in 1993. The Mountaineers engineered several close victories, beginning with a 36–34 upset of No. 17 Louisville at home in Morgantown. In its final two regular season games, WVU twice erased 4th quarter deficits to defeat No. 4 Miami and No. 11 Boston College. Despite finishing the regular season undefeated and ranked No. 2 in the Coaches Poll and No. 3 in the AP Poll, West Virginia was not selected to play in the Orange Bowl for a possible national championship. The Bowl Coalition system, designed to place the top two ranked teams in a bowl to determine the National Champion, slotted the Mountaineers at No. 3 behind 11–1 Florida State. The Seminoles were selected to play No. 1 Nebraska in the Orange Bowl for the national championship, while West Virginia settled for a Sugar Bowl berth against SEC Champion Florida. The Gators routed the Mountaineers 41–7, denying West Virginia its perfect season. WVU finished the season at 11–1, ranked No. 6 in the Coaches Poll and No. 7 in the AP Poll. Robert Walker amassed a then-school record 1,250 rushing yards, along with 11 touchdowns on the season.

The 1993 season was WVU's final season with double-digit victories during Nehlen's tenure as subsequent Mountaineer teams failed to recapture that level of success. After posting a 7–6 record in 1994 and a 5–6 mark in 1995, the 1996 Mountaineers showed promise of returning the program to national prominence. West Virginia began the 1996 season with a 7–0 record, only to lose three of its final four regular season games en route to an 8–3 record and a 20–13 defeat in the Gator Bowl at the hands of No. 12 North Carolina to finish 8–4. The Mountaineers put together another strong start in 1997, taking a 7–2 record into the final two weeks of the season. Once again, the Mountaineers faltered as they lost 21–14 at Notre Dame and 41–38 in triple overtime to a 5–5 Pitt team to finish the regular season at 7–4. The late season collapse culminated in another bowl game defeat, this time to Georgia Tech in the Carquest Bowl. Despite the disappointing conclusion to the season, quarterback Marc Bulger emerged as a capable leader throwing for 2,465 yards and 14 touchdowns. Running back Amos Zereoué shattered Robert Walker's rushing record with 1,589 yards, and his 18 rushing touchdowns are the second most in a single season at WVU.

The 1998 season brought high expectations for the Mountaineers, as WVU entered the season ranked No. 11 in the AP Poll. Despite dropping its opening game to No. 1 Ohio State, West Virginia rebounded to win its next four games and went on to finish the season with an 8–3 record and 5–2 mark in Big East conference play. The Mountaineers failed to attain nine wins, however, as they lost their 8th consecutive bowl game in the Insight.com Bowl to Missouri. Bulger set two WVU records with 3,607 yards passing and 31 touchdown passes, while Zereoué amassed 1,462 yards rushing and 13 touchdowns in his final season as a Mountaineer. Receivers Shawn Foreman and David Saunders finished with eight touchdown receptions each. After a 4–7 finish in 1999, Don Nehlen's final season with the Mountaineers in 2000 culminated in a 7–5 record with a victory in the Music City Bowl over Ole Miss, ending West Virginia's streak of futility in bowl games. Overall, Nehlen posted a 149–93–4 record during his tenure at West Virginia, making him both the longest-serving and most successful head coach in Mountaineer history. While his coaching tenure contained numerous successes, Nehlen's time at WVU also included its share of shortcomings as his Mountaineer teams often struggled against ranked opponents and in bowl games. However, as the man responsible for shaping the Mountaineer football program and bringing it to national relevancy in his 21 seasons in Morgantown, Nehlen was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2005. Most importantly, his tenure laid the foundation for the program's most successful and prominent era.

After Nehlen's retirement, WVU named then-Clemson offensive coordinator and West Virginia native Rich Rodriguez as its first new head coach in 20 years. Rodriguez's tenure began ignominiously, as the 2001 edition of the Mountaineers finished 3–8, its worst record since 1978. The failures of 2001, however, set the stage for the emergence of the most successful era in Mountaineer football history. The 2002 season represented the biggest single-season turnaround in program history. Despite a 5–3 record through the season's first eight games, the Mountaineers reeled off four consecutive victories, including upset road wins over then-ranked rivals Virginia Tech (No. 13) and Pitt (No. 17). West Virginia finished the regular season at 9–3 overall, with a 6–1 conference record for second place in the Big East, and a berth in the Continental Tire Bowl with Virginia. Despite losing its bowl game, West Virginia finished with a 9–4 record and was ranked in both the final Coaches (No. 20) and AP (No. 25) polls for the first time since 1993. The momentum generated from the 2002 campaign was short-lived as the Mountaineers stumbled to a 1–4 record early in the 2003 season. In similar fashion to the previous season, West Virginia rebounded and recorded seven wins in a row, including upsets of No. 3 Virginia Tech and No. 16 Pitt. The Mountaineers ended the regular season at 8–4 with a 6–1 conference mark, earning them a share of their first Big East title since 1993. West Virginia earned a trip to the Gator Bowl for a rematch with rival Maryland. The result for the Mountaineers was a near duplicate of their 34–7 defeat to the Terrapins earlier in the season, as they fell 41–7 and finished the season 8–5. In contrast to 2002 and 2003, the 2004 season may best be remembered for what the Mountaineers failed to accomplish. West Virginia, ranked No. 10 in the AP Poll to begin the season, carried an 8–1 record through its first nine games. The Mountaineers collapsed in the final two games of the regular season, however, losing to No. 21 Boston College and to Pitt. West Virginia squandered its opportunity to win the Big East outright, leading to a four-way tie for first place and the BCS Fiesta Bowl nomination going to Pitt by tiebreaker. The disappointing season drew to a close with 30–18 loss to Florida State in the Gator Bowl, giving WVU an 8–4 record.

The 2005 season was a noteworthy one for the Mountaineers. After a 5–1 (albeit offensively sluggish) start to the season, the Mountaineers came alive in Week 7 against No. 19 Louisville. Quarterback Pat White and running back Steve Slaton helped to erase a 24–7 4th quarter deficit en route to a thrilling 46–44 triple overtime victory. From that point forward, the Mountaineers outscored their opponents 156–39 en route to a 10–1 finish and a 7–0 record in conference play for their second outright Big East championship. The Mountaineers also earned their first ever BCS bowl game berth, facing No. 8 Georgia in the Sugar Bowl. West Virginia scored 21 points in the 1st quarter, holding on for a 38–35 upset victory. The Mountaineers finished the 2005 season with their third 11-win season and achieved rankings of No. 5 and No. 6 in the AP and Coaches Polls, respectively. The Mountaineers once again posted 11 wins in the 2006 season, narrowly missing out on another Big East championship after losses to Louisville and South Florida. West Virginia remained ranked in the top 15 in both polls throughout the season, earning another New Year's Day bowl game as they met Georgia Tech in the Gator Bowl. The Mountaineers came away with another 38–35 victory, winning consecutive bowl games for the first time since the 1983 and 1984 seasons. Additionally, center Dan Mozes and running back Steve Slaton earned Consensus All-American honors. Slaton's 1,744 yards rushing set the WVU single-season rushing record.

The 2007 season may well be regarded as the most infamous season in West Virginia football history. The Mountaineers attained a preseason ranking of No. 3 and had national championship aspirations. WVU raced to a 10–1 record, including a 66–21 victory over UConn to secure its fifth Big East title and its second BCS bowl appearance. The Mountaineers rose to as high as No. 2 in the AP Poll and No. 1 in the Coaches Poll, needing only a victory at home over a 4–7, 28-point underdog Pitt team in the 100th installment of the Backyard Brawl to secure its second ever National Championship Game appearance. That victory did not come, as the Mountaineers suffered a devastating 13–9 defeat. The fallout of the Pitt defeat reached beyond national championship implications for the program, as it culminated in the departure of Rich Rodriguez to Michigan. Rodriguez left prior to West Virginia's meeting with No. 3 Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl. The Mountaineers rebounded, posting a 48–28 victory over the heavily favored Sooners.

Long-time assistant coach Bill Stewart, named as interim head coach for the game, received a five-year contract to become West Virginia's 32nd head coach. The Mountaineers concluded the 2007 season with an 11–2 record and were ranked at No. 6 in both of the final AP and Coaches Polls. The Mountaineers transitioned into the Bill Stewart era in the 2008 season. WVU amassed a 9–4 record and a second-place finish in the Big East, closing the season Meineke Car Care Bowl victory over North Carolina and a No. 23 ranking in the AP Poll. The bowl victory was West Virginia's fourth in a row, giving Pat White a postseason record of 4–0 as a starting quarterback. During Week 13 of the 2008 season, White set the NCAA rushing yardage record for quarterbacks with a 200-yard performance in a 35–21 win over Louisville.

The 2009 season culminated in another nine-win campaign and second-place finish in the Big East for the Mountaineers. WVU ended its two-year losing streak in the Backyard Brawl with an upset victory over No. 8 Pitt. West Virginia's season concluded with a loss in the Gator Bowl to Florida State in Bobby Bowden's final game as a head coach. The 2010 season brought the program its third consecutive nine-win season. Nonetheless, the season was ultimately a disappointment for the Mountaineers. Despite assembling arguably the strongest defense in program history (surrendering only 176 total points, an average of 13.5 per game) and having a talented offense, West Virginia struggled with consistency all season. The Mountaineers lost to No. 15 LSU, Syracuse and UConn by a combined 14 points, while the Mountaineer defense did not surrender more than 23 points scored against in a single game throughout the season. WVU's loss to Connecticut in Week 9 came back to haunt the Mountaineers as they lost out on a BCS Bowl bid by virtue of a tiebreaker to the Huskies.

Prior to West Virginia's Champs Sports Bowl match up with North Carolina State, Dana Holgorsen was hired as the "coach-in-waiting," serving as offensive coordinator during the 2011 season and replacing Stewart as head coach in 2012. Luck didn't believe Stewart was capable of leading the Mountaineers to a national championship, and was also concerned about declining season ticket sales. The relationship between Stewart and Holgorsen imploded just months later. Colin Dunlap of KDKA-FM in Pittsburgh claimed that Stewart had asked him to dig up dirt on Holgorsen while Dunlap was a reporter at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. While athletic director Luck was unable to substantiate the claims, he decided that the coach-in-waiting arrangement was untenable, leading to Stewart's resignation and Holgorsen becoming head coach.

The Mountaineers finished the 2011 regular season with a 9–3 record (5–2 in Big East play) and a share of its 7th Big East title. The Mountaineers were the only Big East team ranked in the final BCS standings (No. 23), earning the BCS bid by tiebreaker and an Orange Bowl berth against ACC champion No. 14 Clemson. In its first Orange Bowl appearance, the Mountaineers soundly defeated Clemson 70–33 and set an NCAA record for points scored in a bowl game. The Mountaineers finished the season at 10–3 and ranked No. 17 in the AP Poll and No. 18 in the Coaches Poll. From 2002 to 2011, the Mountaineer football program yielded its most prolific era to date, producing a 95–33 record. During that span WVU participated in ten bowl games, finished ranked in at least one of the AP or Coaches Polls on seven occasions, won six Big East Conference titles, and produced three BCS bowl game victories.

In the midst of continued college football conference realignment, WVU joined the Big 12 Conference as of July 1, 2012. Despite starting the 2012 season at 5–0 and climbing into the top 5 in the AP and Coaches Polls, WVU lost six of its final eight games en route to a 7–6 finish. The season culminated in a loss to rival Syracuse in the Pinstripe Bowl. The 2013 season brought WVU's first losing campaign since 2001. After a 4–5 start and an opportunity to secure bowl eligibility with two victories, WVU faltered in its final three games to finish 4–8. The Mountaineers rebounded in the 2014 season, posting a 7–6 record against a schedule featuring five opponents ranked in the top 15. WVU raced to a 6–2 start, only to lose four of its final five games. The Mountaineers returned to a bowl game in 2014, losing in the Liberty Bowl. WVU returned to the eight-win plateau in 2015 season, posting a 7–5 record during the regular season and winning the Cactus Bowl. In the 2016 season, the Mountaineers finished in second place in the Big 12 and finished the season with a 10–3 record, the ninth season in the program's history with at least ten victories. The season culminated in a loss to Miami in the Russell Athletic Bowl. Prior to the conclusion of the regular season, Holgorsen and WVU agreed to a five-year contract extension. In 2017, WVU finished 7–6. The season concluded with a loss in the Heart of Dallas Bowl. The Mountaineers started the season 7–3, only to lose their final three games after a season-ending hand injury to quarterback Will Grier. The 2018 season saw the Mountaineers start with an 8–1 record, earning top 10 rankings in the polls and in the College Football Playoff. WVU faltered in its final two regular season games, however, and failed to earn a berth in the Big 12 Championship Game. WVU finished 8–4 with a loss in the Camping World Bowl. Soon thereafter, Dana Holgorsen left the program to take the head coaching position at Houston.

On January 5, 2019, Troy head coach Neal Brown was named the 34th head coach of the program. Brown brought with him an exciting, up-tempo- pass-oriented offense known as the Air raid. WVU finished the 2019 season with a 5–7 record, failing to qualify for a bowl game for the first time since 2013. The Mountaineers rebounded in 2020, posting 6–4 record culminating in a Liberty Bowl victory against Army in their first meeting since the 1961 season. In 2021, the Mountaineers were looking for improvement, but were met with more of the same, finishing with a 6–6 record through the regular season. They began the season with a rivalry loss to Maryland, and then defeated LIU and won back the Black Diamond Trophy from Virginia Tech. They lost their first 3 conference matchups, against Oklahoma, Texas Tech, and Baylor, leading in the second half over the then #4 Oklahoma team. They got their first conference wins against TCU and a ranked Iowa State team, but lost to Oklahoma State and Kansas State afterwards. Despite being 4–6, they became bowl eligible by defeating the Texas Longhorns and Kansas Jayhawks to close out the season. They wrapped up the year in the Guaranteed Rate Bowl at Chase Field in Phoenix, resulting in an 18–6 loss to the Minnesota Golden Gophers. The Mountaineer's 2022–23 campaign started out with the revival of the Backyard Brawl. The Mountaineers traveled up to Pittsburgh and played the Panthers at Acrisure Stadium. Falling just short, 38–31. The following week Kansas came to Morgantown and beat the Mountaineers 55–42 in overtime. WVU bounced back beating Towson 65–7, than by successfully defending the Black Diamond trophy at Virginia Tech the week following, winning 33–10. West Virginia had their first Big 12 Conference game on the road at Texas, losing 20–38. They returned to Morgantown for their first conference game since losing to Kansas weeks prior, beating the Baylor Bears 43–40. WVU then lost 3 straight Big 12 Conference games by 10+ points. However, on a rainy day in Morgantown, the Oklahoma Sooners came to town. The Mountaineers led by Sophomore Backup-QB Garrett Greene defeated the Oklahoma Sooners 23–20 for the first time since entering the Big 12 Conference in the 2012–13 season. After this game, Garrett Greene was named the Mountaineer's starter over JT Daniels. The following week the Mountaineers lost to Kansas State. They bounced back the week after in Stillwater at Boone Pickens Stadium. Beating the Oklahoma State Cowboys 24–19. This season marked the very first time the team had beaten both Oklahoma and Oklahoma State each in the same season. However, the Mountaineers finished the season 5–7 (3–6), failing to qualify for a bowl game for the 2nd time in the Neal Brown Era.