The West Virginia Mountaineers are set to face their toughest test of the season on Saturday, as they travel to Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte for a non-conference, neutral-site clash with the No. 25 Virginia Cavaliers.
It’s 100% what you might call a ‘measuring stick’ game for the Mountaineers: the type of opponent who can give you a good idea of exactly how good you are after playing lower-level competition to start the season. And there are still a few questions about the Mountaineers which they’ll need to find answers for next week.
1. What will West Virginia look like against Power 4 competition?
The Mountaineers went 3-7 against power conference opponents last season – not exactly a stellar record. Now, the consensus seems to be that West Virginia has improved from last year to this year.
But how much they have improved can be tough to tell when the sample size are games against an FCS opponent and a Sun Belt opponent with a new head coach. Now, we’ll finally get an answer to whether or not they measure up better against similar levels of competition.
2. Can West Virginia pull it’s defense out of the fire?
The Mountaineers have given different reasons for concern on the defensive side of the ball in their first two games. Against Coastal Carolina, that ended up being poor quarterback contain and a weak pass defense…