Thursday’s news that the SEC will play a nine-game schedule in 2026 meant that only the ACC won’t be playing nine league games next season. It also means that two of West Virginia’s future opponents saw their scheduling flexibility drop drastically.
Fortunately for West Virginia fans, Alabama and Tennessee won’t be dropping the Mountaineers.
Alabama remains on track to visit Morgantown in 2026 and host the Mountaineers in Tuscaloosa in 2027. Tennessee will still play West Virginia in Charlotte in 2028. And that’s because both the Crimson Tide and the Volunteers only had three non-conference games or fewer scheduled for those years. Alabama has one opening left for 2027, while Tennessee hadn’t yet scheduled anyone but WVU for 2028.
Not every SEC school had that kind of foresight. If the Mountaineers had scheduled Arkansas, Kentucky or Mississippi State, they might have been in a tighter spot. Those teams all now have four non-league games scheduled for 2026, and they’ll have to drop someone to make their schedules work.
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West Virginia Won’t Be Affected At All Until 2031
The Mountaineers have a completed schedule now until 2031. They’re not going to have to worry about anyone trying to buy out of a game or cancel a future meeting unless realignment happens again.
And that’s because all of their power conference opponents are in stable scheduling situations. In 2026, West Virginia is set to play Virginia in Charlotte along with Alabama. That game’s stable for two reasons. First, the ACC does not plan to join the SEC in going to nine games in 2026. That could change, but ACC commissioner Jim Phillips said he’s happy with eight for now.
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Second, even though Virginia has a completed schedule, they could easily switch a game if needed. The Cavaliers scheduled a non-conference series with NC State, even though the teams are ACC rivals. If the ACC did go to nine, Virginia could either drop the Wolfpack or have it become a conference game.
West Virginia’s only other power conference game through 2030 is the Backyard Brawl. Obviously, there’s no way Pitt’s going to buy out of that game.
Nine-Game SEC Schedule Could Create Opportunities for WVU
In 2031, West Virginia will again look to add opponents. And if the Mountaineers want, they’ll likely have the ability to play SEC teams.
That’s because of the SEC’s rivalries with ACC teams. Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and Kentucky have annual rivalries with Florida State, Georgia Tech, Clemson and Louisville, respectively. But there are 12 other SEC teams who don’t play an annual non-conference rival, and the league will maintain a rule requiring one Power 4 opponent per season.
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That gives West Virginia expanded possibilities. The Mountaineers can talk to several different schools for a home-and-home, and as one of the closest teams to the SEC’s geographic footprint, they’d be an attractive scheduling partner.
The only question is how Rich Rodriguez wants to build his schedule. Does he prioritize old rivalries, new challenges or a mix of both? Either way, the Mountaineers have schedule stability for five years and plenty of options beyond that. And that’s a good place to be.
