Year two of the Rich Rodriguez era is just a little over two months away from getting underway, and although expectations are fairly low locally and nationally, West Virginia does have a chance to make some noise this fall, especially with how their schedule sets up.Unless something crazy and unexpected happens, the Mountaineers should be 2-0 when they head to Charlotte for their neutral-site clash with the Virginia Cavaliers. They'll open the season with Coastal Carolina and UT Martin, which should allow WVU to work through the early-year kinks and find its identity before they play a legitimate opponent.Odds to win Big 12 Title via DraftKings SportsbookTexas Tech +100BYU +550Utah +650Kansas State +1400Houston +1600Arizona +1800Arizona State +2200TCU +2800Oklahoma State +3000Baylor +3900Kansas +4500West Virginia +6500UCF +6200Cincinnati +9400Iowa State +10000Colorado +12000Not enough respect for the Mountaineers?WVU Athletics CommunicationsThe schedule for conference play also has a favorable start as the Mountaineers will square off against a pair of first-year head coaches in Eric Morris (Oklahoma State, at home) and Jimmy Rogers (Iowa State, on the road). After their trip to Ames, they'll return home for a pair of games against Arizona and Cincinnati. The matchup with TCU on October 24th will be just their second true road game of the season. And oh yeah, they will have a bye week before they make the trip out to Lubbock to face Texas Tech. Schedule-wise, there's a chance for the Mountaineers if they get out to a hot start, although the competition stiffens in November with a four-week gauntlet featuring Texas Tech, Kansas, Houston, and Utah.Expecting WVU to win the Big 12 in 2026 would be pretty far-fetched, but I do believe they should have shorter odds than each of the three teams ahead of them — Oklahoma State, Baylor, and Kansas.For them to actually have a chance to win the league, they're going to need the defense to be somewhere in the middle of the pack statistically. Although the offense has a ton of new pieces, including a new starting quarterback, three offensive line starters, and several new options at running back and wide receiver, they have the talent and firepower to be able to put up a bunch of points. The play of the defense will determine the ceiling of this year's team.Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER.Add us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow