Trying to gauge just how good the West Virginia Mountaineers will be in 2026 is nearly impossible because of all the new pieces that have come in and will be playing significant roles. The one thing that is pretty easy to see, though, is the talent level on this year's roster compared to last year's. WVU head coach Rich Rodriguez was asked on The Pat McAfee Show where he feels like his group is now compared to this time a year ago.“Well, I definitely think if we played last year’s team, I think we’d beat ‘em for sure,' he said. "The biggest difference is even though we only have one or two returning starters, kind of like last year, we only have one or two returning starters from our team. We intentionally tried to find guys, whether from Group of Five or Group of Six or 1-AA or whatever — guys that had proven production at other places. So they have experience, just not experience in our system. I really like the way it fits. "We went from zero offensive line that had started games to having seven or eight that have started multiple games in their careers, and that was kind of the same in every position. We went out and got one transfer quarterback to compete with Scotty Fox in Mike Hawkins, and he’s been everything we thought he would be. Defensively, we got a bunch of no names, but Coach Alley and our defensive staff have done a great job putting them together. I mean, it’s still going to be a work in progress a little bit at times, but I like our athleticism. I like the way they’re practicing, and I think we’ll be a little bit better than most of the pundits except Stanford Steve; he’s already got us up there.”Don't read too much into him calling the defense a "bunch of no names." Yes, there are concerns on that side of the ball, but when he's comparing it to the offense, yeah, it's not really close. That side of the ball doesn't have a true star like Cam Cook or the experience that the o-line has. There are a lot of unknowns with that group, although they have played fairly well throughout camp.If Alley's defense can be a middle-of-the-pack defense in the Big 12, they are going to have a chance to compete for more than just a bowl game. They have high expectations for QB Mike Hawkins Jr. in addition to the run game headlined by Cook and Amari Latimer.Add us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow