2017 West Virginia Mountaineers football team

The 2017 West Virginia Mountaineers football team represented West Virginia University in the 2017 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Mountaineers played their home games at the Mountaineer Field at Milan Puskar Stadium, in Morgantown, West Virginia, and competed in the Big 12 Conference. They were led by seventh-year head coach Dana Holgorsen. They finished the season 7–6, 5–4 in Big 12 play to finish in a four-way tie for fourth place. They were invited to the Heart of Dallas Bowl where they lost to Utah.

2017 West Virginia Mountaineers football
Heart of Dallas Bowl, L 14–30 vs. Utah
ConferenceBig 12 Conference
Record7–6 (5–4 Big 12)
Head coach
Offensive coordinatorJake Spavital (1st season)
Offensive schemeSpread
Defensive coordinatorTony Gibson (4th season)
Base defense3–3–5
Home stadiumMountaineer Field at Milan Puskar Stadium
Seasons
← 2016
2018 →
2017 Big 12 Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
No. 3 Oklahoma y$^   8 1     12 2  
No. 9 TCU y   7 2     11 3  
No. 14 Oklahoma State   6 3     10 3  
Texas   5 4     7 6  
West Virginia   5 4     7 6  
Kansas State   5 4     8 5  
Iowa State   5 4     8 5  
Texas Tech   3 6     6 7  
Baylor   1 8     1 11  
Kansas   0 9     1 11  
Championship: Oklahoma 41, TCU 17
  • ^ – College Football Playoff participant
  • $ – Conference champion
  • y – Championship game participant
Rankings from AP Poll

Preseason

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Big 12 Media poll

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The 2017 Big 12 media days were held July 17–18, 2017 in Frisco, Texas. In the Big 12 preseason media poll, West Virginia was predicted to finish sixth in the standings.[1]

Big 12 media poll
Predicted finish Team Votes (1st place)
1 Oklahoma 303 (19)
2 Oklahoma State 294 (12)
3 Kansas State 231 (1)
4 Texas 213
5 TCU 202
6 West Virginia 183
7 Baylor 129
8 Texas Tech 85
9 Iowa State 83
10 Kansas 37

Coaching staff

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Name Title
Dana Holgorsen Head coach
Tony Gibson Associate head coach, Defensive coordinator/linebackers
Jake Spavital Offensive coordinator/quarterbacks
Doug Belk Cornerbacks
Matt Caponi Safeties
Tyron Carrier Receivers
Tony Dews Running backs
Mark Scott Defense/special teams
Bruce Tall Defensive line
Joe Wickline Offensive line

Schedule

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West Virginia announced its 2017 football schedule on December 13, 2016. The 2017 schedule consists of six home, five away, and one neutral site game in the regular season. The Mountaineers will host Big 12 foes Iowa State, Oklahoma State, Texas, and Texas Tech, and will travel to Baylor, Kansas, Kansas State, Oklahoma, and TCU.[2]

The Mountaineers will host two of the three non-conference opponents, Delaware State from the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference and East Carolina from the American Athletic Conference and travel to Landover, Maryland to face Virginia Tech.

DateTimeOpponentRankSiteTVResultAttendance
September 37:30 p.m.vs. No. 21 Virginia Tech*No. 22ABCL 24–3167,489
September 9NoonEast Carolina*FS2W 56–2056,797
September 16NoonDelaware State*
  • Mountaineer Field
  • Morgantown, WV
AT&TSN PittW 59–1651,482
September 23Noonat KansasESPNUW 56–3423,901
October 73:30 p.m.at No. 8 TCUNo. 23FS1L 24–3143,257
October 14NoonNo. 24 Texas Tech 
ESPNUW 46–3560,928
October 218:00 p.m.at BaylorNo. 23FS2W 38–3645,389
October 28NoonNo. 11 Oklahoma StateNo. 22
ABCL 39–5057,507
November 43:30 p.m.No. 15 Iowa State
  • Mountaineer Field
  • Morgantown, WV
ESPN2W 20–1655,831
November 113:30 p.m.at Kansas StateESPN2W 28–2351,223
November 18NoonTexas
  • Mountaineer Field
  • Morgantown, WV
ESPNL 14–2853,133
November 253:45 p.m.at No. 4 OklahomaESPNL 31–5986,117
December 261:30 p.m.vs. Utah*ESPNL 14–3020,507
Schedule Source:[3]

Rankings

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Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
— = Not ranked RV = Received votes
Week
PollPre1234567891011121314Final
AP22RVRVRV2323RV2322RV2324RV
Coaches20RVRVRV2323RV2322RVRV25RV
CFPNot releasedNot released

References

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  1. ^ "Media Picks Sooners in Preseason Football Poll". big12sports.com. Big 12 Conference. July 13, 2017. Retrieved December 31, 2020.
  2. ^ "2017 Football Schedule Released" (Press release). University of West Virginia Department of Athletics. December 13, 2016. Retrieved February 16, 2017.
  3. ^ "2017 West Virginia Mountaineers Football Schedule". FB Schedules. Retrieved February 16, 2017.