WVU's Rich Rodriguez is six wins away from a historic milestone

Rich Rodriguez isn’t in the deal to chase down milestones, but if the West Virginia Mountaineers get off to a scorching-hot start in 2026, he could achieve something very few in the history of college football have reached against one of his former teams.

Should WVU win each of its first six games, that sixth win, which will come against Arizona, whom he led from 2012 to 2017, would be the 200th victory of his career. 100 coaches in the history of college football have reached that mark, which sounds like a lot, but not when you consider how often coaching changes are made and how many schools are across all divisions of the NCAA, not just Division I or the FBS.

He would become the third West Virginia head coach to be on this list, joining Bobby Bowden and Don Nehlen. Last year, Rich Rod surpassed Dana Holgorsen for the second-place spot in all-time wins at West Virginia, and that is likely where he will stay, considering Nehlen currently has 85 more wins than his former defensive back. Had Rodriguez decided to stay at WVU all this time, he would’ve surpassed Nehlen and created a comfortable lead at the top.

Can 6-0 happen?

Sure, it can. Four of those games will be at Mountaineer Field, one will be a neutral-site game that WVU fans likely turn into a home atmosphere, and one is a true road game against a first-year head coach at Iowa State.

All that being said, I’m not sure that I would put much faith in getting to the halfway point of the season without a single blemish on the ledger.

This offense has the capability of being one of the most dynamic units in the Big 12, but it’s not going to just happen overnight. Even with an upgrade at quarterback, the improved depth of the running back and wide receiving rooms, and the night-and-day difference along the offensive line, it’s going to take some time for them to gel and truly hit their stride.

I feel pretty confident in saying you can go ahead and chalk up a W for the first two weeks of the season. Neither Coastal Carolina nor UT Martin poses much of a threat, if any at all. The true test will be against Virginia, which is one of the most experienced teams in the country. If West Virginia somehow finds a way to win that game, then a 6–0 start becomes a real possibility.

Beyond it being the 200th victory for Rich Rod, starting that well will have West Virginia well inside the top 25 and firmly in the mix in the Big 12 title conversation — something that would be a major surprise to everyone.

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This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/westvirginia as WVU's Rich Rodriguez is Six Wins Away From a Historic Milestone.