Rich Rodriguez Fails WVU Booster Pat McAfee’s Ultimatum, Triggering Last-Minute Change

“WVU sure could be a real deal this year.” Just a couple of days back, Pat McAfee was fired up about Rich Rodriguez taking back the reins at West Virginia. Excited to get back to his alma mater, he had given Rodriguez and the Mountaineers an ultimatum. “Now, if we win this weekend against Ohio University,” he had said. “All eyes are on GameDay, potentially heading to Morgantown for West Virginia.” So, did they seal the deal?

Well, week 1 passed with flying colors as West Virginia dominated against Robert Morris, as the ESPN analyst described their prowess as, “They were absolutely buzzing.” But in the next match-up, they buckled. Much to Morgantown’s discontent and McAfee’s, a proud Mountaineers alum himself, West Virginia lost to the Bobcats 10-17. A clash, which McAfee had called “we’re only three-point favorites in Ohio, which is certainly something I like us a lot in that.” The recent development prompted a last-minute change to GameDay’s schedule.

The Mountaineers’ defeat in week 2 saw the chances of GameDay slipping past their grasp, and a new announcement has sealed their attendance at Rocky Top. Now? College GameDay will be heading towards the high-octane clash, Georgia vs. Tennessee, an SEC matchup, in Neyland Stadium. “See you soon, Rocky Top. We’re heading to Knoxville for an SEC showdown between Georgia and Tennessee,” College GameDay shared on X. McAfee, along with Rece Davis, Nick Saban, Kirk Herbstreit, and Desmond Howard, will make their next appearance in Knoxville. The game is set for 3:30 P.M.

Both Georgia and Tennessee have 2-0 streaks this campaign until now. The Bulldogs edged out Marshall and Austin Peay. While the Vols won over Syracuse and East Tennessee State. It is a high-stakes clash, as both programs made it to the playoffs last campaign. In 2024 as well, College GameDay was present at Athens, nit-picking the Georgia vs. Tennessee clash, with the Bulldogs clinching the victory on home turf with 31-17.

And the Ultimatum loss to the ESPN analyst wasn’t the only burn Morgantown received. Following the defeat, Bobcats fandom trolled the Mountaineers with a highlight recap video of the game by playing the opening song to Tavon Austin’s highlight reel. Ohio further shared a post on X about the Bobcats’ win. The caption? “Country roads, send ’em home.”

WVU loses the Ultimatum

The Mountaineers could only notch up 10 points, with 250 yards of total offense against Ohio. The offense, apparently, didn’t find its footing, though it took the early lead, with 7-3 in the first quarter, but by the end of the fourth quarter, the Bobcats were dominating, culminating in a 10-17 loss.

Rodriguez’s response? “I knew there were going to be some growing pains, but I’m going to do a better job.” After a propelling 1-0 start, the WVU lost that momentum, dipping to 1-1, and the head coach acknowledged this. “It starts with me. I told the guys I failed them this week. I thought we had a good week of practice and thought we were ready to play, but we weren’t. We didn’t execute. We have a lot of things to work on,” he said. But it must be noted that West Virginia had a total overhaul, a new head coach, new offensive and defensive systems, and 80 new faces on the roster.

Coming up next is the highly anticipated Backyard Brawl. The Mountaineers will go against the Pitts, and college football will witness Rich Rodriguez’s make-it-or-break-it redemption arc. The one that he has been patiently waiting for since the heartbreaking loss back in 2007. But for that dream to be realized, Rodriguez needs to work on his offensive line. Against the Bobcats, they got zero push, and the Pitts’ defensive unit is much more robust.