Overview
- The game kicks off at 12:00 p.m. ET on Saturday, Sept. 5, at Milan Puskar Stadium and will air nationally on TNT and truTV with streaming available through DIRECTV and HBO Max.
- West Virginia enters the opener under coach Rich Rodriguez after a 4-8 season in 2025 and reports say the program added an unusually large incoming class, with outlets citing about 88 new players.
- Coastal Carolina begins Ryan Beard’s tenure after he left Missouri State and has loaded the roster with dozens of Division I transfers, though published counts vary between sources.
- Both teams have unresolved quarterback questions, with Oklahoma transfer Michael Hawkins Jr. and Scotty Fox Jr. vying for WVU’s job and Deuce Bailey a possible starter for Coastal with the coach keeping the lineup vague.
- Betting markets opened with West Virginia as roughly a 20–21 point favorite and a game total near 56.5, and fans at the opener will also see West Virginia retire Pat White’s No. 5 jersey before kickoff.