Arizona State's conference championship chances on life support as West Virginia comes to town

What was once old is now new once again.

After moving on from head coach Neal Brown after six seasons, West Virginia returned to a familiar face in Rich Rodriguez, hoping to recreate the magic under his previous tenure that saw two BCS bowl wins in 2005 and 2007.

At 4-6 through their first 10 games, the intended results have not been there, despite an upset win at Houston on November 1st. Now riding a two game winning streak after a win at home against Colorado, the Mountaineers will arrive to Mountain America Stadium on Saturday looking to deal a blow to Arizona State's mathematically alive conference championship aspirations.

Offensively, the Mountaineers have experienced their fair share of challenges. Chandler native and Hamilton High School product Nicco Marchiol started the season as quarterback, but has been sidelined since Week 4 with a foot injury. Backup Jaylen Henderson has also missed time, not appearing in a game since Week 5 against Utah. True freshman Scotty Fox Jr. has emerged as the chosen starter, completing 59.5% of his passes for 5 TDs against 4 INTs, while also rushing for 203 yards and 3 TDs in 8 games. Named the Big 12 Freshman of the Week for his performance on the road at Houston, he still has some development as a passer but is proving to be up to the challenge early in his career.

From one freshman of the week to the next, Diore Hubbard has stood out after injuries have taken out the running back room for the Mountaineers, with Jahiem White and Tye Edwards both out for the season. A product of the revolving door at quarterback, the running game has needed to take more of the load, putting up 246 yards against Houston and 167 against Colorado.

The one constant in the passing game has been Cam Vaughn as the favorite target for whoever is lining up under center for West Virginia. Combined with junior Rodney Gallagher III, they have combined to record 35% of the team's receptions through 10 games this season. Jeff Weimer has proven himself as a solid WR3 with his big play ability, but stop me if you've heard this before. Senior Jaden Bray looked to be a key leadership piece in the receiving room but was lost for the season in Week 2 after re-injuring the same foot that ended his season after 5 games last season.

The offensive line was almost completely rebuilt after losing all 5 starters from last season. Left tackle Nick Krahe and center Landen Livingston are the only returning players to have seen any starting time, but incoming transfers Donovan Haslam and Malik Agbo have provided some much needed depth to build for the future.

Defensively, West Virginia has been largely rebuilt under new defensive coordinator Zac Alley. The unit has not experienced consistent play throughout the season, but last week's 7 sack and 15 tackle for loss performance against Colorado has gotten them towards the track established after ranking second in FBS in sacks after Week 3. Reid Carrico, Devin Grant and Chase Wilson anchor the defense with a combined 9.5 sacks this season, with Wilson and defensive back Darrian Lewis tied for the team lead with two interceptions each.

The numbers do not look favorably on the Mountaineers defense, ranking 120th nationally in passing defense (259.4 yards per game) and 101st nationally in total defense (400.8 yards per game), but with an above average run defense of 141.4 yards per game (59th). This defense could be exposed much in the same way that Iowa State's was two weeks ago, but Jeff Sims will need to adjust his progression when passing to take full advantage.

The Sun Devils and Mountaineers will face off in Saturday's matinee at 11:00am Arizona time from Mountain America Stadium on TNT.