MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – If you didn’t think before tonight that Rich Rodriguez was a leading candidate to be the next head coach of the West Virginia Mountaineers, you might be now! Rodriguez led his Jacksonville State Gamecocks to a 52-12 victory over the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers in the Conference USA Championship! During his three seasons with the Gamecocks, Rodriguez posted an impressive record of 27-10 overall and 18-3.

Jacksonville State has now won its first conference championship at the FBS level, in just its second year in the league after switching from FCS football! That is of course a gigantic Personal victory for Rich Rodriguez, who is now considered the leading candidate to return as head coach of the West Virginia Mountaineers.

It was reported today that Rodriguez, 61, is expected to meet with WVU athletic director Wren Baker tomorrow for a formal interview for the position. Accordingly WV News, “Rich Rodriguez is reportedly in line to interview for the Mountaineers’ head coaching position following the departure of Neal Brown. “Rodriguez, who led WVU to national prominence in the early 2000s, has the support of influential donors and former Mountaineers punter-turned-media star Pat McAfee, according to sources close to the program,” the report added adding: “Rodriguez is not the only name linked to the position, but some websites report that he is being offered the job.”

Not only did Rodriguez notch a big win at the Conference USA Championship, he also enjoys strong support from major donors and former WVU players. Pat McAfee, perhaps the most influential former player in the country, recently said the following: The Pat McAfee Show: “His name is part of the conversation now and I think it has been for a few years. It’s crazy. That would be one of the wildest things in the history of sports, let alone college football. If he wanted to return to West Virginia, there would have to be a lot of conversations with a lot of people. And believe me, it was a great interaction between me and former teammates where we talked about the whole idea and thought behind it.”

Earlier this week, Rodriguez was hesitant to answer questions about leaving Jacksonville State, at least until the Conference USA Championship game was over. “It’s better to have someone or someone calling you than not,” Rodriguez said during a conference call before the Conference USA championship game. “They usually don’t call you unless you have a little success. I have not received a call from any school. Right now I’m completely focused on this week and this game, and I know there’s a lot of rumors and speculation, and social media is helping make it far more widespread than it probably actually is. But we’re excited to see where we are.”

Rodriguez, who has a career record of 190-129-2 and was 60-26 at West Virginia University, is considered one of the favorites to return to West Virginia and lead the Mountaineeers again. Now that Jacksonville State has won the Conference USA Championship, don’t be surprised to see his name shoot straight to the top of Baker’s list of possible successors to Neal Brown.