And it's finally official... college football is moving from a 12-team playoff to a 24-team format, beginning in 2027, the CFP Management Committee announced on Monday morning.

Per the press release, "The 24-team CFP field will be comprised of the four conference champions from the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, and SEC (as determined by their respective conferences), the highest-ranked team from the American, Conference USA, MAC, Mountain West, Pac-12, OR Sun Belt; and the 19 highest-ranked remaining teams in the final CFP Selection Committee ranking."

Can the Mountaineers make it in 2027?

The first step for this to happen: Re-sign Mike Hawkins Jr.

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This is obvious. WVU knows how crucial it is to retain arguably the top dual-threat quarterback in America and has the resources in place to make it happen. He is putting up silly numbers this season, his first in Rich Rodriguez's system — what do you think he will be capable of doing in year two, when he has more familiarity and chemistry with returning players, and also more talent around him? We're talking a legitimate Heisman campaign, and one that could have been active this year if it weren't for the defense, which leads me to the next very obvious point.

Step two: Fix the defense

Bigger bodies up front, faster, more athletic play at linebacker, and more experience in the back end. Now, that doesn't mean everyone on the current defense won't have a future here. That's not the case whatsoever. They just have to be developed, and some off-the-field things need to be tweaked to unlock their potential. There are others, but guys like Nick Taylor, Geimere Latimer, Harper Holloman, Corey McIntyre, Nate Gabriel, and Matt Sieg can help be a part of this turnaround. It's about filling out the rest of the defense with experienced players who have production. That will happen.

Why West Virginia can if those two boxes are checked

One, the talent will be better across the board; two, you have one of the best quarterbacks in college football; and three, the schedule sets up nicely. I know half of you probably don't care to look ahead, with there being so much uncertainty with the roster here and elsewhere, but recently speaking, Utah and Texas Tech are going to be at or near the top of the Big 12 every year, and West Virginia avoids both of them entirely. Then you look around at the other Big 12 teams they play, and there could be some coaching changes made, one of which already happened — Baylor. Finally, the non-conference schedule is favorable again. They'll have to drop one of VMI, Ohio, or Southern Miss, but two of those opponents plus Purdue, all at home? Yeah, you should be 3-0 entering league play.