The West Virginia Mountaineers will enter the season ranked in the polls of both the USA Today Coaches Poll and the AP Top 25. WVU, who entered the Coaches Poll at #20, will start the season at #22 in the Associated Press Top 25.
AP Top 25 - Preseason
| Rank | Team | Previous | Movement |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | Team | Previous | Movement |
| 1 | Alabama (52) | - | - |
| 2 | Ohio State (3) | - | - |
| 3 | Florida State (4) | - | - |
| 4 | Southern California (2) | - | - |
| 5 | Clemson | - | - |
| 6 | Penn State | - | - |
| 7 | Oklahoma | - | - |
| 8 | Washington | - | - |
| 9 | Wisconsin | - | - |
| 10 | Oklahoma State | - | - |
| 11 | Michigan | - | - |
| 12 | Auburn | - | - |
| 13 | LSU | - | - |
| 14 | Stanford | - | - |
| 15 | Georgia | - | - |
| 16 | Louisville | - | - |
| 17 | Florida | - | - |
| 18 | Miami (FL) | - | - |
| 19 | South Florida | - | - |
| 20 | Kansas State | - | - |
| 21 | Virginia Tech | - | - |
| 22 | West Virginia | - | - |
| 23 | Texas | - | - |
| 24 | Washington State | - | - |
| 25 | Tennessee | - | - |
The Mountaineers start the year one slot behind the Virginia Tech Hokies, their opening opponent in 2017.