Pat McAfee benefited from West Virginia’s win on Saturday more than any other former Mountaineer. WVU’s seventh win of the season clinched ending the year with a winning record and delivered McAfee a win of his own.
The victory on the field handed McAfee a win in his bet with ESPN colleague and one of the longest tenured voices of college football Kirk Herbstreit. Prior to the season while making an appearance on McAfee’s daily talk show, Herbstreit told the former WVU kicker and current media mogul that he would give him anything he wanted if West Virginia had a winning season.
“If WVU wins more than six games I’ll give you anything you want,” said Herbstreit with a big smirk at the time. Of course, Herbstreit, like many others, didn’t expect much from the Mountaineers in 2023.
The bet about West Virginia between McAfee and Herbstreit became a topic of conversation throughout the season, both on the Pat McAfee Show and even when the pair is together on College GameDay. Herbstreit has had to eat his words at times as he continuously picked against the Mountaineers. He once actually said, “anybody but West Virginia” on live television to needle McAfee.
After WVU reached win number six a couple weeks ago, people started to speculate about what McAfee should ask Herbstreit to do for him as a way to fulfill the bet.
And now that the Mountaineers are 7-4, director of athletics Wren Baker even wants to get in on the fun.
“Uh oh, Kirk Herbstreit about to be mowing Pat McAfee’s yard all summer?,” said Baker as he found an old clip of the initial bet exchange on social media.
Oddsmakers set WVU’s win total projection at 4.5. The media predicted Neal Brown’s team would even finish dead last in the Big 12.
And even though the season has certainly experienced tough times and disappointment, there’s no denying West Virginia has proved critics wrong and put together a far better season that 2022’s 5-7 finish.
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