MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The 2018 regular season for the West Virginia Mountaineers comes down to this: beat sixth-ranked Oklahoma on its home field to earn a trip to the Big 12 Championship Game at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
 
Although a victory last Saturday at Oklahoma State would have kept West Virginia in the College Football Playoff discussion, the Mountaineers can still achieve many of their preseason goals by beating the Sooners on Black Friday.
 
One of those goals is simply knocking off Oklahoma – something West Virginia has been unable to do since joining the Big 12 in 2012.
 
In succession, West Virginia has lost by increasingly wider margins, from one point in 2012 to nine points in 2013 to 10 points in 2014.
 
Then, it was a 20-point defeat in Norman in 2015 followed by a 28-point loss in Morgantown two years ago.
 
That game pitted two top 10 teams on prime time on ABC, but Oklahoma had it sewed up early in the second quarter after taking a commanding 34-0 lead.
 
Last year, the College Football Playoff-bound Sooners jumped on West Virginia early and often en route to a 45-10 halftime lead. WVU played that game without starting quarterback Will Grier, who broke the middle finger on his passing hand the week prior against Texas.
 
But this year Grier is healthy and ready to take his crack at ending Oklahoma's six-game winning streak against the Mountaineers and its stranglehold on the Big 12 regular-season championship.
 
The Sooners have won the last three and also won a share of the crown along with Kansas State in 2012.
 
West Virginia, meanwhile, is assured its third straight winning record in Big 12 play and could match 2016 seven wins for its most ever conference play.
 
In order to do that, the Mountaineers are going to have to figure out a way to slow down a Sooner offense that ranks No. 1 in the country this week averaging 49 points per game.
 
Oklahoma is also first in total offense (576.1 ypg.), second in passing efficiency (199.7), fourth in first downs and third down conversion percentage (51 percent) and seventh in rushing (260.7 ypg.).
 
WVU got a taste of what quarterback Kyler Murray can do during the brief time he was on the football field during last year's game when he accounted for 132 total yards and a touchdown on just five touches.
 
His first play from scrimmage, starting in place of suspended starting quarterback Baker Mayfield, went for 66 yards down the far sideline. Later, he fired a 46-yard touchdown to Myles Tease when he got back in to mop things up.
 
Considering what Oklahoma State quarterback Taylor Cornelius was able to do last weekend passing and running the football against the Mountaineers, slowing down Murray might be a monumental task.
 
Therefore, it is imperative for West Virginia to try and match Oklahoma point for point. WVU has the ninth-ranked scoring attack in the country averaging 40.9 points per game, and the Mountaineers are fourth in passing efficiency (173.1) and fifth in passing yardage (340.0 ypg.).
 
West Virginia's top playmakers, Grier, David Sills V, Gary Jennings Jr., Marcus Simms, Kennedy McKoy and emerging tight end Trevon Wesco, must have big games tonight, and playmaking linebacker David Long Jr. is going to have to bring his best to try and keep Oklahoma from lighting up the scoreboard once again.
 
One thing that could bode well for West Virginia is how much better the Mountaineer defense has played at home this year. The difference is telling. In five homes games this year, the defense is allowing up just 281.2 yards and 13.8 points, compared to 478 yards and 32.8 points in its five road-game performances.
 
If the defense can even hit its road averages in those two categories West Virginia stands a good chance of pulling off an upset.
 
If not, the Mountaineers will likely be watching a Red River Rivalry rematch in Arlington from their couches next Saturday afternoon.
 
An 8 p.m. kickoff has been assigned for tonight's game. The same ABC crew that called last Saturday's Oklahoma State game, Sean McDonough, Todd Blackledge and Holly Rowe, will be on hand to describe the action.
 
The Mountaineer Sports Network from IMG's coverage begins at 4:30 p.m. with the GoMart Mountaineer Tailgate Show (Dan Zangrilli, Dale Wolfley and Jed Drenning). That leads into regular game coverage with Tony Caridi and Dwight Wallace at 7 p.m. on affiliates throughout the Mountain State and online via WVUsports.com and the popular mobile app TuneIn.
 
There are no tickets remaining for the game.
 
Here is tonight's Countdown to Kickoff:
 
10 – West Virginia has TEN fifth-year seniors among the 17 being recognized today on Senior Day. Those TEN are Toyous Avery Jr., Dravon Askew-Henry, Will Grier, Jabril Robinson, Billy Kinney, William Crest Jr., Kenney Bigelow Jr., Yodny Cajuste, Trevon Wesco and Brenon Thrift.
 
9 – The Mountaineers have had NINE plays from scrimmage of 50 yards or longer, seven of which have gone for touchdowns. Six of those seven have come through the air.
 
8 – Sophomore safety Kenny Robinson Jr. is coming off a career-high EIGHT solo-tackle performance during last Saturday's loss at Oklahoma State.
 
7 – SEVEN different Mountaineer players have scored multiple touchdowns this year. They are David Sills V (13), Gary Jennings Jr. (11), Kennedy McKoy (seven), Martell Pettaway and Leddie Brown (five each) and Marcus Simms and Will Grier (two each).
 
6 – Oklahoma has won SIX straight against West Virginia since the Mountaineers joined the Big 12 in 2012.
 
5 – Sophomore Evan Staley has missed just FIVE of his 23 career field goal attempts, including a 12-of-16 success rate this year.
 
4 – All FOUR of West Virginia's touchdowns scored last year against Oklahoma were achieved on the ground.
 
3 – Quarterback Will Grier is one of THREE finalists for the Maxwell Award presented to college football's top player. The other two finalists are Oklahoma's Kyler Murray and Alabama's Tua Tagovailoa.
 
2 – Grier is firmly entrenched in SECOND place in career touchdown passes at WVU with 65, trailing school-record holder Geno Smith by 33 TD passes.
 
1 – Oklahoma ranks FIRST in scoring offense this week with an average of 49 points per game.
 
Enjoy tonight's game and be sure to stop back afterward for complete postgame coverage.