Sources tell Gazette-Mail WVU and Florida State talking, close to finishing deal to open 2020 season in Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game in Atlanta.

— Mike Casazza (@mikecasazza) July 26, 2016

Barring some 11th hour hiccup — like West Virginia being made responsible for too many tickets … and I think it’d take a bigger hiccup than that — this will happen. Hot take: Who’s doing a better job with non-conference scheduling than the Mountaineers? Are they the best? Probably not, but we’re still talking about a serious stretch of non-conference games. Hard to find someone taking a tougher path, which is somewhat ironic…

There are strong connections between the two programs, but there’s also some scheduling history worth remembering, as well. The Mountaineers backed out of a series four-and-a-half years ago as they entered the Big 12 and saw their schedule stiffen.

From today through 2024, WVU is set to play two Power 5 schools every season outside the Big 12 except in 2017 and 2020. Those are East Carolina years, and who knows if the Pirates won’t be in the Big 12 by then? But adding Florida State to the 2020 season leaves the 2017 season as the lone exception.

WVU needs a game in 2018-19 and 2021-24. Some of those are bound to be Football Championship Subdivision opponents, because there’s a need for home games in a few of those seasons. And while these neutral-site games are good for exposure and competition and finances, the Mountaineer continue to search for series, and that might become increasingly significant if the Big 12 expands and the scheduling changes and takes away the annual seat-filler against Oklahoma one season and Texas the next.