This was the Orange's second Pinstripe Bowl; in the inaugural 2010 game they had defeated the Kansas State Wildcats by a score of 36-34 after a controversial excessive celebration call led to the Wildcats missing what would have been the game-tying two-point conversion.
The Mountaineers' first season as a member of the Big 12 started out smoothly, cruising to a 5-0 start and a #4 ranking.