The 1997 West Virginia Mountaineers football team represented West Virginia University as a member of the Big East Conference during the 1997 NCAA Division I-A football season. Led by 18th-year head coach Don Nehlen, the Mountaineers compiled an overall record of 7âÂÂ5 with a mark of 4âÂÂ3 in conference play, tying for third place in the Big East. West Virginia was invited to the Carquest Bowl, where the Mountaineers lost to Georgia Tech. The team played home games at Mountaineer Field in Morgantown, West Virginia.