Six Mountaineer football players have been honored by the Big 12 for their accomplishments on the football field in the 2012 season.
In a stark contrast to WVU's previous conference affiliation (0 ranked teams), WVU is amongst five other Big 12 members being ranked by the coaches SID's preseason poll. Oklahoma is the highest at #4, followed by WVU at #11, Texas at #15, TCU at #17, Oklahoma State at #19 and Kansas State at #21. Baylor is 6th out.
...assuming the pot gets split evenly amongst the league members and we hold pat at 10. I don't know about you, but the Big 12 is looking better and better daily.
Coach Holgorsen stopped by and spoke to the folks at Yahoo! Sports to talk about WVU entering the Big 12
"The Sooners received 32 of 41 first-place votes and totaled 396 points. West Virginia was chosen second with 339 points and garnered seven first-place tallies. Texas was picked third, followed by defending Big 12 champion Oklahoma State in fourth. TCU and Kansas State each received a first-place vote and finished fifth and sixth, respectively. Baylor, Iowa State, Texas Tech and Kansas rounded out the poll."
In case you didn't hear, the SEC and Big 12 have formed a new partnership that will send their football conference champion to a bowl game to play each other, should they not make the proposed 4-team "playoff" for the National Title. Why does that matter? Well, it basically leaves the ACC without a dance partner. The Big 10 and Pac 12/16 have a similar agreement with the Rose Bowl so now the ACC is the last conference standing. Could they partner with the Big East? Maybe, but who is going to care about a Big East-ACC game and who knows if the Big East will even exist in a few years... I'll have more on this tomorrow, but this is definitely a line in the sand of sorts that knocks the ACC down a peg, elevates the Big 12, and might kill hopes of ND ever joining the conference. It could also impact what FSU does. Hold on to your butts, things are about to get crazy...
As Jason Kirk points out in the article, watching the Cotton and Sugar Bowls fight over who hosts this is going to be absolutely perfect. Geographically, it's a slam dunk, from a style of play and also a travel standpoint. It possibly renews old rivalries (you think Texas vs. A&M wasn't referenced?) and will mean big money for whoever hosts it. Since details are light, what are your initial thoughts on this?