Mountaineer Morning Links: Michigan Pre-Game (12/14/12) Edition

Welcome, By-Godders, to the Shotgun/Throwdown, WVU's nationally recognized best place for sports links, information, sophomoric humor and daily distractions. We're being brought to you today by Wolverine Winter Lager, in preparation for tomorrow's opponent.

What You May Have Missed:

Monongalia County OKs baseball stadium TIF districts - Charleston Gazette
A proposed baseball stadium in Morgantown has cleared a key hurdle.

Big East collapse, WVU notes and Austin - Charleston Gazette
Vingle's Notebook

Long live the Air Raid! The Air Raid is Dead? - Smart Football
enjoy this moment when weirdness became normal

2005 West Virginia Basketball Team: Where Are They Now? - Lost Letterman
A look at the members of John Beilein's last WVU team

2013 NFL Draft quarterback rankings - SBNation.com
#1 for #12

2013 NFL Draft wide receiver rankings - SBNation.com
#2 for #1 and #12 for #3

Former Mountaineers making impact on NFL - Register-Herald
Twelve former WVU stars are currently active members of NFL rosters, while a few others are trying to find an opportunity to get another chance and keep the dream alive. Here’s a look at the former Mountaineers trying their hand at football’s highest level.

The 50 best College Football GIFs of 2012 - Guyism
The wild and wacky, the highlights and lowlights and the very best and worst of the college football regular season.

News of Note:

Hoops

WVU, Michigan to Meet for First Time - WVU Athletics
WVU-Michigan game notes.

WVU, Marshall have big basketball weekend - Charleston Daily Mail
At 8 p.m. in Brooklyn's brand new $1 billion Barclays Center, WVU matches up with former Coach John Beilein, who has No. 3 Michigan off to its first 10-0 start since 1988-89.

Beilein draws parallels from time with Mountaineers - Charleston Daily Mail
The reunion of the past and the present in the Winter Festival (8 p.m.) in Brooklyn, N.Y., will be the first time many WVU fans have gotten a good look at the brand of basketball Beilein brought to Michigan.

WVU Men's Basketball: Michigan Preview - WVillustrated
West Virginia will look for an upset Saturday in Brooklyn.

Comparing the Coaches - WVMETRONEWS.COM
Much of the buildup to the Brooklyn Hoops Festival has centered on the diverse coaching reputations of John Beilein (chin sets, 1-3-1 zone, finesse players) and Bob Huggins (man defense, rebounding, physical play).

Football

You Are What You Are - WVU Athletics
MSN's Jed Drenning reviews WVU's 2012 campaign.

Big 12: What went wrong at West Virginia - CBSSports.com
The Big 12 RapidReports blog is taking a look at what went wrong for the Big 12's only team to not make a bowl game (Kansas) and perhaps the league's biggest disappointment (West Virginia).

A closer look: New Era Pinstripe Bowl - Big 12 Blog - ESPN
As the bowl season approaches, we're going to be looking a little closer at each game. We'll go down the Big 12 bowl schedule in chronological order.

Best/worst-case scenarios: Big 12 bowls - College Football Nation Blog - ESPN
The Big 12 doesn't start bowl play for another two weeks, but here are the league's best- and worst-case scenarios once it does.

HERTZEL COLUMN: More brings less during bowl season - Times West Virginian
New York, while probably frigid and surely expensive, at least was geographically convenient, even if it meant putting the Mountaineers in a game against a former Big East opponent in which they had nothing to gain by winning.

Around the League (and Beyond):

Everything you need to know about this season's bowls - ESPN

Poachability Index- Ranking the Big 12 coaches - Frogs O' War
Texas Tech has an unexpected coaching vacancy after Tommy Tuberville left for the Big East. How likely is it that any other Big 12 coach will end up being poached in the years to come?

Holiday Bowl Intro Video-- Baylor vs. UCLA - Our Daily Bears

A day in the life of the Cyclone sports network - Ames Tribune

Block party continues at a record pace for KU’s Withey - Kansas City Star

How FEI and S+P see the Fiesta Bowl: Oregon Ducks vs. Kansas State Wildcats - Addicted To Quack

Sooner Sports TV Reaches Agreement With Fox Sports To Further Expand Broadcast Coverage - Crimson And Cream Machine

OSU football: Why David Yost may say no to the Cowboys’ offensive coordinator job - Oklahoman

Bryan Harsin & Arkansas State: Rising Through The Ranks Or Fleeing A Culture? - Barking Carnival

2012 Regular Season Review: Kansas - Frogs O' War

It Had To Be Kliff - Viva The Matadors

THE TUBERVILLE REDEMPTION - Every Day Should Be Saturday
LSUFreek at his best; #animatedgif

Seven schools agree to leave Big East, debating process, source says - ESPN

What's On Tap:

West Virginia Mountaineers vs. (3) Michigan Wolverines - ESPN
8 pm Saturday from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn on ESPN/WatchESPN

Texas A&M Aggies vs. Oklahoma Sooners - ESPN
2 pm Saturday from Oklahoma City on ESPNU

Belmont Bruins vs. (9) Kansas Jayhawks - ESPN
7 pm Saturday from Allen Fieldhouse on ESPNU

Kansas State Wildcats vs. (14) Gonzaga Bulldogs - ESPN
9 pm Saturday from KeyArena in Seattle on ESPN2/WatchESPN

Video of Interest:

Video of (Dis)Interest:

Miss Throwdown:

Today's Miss Throwdown is a Brazilian model who's graced the cover of SI's Swimsuit Issue. CLICK HERE for today's gallery of Ana Beatriz Barros.