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Could West Virginia Be A Dark Horse To Win The Big 12?

The West Virginia Mountaineers are pretty easy to overlook heading into 2015. However, when you look a little deeper there are some aspects to this team that make them intriguing.

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News Of Note

Football:

West Virginia: A 2015 darkhorse Big 12 contender? | Concerning sports...
When you look a little deeper there are some aspects to this team that make them intriguing. There's a chance that even if they can't win the league in 2015 they might spoil someone else's season and even finish with something in the range of 8-10 wins.

WVU begins camp with several absences | The Exponent Telegram
The opening day of football camp is supposed to be a celebratory day, but at West Virginia it became instead more about who wasn’t there than who was.

WVU new arrivals still can't take field | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
As West Virginia opened preseason camp Monday, a pair of four-star recruits have yet to be cleared to play this season.

WVU awaits clearance on 2 signees; another bound for prep school | WV MetroNews
West Virginia continues awaiting NCAA clearance on four-star recruits Rasul Douglas and Jovon Durante, though coach Dana Holgorsen said he hopes both will be practicing soon.

Infatuated with punt-unit problems? Holgorsen has the cure-all | WV MetroNews
Dana Holgorsen dislikes media members stepping on the WV logo inside the weight room almost as much as he dislikes watching his players commit punt-team blunders. He comically addressed both issues Monday, the opening day of preseason camp.

Holgorsen not just rolling his eyes over return men | Charleston Gazette-Mail
It was roughly the middle of last season when Dana Holgorsen began to get just a wee bit perturbed over the questions he was getting about his West Virginia football team’s sometimes comic attempts to catch punts. In short, his efforts to field the questions became nearly as difficult to watch as his players’ attempts to field those punts.

Holgorsen hopes to cram big workload into small window | Charleston Gazette-Mail
West Virginia opened football practice Monday evening with coach Dana Holgorsen unveiling the deepest and most experienced team he’s had in five seasons and revealing it will be tested by a scheduling quirk.

Basketball:

Bahamas Trip Has Many Benefits | WVU Athletics
It’s pretty safe to say two years ago Bob Huggins wouldn’t be taking a trip to the Bahamas with his basketball team. He had a dysfunctional group in 2013 that lost 19 of 32 games, finished near the bottom of the Big 12 standings and left him with a perpetual scowl on his face.

WVU Athletics:

WVU No. 12 in NSCAA Preseason Poll | WVU Athletics
The West Virginia University women’s soccer team sits at No. 12 in the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) NCAA Division I Women’s National Preseason Rankings. The Mountaineers’ position is three spots better than the team’s No. 15 ranking in the final 2014 NSCAA NCAA Division I Women’s National Rankings. The squad’s ranking matches its highest preseason position, first hit at the onset of the 2008 season and again in 2014

Around The League

Around The Big 12:

Joe Mixon impressing Oklahoma Sooners coaches | ESPN
Joe Mixon, the supposed gem of Oklahoma's 2014 signing class, was in fact a running back. But it wasn't Samaje Perine.

Around The NCAA:

YOU HAVE ONE MONTH LEFT UNTIL WE COLLEGE FOOTBALL | Every Day Should Be Saturday
It's basically already here. Go get supplies now and adhere to these five tenets of balanced living.

Is college football's TV experience nearing a drastic change? | SI.com
We love to speculate about how the bracket will look when the first College Football Playoff contract with ESPN ends after the 2026 season. The most popular guess is that it will include eight teams, and maybe the bowls get cut out and the quarterfinals and semifinals will be played on campus. But here’s a better question. How will we watch those games?

University of Illinois ranked as country's No. 1 party school | SBNation.com
The Big Ten and the Pennsylvania/New York area are exhibiting party game control. West Virginia falls to No. 7

The Big Ten's 3 new scheduling rules are as much about TV money as about the Playoff | SBNation
Upcoming ESPN negotiations are even more fundamental to the conference's success than what the College Football Playoff committee thinks.

Pitt football: Tyler Boyd, Rori Blair suspended for season opener | SI.com
Pitt junior wide receiver Tyler Boyd and sophomore defensive lineman Rori Blair have been suspended for the team's season opener.

Alabama vs Wisconsin is College GameDay Week 1 location | SI.com
ESPN's College GameDay announced it is heading to Alabama vs. Wisconsin at AT&T Stadium in Arlington for Week 1 of the 2015 season.

West Virginia Pros

West Virginia Mountaineers in the NFL Training Camp Diary 8-3-15 | College to Pro Sports
News and notes from this past weekend on Charles Sims, Geno Smith, Kevin White injury update, Ryan Mundy, Don Barlcay, Keith Tandy, Will Clarke and another

Joe Alexander spurns Celtics, signs overseas | College to Pro Sports
Former lottery pick Joe Alexander had a chance this summer to return to the NBA after the Celtics offered him a summer deal. Instead, Alexander will spend time in Italy this season.

Video Of Interest

Miss Throwdown

Today's Miss Throwdown is a Playboy Cyber Girl of the Year, and is absolutely smoking.  CLICK HERE for Leanna Decker's Instagram.