West Virginia University Kicks Off 125th Year Of College Football As Preseason Camp Opens

Welcome, By-Godders, to the Shotgun/Throwdown: WVU's best place for sports links, information, sophomoric humor and daily distractions.

Football:

We're mere hours away from the start of the 2016 West Virginia University football season, or, at least the start to the start of the ‘16 campaign - the 125th year for major college football in Morgantown.

For as long as he's been coaching the odd stack — the clever 3-3-5 alignment that's become West Virginia's defensive identity on separate occasions that bookend two defensive coordinators who tried something different — Tony Gibson has done what he can to stay ahead of the opposition.

As football season falls upon us today with West Virginia gathering for its first practice, one aspect of the game has sort of been glossed over by everyone and — in a lot of ways — it may just be the area that separates the Mountaineers from the rest of the Big 12. If there is anything to be excited about, and there are a number of things which offer hope for excitement in the coming season, as well as a number of areas where you wonder just how they will develop, it is kickoff returns.

Around The Big 12:

Ohio governor and former Presidential candidate John Kasich has cast his support for Cincinnati's inclusion, according to Jason Williams of Cincinnati.com. Kasich made the case for Cincinnati in a letter dated July 12 that was sent to Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby and the presidents of the 10 Big 12 universities.

Around The NCAA:

Mark Stoops' Kentucky rebuild fell off-course with a disappointing 2015. Can another new offensive system and a more experienced secondary help the Wildcats regain their trajectory? The stats are not optimistic.

Lane Kiffin is already taking advantage of the NCAA's new rules that allow coaches to retweet and share posts about recruits, which took effect Monday. The Alabama offensive coordinator was Tennessee's head coach for one season back in 2009. Kiffin didn't exactly leave Tennessee on good terms when he bolted to USC, as you may recall. Now he's sending some burns in the Vols' direction on Twitter.

Today's Miss Throwdown is a gamer and the host of IGN's The Daily Fix. CLICK HERE for Naomi Kyle's Instagram.