The Shotgun/Throwdown (8/3/18): Shane Lyons doesn’t want West Virginia to be last in facilities arms race

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

Football

Graduate transfers: how much can they help? | WV News
Faced with a shortage of numbers on the defensive line due to some unexpected transfers, West Virginia went to a now-familiar supply source: the graduate transfer market. That effort wound up with the Mountaineers landing two very good prospects: Kenny Bigelow and Jabril Robinson. The question now is, just how much can WVU expect from the duo — and from any player that has just one year in the program?

Basketball

Hertzel: In renaming The Coliseum, only one name stands out | The Times WV
Near the end of Thursday's press conference, Shane Lyons was asked an intriguing question that has been discussed over and over in bars, on talk shows and surely in the money meetings that go on behind the locked doors at the Coliseum. The question was whether the athletic department planned to sell the naming rights to the Coliseum, cashing in on one of the most valuable assets the school has. To the surprise of no one, Lyons admitted that this is a very real “possibility in the future” as a means of creating “a revenue stream” for the athletic department.

WVU basketball: Another uptick for season ticket sales |EerSports
West Virginia's football team is ranked No. 20 in the preseason coaches poll and was picked to finish second in the Big 12 preseason poll. Yet season ticket sales were "flat" during the summer. The final number could fall between 3.5% and 7.5% from where it finished last season, and that would follow a trend at WVU and across the nation as attendance and season ticket numbers slide to lows not seen in many years. There is good news, though, and it comes from the Coliseum. Season ticket sales reached the priority deadline on July 27. The number is up despite WVU losing Jevon Carter and Daxter Miles.

West Virginia Athletics

Lyons: Renovations Happening to Improve League Worst Facilities | EerSports
West Virginia Athletic Director Shane Lyons met with the media on Thursday morning to detail the "Climbing Higher" plan for roughly $100 million in renovations across the Mountaineers' athletic facilities. These are new changes, ones that do not include the football stadium renovations from the last couple of years.

West Virginia doesn’t want to be last in Big 12 facilities race | WV MetroNews
Another phase of renderings foretelling renovations. Another push for massive fundraising. Only the push never takes a timeout.

WVU unveils facilities master plan | Charleston Gazette-Mail
Any good story must include a who, what, when, where and why. And on Thursday, WVU Director of Athletics Shane Lyons also used a couple of those to unveil a facilities master plan.

Climbing Higher! | West Virginia Athletics
If Shane Lyons has his way, one day soon you are going to drive up Monongahela Boulevard and see a uniform-looking WVU Coliseum complex.

Mountaineers Open 2018 Preseason | West Virginia Athletics
The West Virginia University women's soccer team officially opened its 2018 preseason with a training session on Wednesday morning at Dreamswork Field. A total of 16 letterwinners, including six starters, return to the Mountaineers this season. The squad is coming off a 16-win campaign in 2017 and an appearance in the NCAA Tournament Third Round.

Around the NCAA

Best Heisman Trophy campaigns, from toy cars to billboards and beyond | SBNation
Cardboard ties, ugly websites, billboards thousands of miles away, bobbleheads, toy race cars, and more!

How to feel about preseason college football rankings | SBNation
Here’s how each spot in the rankings should determine your outlook on your team’s season.

Bob Evans Restaurants chain suspends Urban Meyer deal | ESPN
Bob Evans Restaurants announced Thursday that it was putting its relationship with Ohio State head football coach Urban Meyer on hold the day after the school said it was putting him on paid administrative leave.

Ohio State announces group that will direct Urban Meyer investigation | ESPN
On the eve of Ohio State's first fall practice of the year, and with the future of its coach unclear, the school announced Thursday night that a special, independent six-person group will direct the investigation into Urban Meyer.

Vandy coach says backup QB Deuce Wallace suspended for season | ESPN
Vanderbilt coach Derek Mason says backup quarterback Deuce Wallace has been suspended this season over a violation of school policy.

TODAY’S FBS TEAM PREVIEW BY BILL C

As always, SB Nation’s Bill Connelly is working his way through every Division I FBS football team, from Georgia State to Alabama. Check out the teams Bill has already previewed by clicking HERE.

On paper, Dan Mullen was a perfect Florida hire. Can he get the Gators out of their rut? | SBNation
Mullen’s got loads of SEC experience and inherits a roster full of exciting sophomores and juniors. How long might it take him?

Vandy has been extremely Vandy under Derek Mason, but might be exciting on offense now | SBNation
The Commodores could be explosive, at least.

So you think you know Randy Moss | SBNation
According to coaches, opponents, and former teammates, first-ballot Hall of Famer Randy Moss deserves only one label: The NFL’s best receiver.

NFL helmet rule might not be as bad as we thought | SBNation
Is the NFL’s vague new rule about helmet hits going to be a disaster? Not necessarily, says retired NFL lineman Geoff Schwartz.

Colin Kaepernick’s name was removed from 2 Madden songs. Here’s what we know | SBNation
This is the second year Kaepernick’s name has been scrubbed from a track in the NFL video game

Former WWE Champion Kane won his election for Tennessee county mayor | SBNation
Yes, this is a real headline.

Wrestling’s Monday-Night Wars Had the Best Series Finale of the Century | The Ringer
Eighteen years ago, wrestling ate itself. Here’s how Vince McMahon bought WCW and WWF emerged as the victor of a thrilling battle for professional wrestling supremacy

A Catalog of Dwight Schrute’s Battles on ‘The Office’ | The Ringer
In an excerpted chapter from ‘Conference Room, Five Minutes,’ Shea Serrano’s new digital collection of illustrated essays about ‘The Office,’ he takes us inside the Dwight Club

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