WVU football picked to finish No. 7 in preseason Big 12 media rankings

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (WCHS) — West Virginia football was picked by the media to finish in the middle of an expanded Big 12 Conference in 2024.

The Mountaineers came in at No. 7 out of 16 Big 12 teams in the preseason media rankings released Tuesday.

Newcomers Utah were tabbed as the favorites with 20 first-place votes. Kansas State came in at No. 2 with 19 first-place votes, followed by Oklahoma State, Kansas, Arizona and Iowa State ahead of West Virginia.

UCF was picked No. 8, followed by Texas Tech, TCU, Colorado, Baylor, BYU, Cincinnati, Houston and Arizona State, who is predicted to finish last.

Preseason All-Big 12 teams were also released Tuesday. Offensive lineman Wyatt Milum, a Tri-State native and graduate of Spring Valley High School, was the only Mountaineer to make either the first team or second team list.

Oklahoma State led the way with six players named to the preseason lists, followed by Arizona with five.

West Virginia opens the season Aug. 31 with a home date against regional rival Penn State. The Mountaineers will open conference play on Sept. 21 at home against Kansas.