West Virginia enjoyed its best season out of five in the Big 12, reaching 10 wins for the first time 2011. It finished third in the league at 7-2 with losses to Oklahoma and Oklahoma State to earn sixth-year coach Dana Holgorsen a five-year contract extension, rewarded before the regular-season finale. The Mountaineers face Miami in the Dec. 29 Russell Athletic Bowl (5:30 p.m., ESPN) with a shot at the program’s sixth 11-win season.
What went right: The Mountaineers got mean. Motivated by a perceived lack of respect, WVU players competed with an edge, seamlessly replacing most of a strong defense that included a pair of top-80 NFL picks in the secondary and the Big 12’s leading rusher, Wendell Smallwood.