MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Sunday marks the start of the Mountaineers preseason camp, and thus begins their sixth football season in the Big 12 Conference. A few superlatives from the first five:
Wins and losses: West Virginia’s overall record during its final five years in the Big East (48-17) easily outpaces the 36-28 mark so far in the new league. The gap in league games is even more stark — with the Mountaineers finishing their Big East run at 25-10 followed by a 22-23 record in Big 12 play.
The steepening of Power Five competition isn’t mere lip service.