It can be argued that no team in what was once an Eastern alliance of football independents has failed to find a proper placeholder as thoroughly as West Virginia has. For decades both before and after Bobby Bowden would first become famous during his stint at Morgantown, the Mountaineers were part of a regional country club which featured many annual battles with bitter and mostly nearby rivals including Pitt, Penn State, Syracuse, Boston College, Army, Navy, and in later years Rutgers and Temple. That loose confederation, however, could never properly organize itself into a league that would include the Nittany Lions, as Penn State was always desirous of a spot in the Big Ten and the greater national spotlight it would provide the program. Penn State eventually got its wish, eschewing an eventual Big East football league that brought many of those old independents together. 

The Big East, however, was never what it could have been with Penn State, and would eventually splinter, with most of West Virginia's old rivals either landing in the ACC or Big Ten. The Mountaineers, however, would instead align with the Big 12, a Texas and prairie-centric league with few historical ties to West Virginia. While mostly holding their own in this new alliance, the Mountaineers also haven't hinted at a return to the old glory days. Perhaps the Big 12's addition of a couple of other regional entries (Cincinnati and Louisville) will help stoke the sort of rivalries that used to define the Mountaineer program... 

Bruce Marshall's full breakdown of West Virginia's 2023 outlook, which includes how he's playing their win total, can be found below as part of SportsLine's preview of the Big 12 season.

Big 12 preview: Conference winner | Baylor | BYU | Cincinnati | Houston | Iowa State | Kansas | Kansas State | Oklahoma | Oklahoma State | Texas | TCU | Texas Tech | UCF | West Virginia

2023 West Virginia at a glance

• Last Year: 5-7 SU, 6-6 ATS, 6-6 O/U
• Returning starters: Offense 5; Defense 6
• Win total: 5.5 (Over +150, Under -120)

What do you need to know about West Virginia before locking in your Big 12 futures bets? And which side of their win total makes for the best play? ... Join SportsLine right now to see Big 12 futures betting strategy from a veteran college football expert!