3 Big 12 football contenders who will disappoint in 2024

1. West Virginia Mountaineers

Prior to the 2023 season, it looked like Neal Brown was going to be one of the next head coaches to be out of a job. He was just 22-25 in four years with the Mountaineers and for such a proud program, that wasn't going to cut it. He was coaching for his job in 2023 and he stepped up and knocked it out of the park with a 9-4 campaign.

The coach who hadn't won more than four games in Big 12 play or more than six in a season with the Mountaineers went 6-3 in conference action and 9-4 overall. It was a miracle season.

Brown ended up signing an extension and fans bought back in.

But I think, like Iowa State's 2023 season, it was a mirage.

Garrett Greene is a solid quarterback and West Virginia added some really solid transfers, but I don't see this team winning nine-plus games in back-to-back seasons nor finishing ranked. They're projected by many to be a top 25 team to start the 2024 season, but I don't see that lasting.

West Virginia opens with Penn State (loss) before going to Pitt two weeks later and then hosting a ranked Kansas team before a Sept. 28 bye. There's a legitimate chance this team could start the season with a 1-3 record. They then go to Oklahoma State (maybe 1-4 now) before hosting Iowa State and Kansas State -- sitting at 2-5? The Mountaineers have two likely wins left on the schedule (Baylor, Cincinnati) but Arizona on the road, UCF at home, and at Texas Tech will be tough.

Maybe Brown signed the extension too soon?