MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Caesar’s Palace does not trust the climb.
The Las Vegas-based sports book released its 2020 over-under win totals for the Big 12 on Tuesday, and the expectations for West Virginia are modest at best.
Caesar’s pegged the Mountaineers over-under at 5.5 wins, meaning the expectation is that Neal Brown’s team will either repeat its 5-7 showing from last season or show a modest improvement to 6-6.
Kansas is the only team in the Big 12 with lower expectations than West Virginia with an over-under of 3.5 wins.
Caesar’s Entertainment Big 12 Win Totals
| Oklahoma | 10 |
| Texas | 9 |
| Oklahoma State | 8.5 |
| Baylor | 8 |
| Iowa State | 8 |
| TCU | 6.5 |
| Texas Tech | 6 |
| Kansas State | 6 |
| West Virginia | 5.5 |
| Kansas | 3.5 |
If the 2020 season does in fact get off without a hitch, it stands to reason that bettors will hit the over on the Mountaineers — perhaps enough to raise the number to 6 by the season opener.
West Virginia will be a far more experienced squad than it was in Neal Brown’s first season, returning experienced players at just about every position outside of both offensive tackles and both cornerbacks.
The Mountaineers open with a neutral-site game against a Florida State team that went 6-7 a year ago. The Seminoles are also breaking in a first-year coaching staff that will not have the benefit of spring practices.
The Mountaineers will be favorites in home games against Eastern Kentucky and Maryland before entering conference play, which opens against a Kansas State team that WVU beat in Manhattan last season.
It’s possible West Virginia won’t be a betting underdog until its Week 5 game at Texas Tech. Should the Mountaineers get out to a 4-0 start to the season, they would only have to finish 1-5 against teams other than Kansas to crack the over.