West Virginia was picked to finish seventh in the Big 12 preseason poll and according to most sportsbooks, the win total is bouncing around between six and seven wins. Expectations on the outside aren’t all that high, to say the least.

So, what are realistic expectations for the Mountaineers in 2024? What would a disappointing season look like? And how about a dream season? We break it all down below.

Record: 8-4 or 9-3.

We’re thinking realistic with a hint of optimism. It’s no secret that West Virginia’s 2024 schedule is more challenging than what they faced in 2023. That said, reaching eight or nine wins should be attainable for this group which might be the deepest roster Neal Brown has had since taking the job in 2019.

Record: 7-5 or worse.

When you have one of the top dual-threat quarterbacks in the country, a dynamic duo in the backfield, and a stout offensive line you have to win eight games at bare minimum. Anything less will have West Virginia fans wondering if 2023 was an anomaly and questions will arise once again about Neal Brown.

Record: 10-2 or better.

Some would say 10-2 is realistic and I won’t push back too much on that. However, the Mountaineers have not won 10 games since 2016 and to call that a realistic goal is a bit of a stretch, especially with this schedule. This would be be a dream year for WVU. Notching 10 wins most likely secures a spot in the Big 12 championship and perhaps a spot in the College Football Playoff. Achieving two big goals like that for the first time in program history is the definition of a dream year.

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Pittsburgh (Pa.) Aliquippa 2027 athlete Sa’Nir Brooks made the trek down I-79 for a West Virginia one-day camp and left with a scholarship offer from the program.

Brooks, 5-foot-11, 187-pounds, caught the attention of those in attendance with a pair of strong 40-yard dash times and then continued his play throughout the course of the camp.

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (WCHS) — As of Friday afternoon, all rubber ducks for the 2024 Great Rubber Duck Race are sold.

The race is an event that helps raise money to be used for the community. Eyewitness News spoke with Margaret O’Neal, president of the United Way of Central West Virginia, shortly after the rubber ducks sold out.

“We’re all a little bit hysterical and in tears because 10,000 ducks is a whole lot, and we have literally sold about 2,500 in the last 24 to 36 hours,” she said.

Selling 10,000 rubber ducks was the goal for the organization.

“We live in a wonderful community and tomorrow when all 10,000 of those ducks get dumped off the south side bridge, everybody that bought one should just know that you contributed to buying shoes for kids and making sure seniors have what they need and that healthcare is accessible and education is important,” O’Neal said.

O’Neal told Eyewitness News volunteers have worked hard to get the ducks ready for their big race on Saturday. She said they rent the rubber ducks from a company.

“We received them in town about three weeks ago from the last race they were in. We take the tags off from that race and then we put new tags on for our race. After they’re dumped off we have a bunch of volunteers, Kanawha River Navy, lots of strong backs that’ll help us get the ducks back out of the water,” O’Neal said.

The first 10 ducks will win prizes, with the first duck winning $4,000. If your duck comes in last, no worries. O’Neal said you will get 25 ducks in next year’s race.

“We didn’t really think we’d get there,” she said. “We didn’t think we’d sell out. It’s just a really happy day for the United Way today.”

The Great Rubber Duck Race will start around noon on Saturday. To see the ducks get dumped into the water, you can sit in the Hadad Riverfront Park stage area.