MORGANTOWN - In the college football summer, we only have indicators. The fall sees reality. The winter, either before or after the bowl game, delivers the consequences. But these days of previews and predictions that precede practice, they're reserved for hints of what's to come
And Wednesday might have brought good news to West Virginia football. It was historic, or at least as historic as preseason all-conference polling conducted by the media can be.
But it should matter. You should remember July 2012. How giddy were you when the Mountaineers, who had not yet set foot in the Big 12, were picked second in the preseason poll, when Geno Smith was named the preseason offensive player of the year, when Tavon Austin made the preseason team as a receiver and punt returner even though he was just an average punt returner in 2011?
It was about reputation, and WVU, if nothing else, did well to validate it by starting the season 5-0 and reaching No. 5 in the major polls. And that reputation, which might as well be another word for an indicator, was followed by reality and then consequences.
The Mountaineers started to change after the 2012 season, and though it takes a while to turn around a yacht and WVU's ship might have scraped the iceberg, what happened Wednesday indicates - there's that word again - things are going in the right direction.
The preseason All-Big 12 team included an offensive lineman and a defensive lineman from WVU. That hadn't happened in the 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015 versions. When the time came to award postseason honors those seasons, there was never room for a first-team offensive or defensive lineman and only enough space for second-team offensive linemen in 2012, 2014 and 2015 and a second-team defensive lineman in 2013.
What's the significance? The strength of the offense and the defense in 2016 ought to be the lines. The WVU coaches and coordinators have suggested that, and the polling seems to reinforce that. But more importantly, it suggests the plan is working.
If the Mountaineers couldn't go into a conference known for offensive stars and exploits and win on the strength of Smith, Austin and Stedman Bailey, then they needed to change. If the other team's passing offense was going to pick apart the secondary, WVU needed to change.
Sitting out that season as redshirts? Tyler Orlosky and Noble Nwachukwu. Today they are seniors who have a spot on the preseason all-conference team.
Orlosky should be among the nation's best interior offensive linemen and perhaps the best center in the nation this season. He engineers WVU's offense every bit as much as Dana Holgorsen does with his hand signals.
It was a running offense last season, and though the run-pass ratio might step closer to even this season, the collective strength of the offensive line and the running ability of the quarterback and running backs suggests the offense will go as the line goes, be that as run facilitators or pass blockers.
Nwachukwu is a model for a WVU defensive lineman in that he wasn't highly coveted in recruiting battles, but he developed over time on the field and in the weight room.
Neither player is alone when it comes to experience and ability. The offensive line has Orlosky and five others who have started games. The defensive line should start three seniors.
It's the product of a process the Mountaineers began long ago, when they decided they needed to control games with the running game and control offenses with their defensive front, preferably by stopping the run and controlling the pass but also by disrupting the passer if the opponent mandated such a tactic.
And it would appear it has to be this way in the Big 12, which has seen its best teams run the ball when and how they want, where I was immediately struck in 2012 by the quality of the backup defensive linemen, never mind the starters.
That season, Oklahoma was the preseason favorite, and the preseason team had two Sooners offensive linemen and one defensive lineman. When the season was over, Oklahoma and Kansas State had tied for first in the standings. Oklahoma had one first-team and two second-team offensive linemen. The Wildcats had one first-team offensive lineman, one first-team defensive lineman who was named the league's defensive lineman of the year and two second-team defensive linemen.
A year later, Oklahoma State, Oklahoma, TCU and Texas were separated by 28 points in the preseason poll. The top three teams had one preseason offensive or defensive linemen. Texas had one of each. Baylor won the league. The Bears had one offensive lineman on the preseason team, but at the end of the season, there were two first-team offensive linemen, including the offensive lineman of the year, and one first-team defensive lineman.
In 2014, the Sooners were the popular preseason pick ahead of Baylor. They both had one offensive lineman on the preseason team. The Bears and TCU both finished 8-1 in the league. Baylor had one first-team offensive lineman, including another offensive lineman of the year, and two first-team defensive linemen. TCU had two defensive lineman on the preseason team make the first-team after the season and another make the second team.
Last season, TCU was first in the preseason poll, followed by Baylor. The Horned Frogs had two offensive linemen and one defensive lineman on the preseason team. Baylor had one offensive lineman and two defensive linemen. The season ended with the Sooners on top. They had no preseason offensive or defensive linemen but finished with two first-team offensive linemen, one first-team defensive lineman and one second-team defensive lineman.
The Mountaineers are still going to find themselves in the bottom half of the preseason poll when it's released today, but at least there's an indication they're prepared to play above that prediction.
Contact Mike Casazza at 304-319-1142 or mikec@wvgazettemail.com. Follow him on Twitter @mikecasazza and read his blog at http://blogs.wvgazettemail.com/wvu/.