The sample size is small, but history tells us West Virginia and heightened Big 12 preseason football hype don’t exactly mix.

Rewind back to 2012 when West Virginia was the media’s selection to challenge Oklahoma for the Big 12 title. The trendy pick almost made too much sense. The Mountaineers put on a salivating display to end the 2011 season, thumping Clemson, 70-33, in the Orange Bowl, and then waltzed into the Big 12 from the Big East with two potential Heisman hopefuls in quarterback Geno Smith and wide receiver Tavon Austin.

A 5-0 start and Top 10 ranking quickly nosedived to a 7-6 record and eighth-place finish in the Big 12.

Six years later, many of the same expectations are back. And the Mountaineers are embracing the spotlight.

“It’s a good thing. If they’re not talking about you, then there’s nothing to expect,” West Virginia offensive lineman Yodny Cajuste told CNHI in July at Big 12 Media Days.

Equipped with a Heisman Trophy candidate in quarterback Will Grier, West Virginia is once again considered the top challenger to end Oklahoma’s run of three consecutive league titles.

Since joining the league, West Virginia has finished higher than sixth in the Big 12 standings just twice — fifth in 2014 (7-6) and third in 2016 (10-3).

After years of treading water and figuring out the right mix of players and philosophy to compete in the Big 12, linebacker David Long would prefer to be known as the team to win a championship.

“Nobody remembers second. I would like to be first,” he said. “That’s what we’re going to hone on, that’s what we’re going to work toward.”

Embracing preseason hype largely varies from program to program. Some coaches — either based off positive or negative predictions — use them as driving forces to hammer home a narrative. Others don’t entertain it.

Confidence from Mountaineer players comes from head coach Dana Holgorsen.

“We want improvement. Handling the expectations aspect of it, that’s what you want,” he said. “I know I’m going to get a lot of, ‘How are you handling the pressure of being picked second — or whatever is it is.’ I don’t care where you’re picked. It doesn’t matter. There’s pressure everywhere — pressure to live up to the expectations or pressure to create expectations.”

Some of the talk at media days centered around an Oklahoma-West Virginia clash in the regular season finale and how, as the preseason favorites to meet in the title game, WVU would possibly handle playing a team in back-to-back weeks.

Holgorsen didn’t take the bait.

“Don’t know, never done it and not going to think about it,” he said.

To even get there requires challenges, including a back-loaded November schedule with Texas, TCU, Oklahoma State and Oklahoma during a four-week run.

West Virginia is coming off a “decent year” in Holgorsen’s own words. A 7-6 finish looked much more promising last November before Grier broke his finger against Texas. West Virginia couldn’t recover, losing its final three games of the season.

At first glance, a shaky defense contributed to the up-and-down season. Holgorsen admitted “we weren’t great” after taking a step backward. The numbers back that up, as the Mountaineers ranked 90th in scoring defense (31.5 points per game) and 107th in total defense (455.5 yards per game).

Strides in that department will help determine success in 2018, but Holgorsen wants more from his offense.

Known for his role as a play caller, Holgorsen handed over the play sheet in 2017 to offensive coordinator Jake Spavital, a Tulsa native and former coordinator for Johnny Manziel. Holgorsen expects more efficiency in year two of the Spavital-Grier pairing.

“We weren’t incredibly efficient last year offensively, and that’s been the sole topic of discussion from Jan. 1 until where we’re currently at,” Holgorsen said. “I think just watching the practices and how Jake and Will interact, they got as good of a relationship that exists from a play caller and a quarterback that I’ve ever seen.”