West Virginia head coach Neal Brown is not pleased with Big 12 media

Former Kentucky wide receiver and offensive coordinator Neal Brown is entering a huge year five at West Virginia. The head coach in Morgantown owns a losing record and now has a new boss. Brown must win now if he is going to remain the leader of this Big 12 school.

One year after giving up play-calling, Brown will be back calling plays for West Virginia after offensive coordinator Graham Harrell bolted for Purdue after just one season in the Big 12. The Danville (Ky.) Boyle County product knows his back is against the wall this season. At Big 12 Media Days, Brown spoke out about why he wasn’t happy that the media picked the Mountaineers to finish last in the new 14-team league.

“I’ll start with this because I’m sure I’m going to get asked about it. (I’m) upset about the media poll. Definitely do not agree with that,” Brown told reporters at AT&T Stadium last week. “The good thing, the positive is that the media has not been, as far as predicting the Big 12, successful in recent years. So I think that bodes well for us.

“But I’ll say this on a more serious note. I was sitting on the beach last week, whenever Mike Montoro, who’s the best in the business (and) who’s our sports information director for football, sent me a text. And I made the mistake of looking at it,” Brown said. “From that point on, my vacation was over. I went into football mode.”

Those are strong words from the former Troy head coach who went 35-16 over four years in the Sun Belt to earn this opportunity in the Power Five. Brown would then elaborate on the issue when he spoke with ESPN.

“It really kind of pissed me off because I really think it’s kind of lazy reporting in some senses,” Brown told ESPN. “We won’t finish where we’re predicted to finish.”

“We did beat Oklahoma and Oklahoma State, and they’re ranked way higher than us, and we beat them at the end of the year, so it wasn’t that long ago,” Brown said. “I do think we’re going to be an improved football team. This is the best offensive unit we’ve had.”

WVU has one of the most brutal schedules in college football this season drawing 11 games against power conference foes highlighted by rivalry games against Penn State (road) and Pittsburgh (home) in the non-conference. The Mountaineers only get four conference home games this season traveling to TCU, Houston, UCF, Oklahoma, and Baylor. Despite the tough road, Brown is feeling confident.

We don’t typically see coaches be this outspoken when it comes to media prediction. Neal Brown is taking off the filter entering a huge season for the 43-year-old Kentucky native.