ESPN FPI Leans Heavily to WVU in Matchup with Albany

West Virginia is expected to make easy work of the Great Danes this Saturday.

Christopher Hall - West Virginia on SI

Last Saturday was a long, hot, rainy, disappointing day for the West Virginia Mountaineers as they were ran out of their own stadium by Penn State, 34-12. This weekend should feature more fireworks from the Mountaineer offense in a game that should get out of hand relatively early.

According to the ESPN FPI, West Virginia has a 96.2% chance to win while Albany has a measly 3.8% chance.

Prior to the Penn State game, West Virginia had the nation's longest active streak (16 games) of 140+ rushing yards in a game. They only managed to muster up 85 yards in last week's contest, rushing for just 2.3 yards per carry. Now, those numbers are a little skewed however, with a pair of bad snaps and a fumble, but nonetheless, it was still a rough day for the ground game.

Albany had a stout run defense in 2023, allowing south of 90 yards on the ground per game. They lost their top 15 tacklers from that unit, some of whom transferred up to the FBS level. Long Island put up 179 rushing yards on the Great Danes in Week 1, so aiming for a 200+ in this one is a reasonable goal for the Mountaineers. If the WVU rushing attack gets going early, this one will be over by the half.

MORE STORIES FROM WEST VIRGINIA ON SI

Big 12 Score Predictions for Week 2

WVU's History vs. FCS Opponents

Between The Eers: How WVU Beats Albany

How to Watch West Virginia vs. Albany