Score Predictions for West Virginia vs Iowa State

The picks are in for this week's game.

The West Virginia Mountaineers (3-4, 1-3) host the No. 22 Iowa State (5-2, 3-1) Cyclones on Saturday at 2:00 pm EST and streaming on ESPN+.

Schuyler Callihan: Iowa State 24, West Virginia 20

Last year, the Cyclones had their way with the Mountaineers in just about every facet of the game. They controlled the line of scrimmage and although WVU was down a few guys because of COVID, it was an all-around bad performance. The offense was stale, the defense missed a bunch of tackles, and the effort was not present in the 42-6 loss. 

I don't believe one offseason is going to be enough to overcome the gap between WVU and Iowa State, especially since the Cyclones have virtually everyone back from a year ago. The Mountaineers finally took a step in the right direction last week by shutting out TCU in the 2nd half, forcing turnovers, and running the ball with efficiency. However, that was against TCU, arguably one of the worst defenses in the Big 12. This Iowa State defense poses a lot of challenges for a quarterback and Jarret Doege struggles when the field isn't clear for him. 

I've got the Cyclones in a close one, 24-20.

Christopher Hall: Iowa State 23 West Virginia 16

Iowa State has won the last three meetings over West Virginia by an average of 25.3 points per game, including derailing an undefeated Mountaineer team in 2018. 

The Cyclones were at the top of the list of Big 12 Conference members to challenge the Oklahoma Sooners, but a bit of a rocky start to begin the season with a home loss to in-state rival Iowa in game two of the season and dropping the conference opener on the road to Baylor had Iowa State at 2-2 on the year. 

Currently, riding a three-game winning streak, including knocking off a top 10 undefeated Oklahoma State team 24-21 last week and look poised to make a run for the league title. 

West Virginia, on the other hand, ended a three-game skid with a road win at TCU. The Mountaineers showed improvement in the running game and the defense, again, appeared to be back on track. So the question becomes, did WVU win due to improvements, or did they notch a win over a struggling TCU team? I'm going with a mixture of both, but I don't think they've made big enough strides to take down the 22nd ranked Cyclones. 

The Cyclones defense ranks first in the Big 12 in scoring (17.0 ppg), total yards allowed (262.3 ypg) and passing yards allowed (163.9 ypg), along with ranking second in rushing yards allowed at 98.4 ypg. 

I don't believe the 36-point beatdown the Cyclones handed the Mountaineers last year in Ames indicated how far ahead of WVU they are, instead just a bad day. However, this game could get out of hand if the Mountaineers do not take care of the ball. I give West Virginia a chance, and quite frankly, would not be a bit surprised if the Mountaineers pulled off the upset at home. Nonetheless, the Iowa State defense will be too much for the West Virginia offense and I expect kicker Casey Legg will have another big day. The Mountaineer defense will keep the game close. Outside of the Baylor game, it's what these games have come down to all season. Until the offense shows more consistency, they'll continue to come up short against good teams. Cyclones escape Morgantown with a 23-16 win. 

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