Score Predictions for West Virginia vs Kansas

The Mountaineers Now staff predicts Saturday's game.

The West Virginia Mountaineers will welcome the Kansas Jayhawks Saturday in the Big 12 Conference home opener at 6:00 pm EST and streaming on ESPN+.

Schuyler Callihan: West Virginia 38, Kansas 27

Putting a loss to a rival behind you is easier said than done. Then again, these guys have only played Pitt once so I don't know how much of a factor that will be in this week's game. Plus, it's not like the Mountaineers will be looking past Kansas with Towson on deck. They must win this game and doing so could help create a little momentum heading into Blacksburg here in a couple of weeks.

Kansas isn't the same team that you could just show up for and still win by three scores. Their talent is improving, their overall depth is improving, and they are coached extremely well by a guy who has won a ton of football games in his career in Lance Leipold. 

Look for the Mountaineers to establish the run game in this one as Tony Mathis and CJ Donaldson each rush for 100 yards in a hard-fought two-score win.

Christopher Hall: West Virginia 37 Kansas 20

Kansas is coming off a 56-10 thumping of Tennessee Tech last week while West Virginia suffered an emotional 38-31 loss on the road at Pitt in the renewal of the Backyard Brawl. 

Understanding Tennessee Tech is an FCS opponent, the wide margin of victory is an abnormality for the Kansas football program and marked the most points scored in a season opener since 1912. Head coach Lance Liepold is entering his second season and has this Jayhawks team believing they can compete with anyone in the country.

Junior quarterback Jalon Daniels is a handful, and the Jayhawks have a plethora of running backs led by sophomore Devin Neal. 

Despite the tough loss last week, the Mountaineers remained in good spirits heading into Kansas prep and are eager place a notch in the win column, and I suspect they are not looking past this pesky Jayhawk squad. 

Kanas is undoubtedly ready to show the Big 12 they are no longer the doormat of the Big 12 and will come out swinging and the two will remain within a possession of one another at the break. However, the Mountaineers will pull away in the second half and pick up their first win of the season, 37-20. 

Julia Mellett: West Virginia 40 - Kansas 24

Obviously, a ranked Pitt team and the first Backyard Brawl in 11 years was a tough season opener for the Mountaineers. Conversely, the Kansas Jayhawks opened their season with a 56-10 smash victory over the FCS' Tennessee Tech. Takeaways from both of these games aren't particularly indicative of either's success come 6 p.m. tomorrow.

The Jayhawks are a perennial bottom of the Big 12 barrel team, and I don't think this season will be considerably different. WVU coaches have spoken highly of Kansas' ability to rally during 2022 specifically, but it remains untested against FBS schools. I'll echo Schuyler and Chris in saying that tomorrow is a must-win for West Virginia. It fuels the fire going forward to get a conference game out of the way, and a stellar, run-away victory would set the stage nicely for Virginia Tech.

Mountaineer fans saw their first glimpse of JT Daniels last week. 23-for-40 for 214 yards, a pair of touchdowns, and a costly interception show serious promise. Bryce Ford-Wheaton now has something to prove, as do Sam James and Kaden Prather.

WVU's CJ Donaldson made his name known last week, and the combination of he and veteran running back Tony Mathis Jr. should be able to cultivate a stand-out run game as well.

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