Score Predictions for West Virginia vs. Albany

Can the Mountaineers bounce back in a big way and improve to 25-0 vs. FCS teams?

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Week 1 did not treat the West Virginia Mountaineers kindly as they fell to No. 8 Penn State by a 34-12 score. Will they bounce back in a big way this week against FCS opponent Albany? Check out our score predictions for Week 2.

Schuyler Callihan: West Virginia 54, Albany 10

West Virginia is looking to get a really bad taste out of their mouth after the extremely poor showing against top-10 Penn State last week. I don't believe what we saw last Saturday is an indicator of what's to come. The Mountaineers played poorly in Happy Valley a year ago and bounced back to win nine of their final twelve games.

Albany is not a team you can take lightly, but they lost a ton, and I mean a TON of talent off of their group that made it to the FCS semifinals in 2023. The Great Danes will have to run the ball, control the clock, and prevent WVU from being in 3rd and manageable situations to even stick around in this one.

West Virginia failed to rush for over 140 yards last week, snapping the nation's longest streak of 16 games going over that total. In their season-opener, Albany allowed Long Island to rush for 179 yards on 31 carries. Jahiem White, CJ Donaldson, and even Garrett Greene have to be licking their chops seeing those opportunities in the run game.

The Mountaineers start a little sluggish, but waste very little time figuring things out and opening up a comfortable lead.

Prediction record: 1-0.

Christopher Hall: West Virginia 45, Albany 13

West Virginia struggled to start fast during fall camp, and I suspect the trend will continue into week two.

The Mountaineer offense never found its rhythm in the season opener against Penn State, and I assume it may take a possession or two to get into full gear.

During Neal Brown tenure, West Virginia is 5-0 against FCS opponents and the Mountaineers have averaged 52.6 points per game while allowing 9.6 points per game in those matchups.

I believe West Virginia continues its dominance over the FCS and pounds Albany 45-13.

Prediction record: 1-0.

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