Spread & Over/Under Predictions for WVU vs. Iowa State

Is West Virginia worth a moneyline consideration against No. 11 Iowa State?

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West Virginia and Iowa State will butt heads this Saturday under the lights in Morgantown for a "Coal Rush" themed game. The Mountaineers will be wearing all-black uniforms, as will the fans, to pay homage to the hardworking coal miners in the state.

It should be an incredible atmosphere between two of the Big 12's top teams. Let's dive into our picks for the week, odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook.

Star ratings (Strength of prediction):

1 Star - Not very confident
2 Star - A little confident
3 Star - Fairly confident
4 Star - Very confident
5 Star - Should be a lock to happen

Spread: Iowa State -2.5

2-star play on West Virginia (+2.5): This is going to be such a good football game between a pair of smashmouth football teams that are extremely physical in the trenches. The two are almost a mirror image of each other offensively.

Iowa State is a Big 12 championship-caliber team, but they've only been truly tested once so far this season. Meanwhile, this will be the third time the Mountaineers play on the big stage so they shouldn't flinch.

I like to take the points with the home dog in situations like this and heck, it might even be worth looking into the moneyline price for West Virginia.

Over/Under: 52.5

4-star play on the under: It seems as if West Virginia has figured some things out defensively. I do believe they are still a vulnerable group, but holding Oklahoma State to 14 points is exceptional.

The Cowboys have had their issues getting Ollie Gordon going, but he's capable of breaking out of that at any moment. They held him to 50 yards on 13 carries. And as up and down as Alan Bowman has been, OSU has been near the top of the league in passing. Not last week. WVU held him to 119 yards and picked him off twice.

Iowa State's defense is the best in the league and ranks ninth nationally in yards allowed per game (265.8). For WVU to win this game, they're going to have to control the ball and clock just like they did a week ago in Stillwater which means running the ball over and over and over again. 52.5 seems like a high number for this matchup.

Record this season:

ATS: 3-2 (60%)
O/U: 3-2 (60%)
Overall: 6-4 (60%)

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