Something’s gotta give. No. 23 West Virginia and No. 15 Oklahoma will put their unbeaten records on the line when they square off this coming Saturday in a mouth-watering Big 12 clash. Both teams are playing some excellent football of late, so expect a gripping showdown between these two conference rivals.
Read on below for an in-depth breakdown of this college football matchup and while you’re at it, you can check out our previews of Texas Tech vs. Baylor and Arkansas vs. Tennessee.
[sc:NCAAFArticles ]West Virginia Mountaineers vs. Oklahoma Sooners Preview
Where: Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium, Norman, Oklahoma
When: Saturday, October 3, 12:00 PM ET
Line: West Virginia Mountaineers (+7) at Oklahoma Sooners (-7) – view all NCAA Football lines
TV Broadcast: FOXS1
Betting on the West Virginia Mountaineers
The West Virginia Mountaineers stretched their unbeaten run to three games with a comprehensive 45-6 victory over Maryland on Saturday. Running back Wendell Smallwood was the star of the show for the Mountaineers, rushing for a career-high 147 yards on 22 carries with one touchdown. With the victory, the Mountaineers have now won nine of their last 10 meetings against their regional rival.
[sc:NCAA240banner ]West Virginia’s offense was simply sensational on Saturday, compiling a total of 601 yards in the one-sided win. Skyler Howard led the way for the Mountaineers, completing 21 of 33 passes for 294 yards and four touchdowns. He threw TD tosses of 15 and 41 yards to Shelton Gibson, a seven-yarder to Elijah Wellman and a one-yard bullet to Daikiel Shorts.
For the Mountaineers to preserve their unbeaten record against the Sooners, they will need to continue their excellent play on the defensive end. They have allowed a total of just 23 points in their opening three games. The Mountaineers will have their work cut out for them, however, against an Oklahoma offense that is averaging 41.3 points per game this season, 19th in the FBS.
The Mountaineers are 3-1 ATS in their last four games against the Sooners.
Create a betting account now and cash in on all the NCAA football action.
Betting on the Oklahoma Sooners
Oklahoma’s hot start continued on Saturday with an emphatic 52-38 victory over Tulsa at Memorial Stadium. It was a huge result for the Sooners, who improved their season-record to a perfect 3-0 slate.
Leading the way for Oklahoma in this enthralling contest was Baker Mayfield. The quarterback, in his third start for the Sooners, set a school record with 572 total yards, threw four touchdown passes and ran for two more in a game that totaled 1,376 yards of offense. His passing yardage total in that game was fourth-highest in school history. Mayfield has been lights-out for Oklahoma this season, throwing a total of 10 touchdowns, 12th-best in the FBS.
Mayfield will have his work cut out for him, however, against a West Virginia defense that has surrendered just 7.7 points per game this season, which is the best mark in the FBS this year. The onus is on Mayfield to mix things up on Saturday to confuse the Mountaineers’ D. He did quite a masterful job with that against Tulsa, with Oklahoma finishing with a whopping 773 total yards. That’s the fourth-most in school history and the highest total since Oklahoma gained 829 against Kansas State in 1988. It was also the most yards Tulsa has ever allowed in a single football game.
The Sooners will also fancy their chances against the Mountaineers as they have fared extremely well against them of late. They are 3-0 SU against West Virginia in their last three games. The Sooners edged past the Mountaineers, 45-33, in their only meeting last year.
The Sooners are 6-4 SU and 3-7 ATS in their last 10 home games.
Writer’s Prediction
Oklahoma (-7) wins, 31-20.
[sc:NCAA490banner ]2,537 total views, 1 views today
