College Football Betting Preview: West Virginia Mountaineers at Oklahoma State Cowboys

The West Virginia Mountaineers travel to Stillwater, Oklahoma to take on the Oklahoma State Cowboys on Saturday. The Big-12 seems to give viewers exciting and high-scoring games every weekend, and this game should be no different. Both the Mountaineers and Cowboys average around 40 points per game, and both teams love to throw the ball deep. West Virginia comes into this game as the 9th ranked team in the most recent College Football Playoff rankings.

Besides the chance to beat up on a rival, there is plenty to play for in this game for each team. West Virginia is tied atop the Big-12 standings with the Oklahoma Sooners with just two weeks remaining in the regular season. The Mountaineers lone loss of the season came at the hands of the Iowa State Cyclones. Oklahoma State enters this game with a 5-5 record and they are still looking for one more win to become bowl eligible. The Cowboys are at TCU next weekend in the regular season finale. West Virginia is a 5.0 point favorite over Oklahoma State in this game.

Gundy Will Stay Aggressive Against WVU

Oklahoma State head coach Mike Gundy defended his decision to go for two, and the victory, late in the game against Oklahoma. Gundy is an aggressive coach as evidenced by his play calling, and expect that to stay the same in this contest. The Cowboys average 316.6 passing yards per game this season, with quarterback Taylor Cornelius completing over 60 percent of his passes. The Cowboys receivers are averaging 14.5 yards per completion this season, and you can bet that there will be plenty of deep balls thrown on Saturday.

The biggest reason for the Cowboys‘ mediocre record this season has been the poor play of their defense. Oklahoma State has given up a whopping 31.7 points per game this season, which is near the bottom of teams in college football. The Cowboys have given up more than 30 points in all but one of their Big-12 games this season, and they will face a top quarterback in this game. Defensive coordinator Jim Knowles will need his group to perform better if he wants to keep his job.

Grier Making Heisman Push

West Virginia quarterback Will Grier is making a case to be invited to the Heisman Trophy presentation this season. Grier is also climbing up the draft boards with his terrific play this season. The senior quarterback has thrown for 2,961 yards and 31 touchdowns this season while leading the Mountaineers offense. West Virginia is averaging more than 40 points per game, and over 335 passings yards per game this season. Grier and the Mountaineers should be able to take advantage of a weak defense in this game.

The Mountaineers are one of the few teams in the Big-12 that still has a defensive identity. West Virginia is allowing just 20.9 points per game this season, which is one of the top-25 scoring defenses in the country. They have given up over 230 passing yards per game, and will need their secondary to show up for this matchup with the Cowboys. West Virginia looks like the most complete team in the Big-12 this season.

West Virginia Rolls Past Cowboys

Oklahoma State is hoping to use home field advantage to pull off a huge upset and become bowl eligible with a win on Saturday. The Cowboys are coming off of a very disappointing loss to their rival last weekend, and it will be interesting to see if they have anything left. West Virginia is a bad half away from being undefeated this season, and feature one of the best quarterbacks in college football. Both teams have great offenses, but the Mountaineers will win this game on defense. Bet West Virginia -5.0 over Oklahoma State in this game.