Kansas State Wildcats (7-2 SU, 6-3 ATS) vs. West Virginia Mountaineers ( 6-4 SU, 6-4 ATS)
College Football Week 13
Date and Time: Thursday, November 20, 7:00pm
Where: Milan Puskar Stadium – Morgantown, WV
TV: Fox Sports 1
by Bob, Football Handicapper, Predictem.com
Point Spread: KSU +2.5/WVU -2.5
Over/Under Total: 58
This Thursday night, we have a great Big 12 showdown when the Kansas State Wildcats head into Morgantown to take on the West Virginia Mountaineers. I love this game. Even thought K-State is the “better” team, we have seen all season that West Virginia is tough at home. Morgantown will be rocking and the Mountaineers will be looking to pull the upset.
Speaking of upset, I guess it would not technically be an upset if West Virginia won, since they are the home favorite at -2.5 points. It appears the bookmakers are giving West Virginia a lot of love since they are at home. The total points in this contest has been set at 58. On the season, both of these teams have winning records against the spread. Kansas State is 6-3 while West Virginia is 6-4 against the Vegas spread. I see this game being a great one to the end. It could be a shootout where the last team with the ball is who will win.
Kansas State enters this game at 7-2 overall and ranked in the nation on every major poll. The only two losses for the Wildcats was a Thursday night home loss to the Auburn Tigers and also a devastating 41-20 loss to the TCU Horned Frogs. Kansas State sits at 5-1 in the Big 12 with a small, outside shot to still win the conference. If they have any shot to get a big time bowl game, or win the Big 12, they must go into Morgantown and get a win. A second loss in the conference will end any chance they have of winning it. Statistically, the Kansas State team is pretty average, but they always seem to find a way to win. Their defense is only allowing 21 points per game which ranks them 21st in FBS. The offense is also ranked pretty high scoring 36 a game. The key area for this game is the passing game. K-State is averaging about 265 yards a game through the air, and if quarterback, Jake Waters can protect the ball as well as air it out, the Wildcats should be able to come away with a road win.
West Virginia is a strange team to figure out. They lose to teams like Texas but then goes out and blows out Baylor and Oklahoma State. The bread and butter of the West Virginia offense this season has been the passing game. Ranked 11th in the nation, the Mountaineers are averaging 318 yards a game. The defense however, has been the reason for a few of their losses. Giving up 27 points a game, the West Virginia defense does not even rank in the upper half of FBS teams. At home, West Virginia has played well. They knocked off fourth ranked Baylor and nearly defeated TCU. It took a late, insane run, for TCU to narrowly escape with a 31-30 in Morgantown. To win this game, West Virginia will not just need to play a little defense, but they need to start fast. The crowd in Morgantown can get crazy, and if West Virginia comes out fast, the crowd will get behind them. If all goes well, I could see some sofas burning on the streets of Morgantown Thursday night.
I like this game. Even though I am an SEC guy, I am excited to see this match-up. This is one of those games that could go either way. Depending on which West Virginia team shows up. In my opinion, Kansas State is the more consistent of the two, so this will come down to the Mountaineers. As we speak, 61% of the money is on West Virginia. That is a little alarming seeing as how we all know that K-State is the better team overall. I think many people are caught up in the West Virginia hype due to how well they have played higher ranked opponents at home. I am not falling for the trap. I think Kansas State comes in and takes care of business.
Bob’s Pick to Cover the Point Spread: PICK THE KANSAS STATE WILDCATS TO WIN THIS GAME 27-24! KANSAS STATE +2.5
