Oklahoma St vs West Virginia Odds: Mountaineers Favored in Battle of 4-2 Teams

The Oklahoma State Cowboys (4-2) visit West Virginia (4-2) for a Big 12 Conference clash on Saturday. The game is a big one for both teams, who are looking to become bowl-eligible, but need a few more wins. Both teams should reach six wins based on the current NCAAF standings and their remaining schedules. But it’s never wise to count victories before they happen in the Big 12 Conference. The Oklahoma St vs West Virginia odds have the Mountaineers favored by 3.5 points and the total on the game is 50.

Cowboy Offense to Get Test From West Virginia Defense

Oklahoma State enters the game scoring 26 points against teams that allow 24.3 points, so the Mountaineers are slightly better than average in that regard. The Cowboys throw the ball 40 times per game and run 32, although they’re a little more efficient with the running game. The team is averaging 390.7 total yards of offense, which is 17.5 more than their foes allow. The rushing attack is gaining 4.6 yards per carry, while the Cowboys average 6.1 yards per pass attempt. The running game will have its hands full with West Virginia’s defense, which allows 3.6 yards per rushing attempt.

On defense, Oklahoma State is slightly better than average. The rushing defense performs a little better than the pass defense, which is allowing 8.0 yards per pass attempt. The Cowboys are allowing a lower completion percentage than their foes’ average, but slightly more yards per pass attempt.

The Cowboys are coming off victories over Kansas State and Kansas, defeating the Jayhawks last time out 39-32 as 2.5-point home underdogs. Both teams had at least 500 yards of total offense in that game.

West Virginia Looks to Rebound

After defeating Texas Tech and TCU as underdogs, the Mountaineers fell to Houston 41-39 last week as 3-point road favorites. West Virginia lost in gut-wrenching fashion, as Houston scored on a 49-yard touchdown pass with no time remaining on the clock. The Mountaineers had taken the lead on a 50-yard touchdown pass with 12 seconds remaining. It was an emotional roller coaster for those who used West Virginia as one of their college football picks against the spread.

For the season, West Virginia is scoring 28.5 points against teams allowing 28.5 points. The Mountaineers run the ball well but don’t complete a high percentage of their passes. That’s the primary reason the Mountaineers run 44 times a game and throw 25 passes. West Virginia has two victories this season when failing to throw for 100 yards. The team’s 391 passing yards against Houston was a season-high, but not enough to get the win.

West Virginia is allowing 22.7 points to teams averaging 29.5. The 41 points allowed to Houston was just the second time the Mountaineers have allowed more than 21 points this season. The loss ended a four-game winning streak straight-up and against the spread.

What to Expect

The mental state of West Virginia is a bit of a concern entering this game. Some teams bounce back after such a tough loss, while others go into a downward spiral. Assuming the Mountaineers don’t have any lingering effects, they’ll be a tough matchup for Oklahoma State. The teams haven’t played any common opponents, so there are no NCAAF scores to compare.

Oklahoma State likes to throw, but with West Virginia allowing a 53.9% completion percentage, the Cowboys may want to look to the run first. The Cowboys can move the ball on the ground, although the Mountaineers are decent at stopping the rush.

West Virginia has to come out and run the ball, which is what it prefers to do, although the going will be tough against Oklahoma State. The Cowboys allow 4.1 yards per carry to teams averaging 4.5 yards, so they’re better than average there.

Despite some high scores last time out by both squads, neither team is an over team for the season. The Cowboys are 2-4 in over/under this season, while the Mountaineers are 3-3.

Who to Bet On?

The Oklahoma St vs West Virginia odds of Mountaineers -3.5 makes this a tough game to call. West Virginia has the defensive edge. But the two offenses are pretty similar and neither rates a big edge over the other.

The Oklahoma St vs West Virginia odds on the total of 50 may seem to be a little low since both squads scored 39 points last game and the Cowboys allowed 32, while the Mountaineers allowed 41. But those games were out of the ordinary. There’s a trend showing games in which both teams scored more than 38 points in their previous game, going 68-98-2 when the total is 50 or lower. This game just sneaks in there and the under 50 is the way to look in this one.

For NCAAF betting news, odds analysis, and more, visit Point Spreads Sports Magazine.

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