West Virginia heads into next week’s Big 12 road trip to Texas Tech as a sizable underdog, and the number moved fast once it hit the board. FanDuel opened the Mountaineers at 14.5 points back, then the line climbed to 16.5 by the time this was published. The total sits at 62.5.
The spread reflects a WVU team that has been a steady factor at the window this season. The Mountaineers are 5-3 overall and 5-3 against the spread, with a mix of covers that includes some eye-catching results.
They were 11.5-point underdogs against TCU and still won outright. They also cashed as 10.5-point dogs in the win over UVA.
On the other side of the ledger, West Virginia was a 1.5-point favorite in its three-point win over Cincinnati, failed to cover the 3.5-point number against Arizona, and came up just short in Week Five when the line closed at 3.5 and WVU lost by three. The Mountaineers were slight favorites in the Week Four loss to Oklahoma State, covered the 40.5-point spread in Week Two, and won in Week One without cashing the 20.5-point ticket.
Totals have followed a similar pattern, with one exception. The TCU game was the first WVU contest this season to go under.
Everything else has gone over. Cincinnati, Arizona, Iowa State, Oklahoma State and Virginia all cleared the number comfortably, the UT-Martin game got there thanks to a late fumble return for a touchdown, and the opener against Coastal Carolina landed at 55 total points after the line opened at 56.5 and finished at 54.5.
Last year’s West Virginia team finished 4-8 but still went 7-5 against the spread. The Mountaineers covered in each of their four wins and also cashed in losses to BYU (+20.5), TCU (+16.5) and Arizona State (+9.5). They missed in defeats to Ohio as 3.5-point favorites, Kansas (+12.5 but lost by 31), Utah (+13.5 but lost by 34), UCF (+6.5 but lost by 32) and Texas Tech (+24.5 but lost by 49).
The total was a little more complicated last season, depending on when and where the bet was placed. It went under in five, six, seven or eight games based on the sportsbook and the timing of the line.
It was under in all circumstances for Texas Tech, TCU, Kansas, Ohio and Robert Morris, while Houston, UCF, BYU and Utah were definitively over. Arizona State, Colorado and Pitt all saw the number move enough to cross the final total at different points.
In Other News...
WVUs Bowl Future Now Hinges On A Stretch That Could Change Everything
West Virginias bowl picture is getting clearer, but not necessarily easier, as the projection chatter around the Mountaineers keeps turning back to the same point: the next stretch of the schedule. With Texas Tech, Kansas, Houston and Utah still ahead, the conversation around where this team might land in December is tied directly to what happens over those four games, and to whether the Mountaineers can keep building on their current standing in the eyes of the bowl selectors.
For now, the various media projections are little more than a snapshot of where West Virginia sits in the moment, with different outlets slotting the Mountaineers into different postseason spots based on current performance and rankings. The real story is still ahead of them, because bowl eligibility is going to be decided by how they handle a run that could either stabilize the season or leave the postseason picture far murkier than it looks right now. [Read more 🡒]
West Virginia Still Has A Big 12 Chance Entering A Statement Game
The Big 12 race has tightened again after a weekend that shuffled the leagues pecking order, with Iowa State making the biggest climb thanks to a statement win and UCF taking the sharpest tumble after a lopsided loss. For West Virginia, that kind of volatility is exactly why the next stretch matters so much, because the Mountaineers are still very much in the mix and every result around them seems to carry extra weight.
Texas Tech now looms as one of the more important games on the conference slate, and it arrives with both teams looking to prove they belong in the upper tier of the league conversation. For West Virginia, it is the kind of matchup that can either reinforce a real Big 12 path or leave the Mountaineers watching the standings shift without them. [Read more 🡒]
West Virginias First Lineup Choice Says Plenty About Ross Hodge
Ross Hodge wasted little time putting his stamp on West Virginias first game, naming a starting five for the matchup with Niagara that offers an early glimpse at how he wants this roster to look. Miles Sadler, Finley Bizjack, Seydou Traore, Brenen Lorient and Mouhamed Sylla are set to open the season, a group that suggests Hodge is willing to lean into length, versatility and a fresh look right away.
The opener is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET and will stream on ESPN+, giving Mountaineers fans their first real chance to see how the new coachs choices translate on the floor. There is also a little more to watch beyond the matchup itself, with Lorients availability still tied to the ongoing NCAA appeal process after the temporary restraining order, adding another layer of intrigue to a debut that already feels like more than just a routine season start. [Read more 🡒]