The No. 6 West Virginia Mountaineers (-6.5) and Iowa State Cyclones will do battle on the grass at Jack Trice Stadium. This conference showdown is scheduled to get underway at 7:00 p.m. ET and interested parties can view the action live on FS1.
West Virginia Mountaineers at Iowa State Cyclones Betting Preview
In this Saturday Big 12 game, West Virginia is projected as the favorite and is currently giving up 6.5 points. The Mountaineers are also receiving -270 moneyline odds while the Cyclones are +210. Should one program catches a lucky break early, it would likely result in a reasonable in-game betting opportunity.
The line initially opened at 5 and the sharp action has been siding with the Mountaineers.
The Mountaineers are 4-1 against the spread (ATS) and have recorded 3.0 units so far in 2018. The team’s posted an O/U mark of 2-3. The Cyclones are up 1.0 unit this season. The team is 3-2 ATS and also has an O/U record of 2-3.
The Mountaineers have gone 5-0 straight up (SU), including 3-0 SU against Big 12 opponents. The Cyclones are 2-3 SU overall and are also 1-2 SU in conference play.
These two teams met a year ago with the final outcome being a 20-16 win for West Virginia.
The Mountaineers are hoping to remain unbeaten after a 38-22 victory over Kansas last week. Will Grier completed 28 passes for 332 yards, four touchdowns and three interceptions. Leddie Brown (107 yards on 11 rushes, one TD) and Kennedy McKoy (44 yards on 10 carries) mounted the running attack while David Sills V (seven receptions, 74 yards, one TD) and T.J. Simmons (six catches, 53 yards) manned the receiving duties in the win.
Iowa State is coming off of a 48-42 win over Oklahoma State. Brock Purdy completed 18-of-23 passes for 318 yards, four touchdowns and one interception. Purdy (84 rushing yards on 19 attempts, one TD) and Kene Nwangwu (49 yards on 10 carries) spearheaded the running game as Deshaunte Jones (six receptions, 37 yards, one TD) and Tarique Milton (four catches, 98 yards, one TD) led the pass-catching corps in the win.
Each of these squads has a similar run-pass ratio on the season. West Virginia’s run the ball on 48.7 percent of its offensive possessions while Iowa State has a rush percentage of 50.2. The Mountaineers have produced 162 rush yards/game (including 135 per game versus Big 12 opponents) and have six touchdowns on the ground this year. The Cyclones are logging 99 rushing yards per game (115 in conference) and have five total rush TDs.
The Mountaineers offense has averaged a ridiculous 365 yards through the air overall (353 per game versus conference opposition) and has 21 passing TDs so far. The Cyclones have recorded 233 pass yards per game (254.7 in the Big 12) and have eight total pass scores.
Defensively, West Virginia has allowed 121 rush yards and 211 pass yards per game. The Iowa State D has given up 227.6 yards per game to opposing passers and 122.0 yards per game to opposing runners. The Mountaineers are allowing an adjusted net yards per pass attempt (ANY/A) of only 4.92 to opposing QBs, while the Cyclones have given up a 6.84 ANY/A.
Passing-wise, Grier has already put up 1,449 yards this season, and has completed 73 percent of his 136 attempts with 18 passing scores and six interceptions. Grier has a 10.32 adjusted net yards per pass attempt overall, although that number sits at 7.40 over the past two outings.
Marcus Simms (352 receiving yards, one receiving touchdown on the year), Leddie Brown (278 rush yards, two rush TDs, one receiving TD) and David Sills V (320 receiving yards, six TDs) have each played significant roles recently.
For the home team, Brock Purdy has completed 18-of-23 passes for 318 yards, four TDs and one INT. Purdy’s ANY/A sits at 13.35 for the year.
Similar to the Mountaineers, expect a balanced approach offensively from Iowa State this Saturday. As a group, David Montgomery, Tarique Milton and Brock Purdy have combined for 289 yards from scrimmage and three touchdowns the last two games.
RELATED: Week 7 College Football Betting Odds and Predictions
Betting Pick: West Virginia Mountaineers vs. Iowa State Cyclones
SU Winner – West Virginia, ATS Winner – West Virginia
Click Here to Start Betting Today!
Notes
Betting Trends
The Iowa State D has sacked opposing quarterbacks 13 times this year. West Virginia has recorded 11 sacks.
Iowa State has lost five fumbles this season while West Virginia has lost three.
The Mountaineers offense has created six pass plays of 40 or more yards, while the Cyclones have accounted for five such plays.
Both defenses have allowed four pass plays of 40+ yards and eight pass plays of 30+ yards.
The West Virginia offense has created eight rushing plays of 20+ yards, while Iowa State has created three such runs.
The Mountaineers defense has allowed five rushing plays of 20 yards or more, while the Cyclones have given up four such runs.
Iowa State was favored by 10 points in its last match and the Over/Under was set at 55.5. The over cashed and Iowa State failed to cover in the team’s 48-42 triumph over Oklahoma State.
In its last three matchups, Iowa State is 2-1 ATS and the under cashed in two of those three.
In its last three matchups, West Virginia is 2-1 ATS and the under cashed in two of those three.
West Virginia was favored by 28 points in its previous game and the O/U was 64. The under cashed and West Virginia did not cover in the 38-22 victory over Kansas.
As a team, West Virginia has produced 4.08080808080808 yards per carry over its last three games and 4.2 over its last two.
Iowa State has averaged 3.9 yards per carry over its last three contests and 3.9 over its past two.
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