In a matchup that features two squads ranked in the Top 12 nationally, the No. 12 West Virginia Mountaineers (-1) are set to host their conference rival No. 6 Oklahoma Sooners at Mountaineer Field at Milan Puskar Stadium. ESPN will televise the action and this Friday matchup is scheduled to kick off at 8:00 p.m. ET.
Oklahoma Sooners vs. West Virginia Mountaineers Betting Preview
West Virginia enters this Big 12 game as the underdog and is currently getting 1 point. The Sooners are also receiving -105 moneyline odds while the Mountaineers are -115. Vegas has placed the over/under (O/U) pretty highly at 81 points, and if one side can catch a lucky break early on, it would likely create a worthy live betting scenario.
The over has gotten the bulk of the early sharp action. The game’s over/under was placed initially at 80.
The Sooners have gained 1.0 unit so far in 2018 and are 4-7 against the spread (ATS). The team’s posted an Over-Under record of 9-2. The Mountaineers are up 1.3 units for moneyline bettors this season. They’re 7-3 ATS and six of their games have gone over the total.
The Sooners are 10-1 straight up (SU), including 7-1 SU against Big 12 opponents. The Mountaineers are 8-2 SU overall and are also 6-2 SU in conference play.
The Sooners hope to keep things rolling following a 55-40 win over Kansas last week. Kyler Murray completed 21 passes for 272 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. Kennedy Brooks (171 yards on 25 rush attempts, two TDs) and the signal-caller Murray (99 yards on eight carries, three TDs) led the ground attack in the win. Marquise Brown (six receptions, 65 yards) and CeeDee Lamb (five catches, 52 yards) handled the receiving duties.
One week ago, Oklahoma State knocked off this West Virginia team by a score of 45-41. The Mountaineers defensive unit let the Cowboys pass for 338 yards and five touchdowns while rushing for 266 yards. Chuba Hubbard torched the defense, recording 134 rushing yards on 26 attempts for Oklahoma State. For West Virginia, Will Grier completed 27-of-48 passes for 364 yards and two touchdowns. Kennedy McKoy (148 rushing yards on 21 attempts, two TDs) spearheaded the ground attack in the defeat as Gary Jennings Jr. (seven receptions, 92 yards, one TD) and Marcus Simms (seven catches, 47 yards) led the pass-catching corps.
Oklahoma has run the ball on 57.9 percent of its offensive possessions this year while West Virginia has a rush percentage of 49.3 percent. The Sooners have rushed for 261 yards/game (including 273 per game versus Big 12 opponents) and have 36 scores via handoffs this year. The Mountaineers are totaling 162 rush yards per game (152 in conference) and have 17 total rushing TDs.
The Sooners offense has averaged 315 yards in the air overall (333 per game versus conference opposition) and has 35 passing scores so far. The Mountaineers have recorded 340 pass yards per contest (329.4 in the Big 12) and have 34 total pass TDs.
On the defensive side of the ball, Oklahoma has allowed 162 rush yards and 264 pass yards per game. The West Virginia defense has allowed 243.7 yards per game to opposing passers and 135.5 yards per game on the ground. The Mountaineers are allowing an adjusted net yards per pass attempt (ANY/A) of just 5.93 to opponents, while the Sooners have given up a 7.32 ANY/A.
Offensively, Murray has amassed 2,961 passing yards this season. The signal-caller has completed 70 percent of his 250 attempts with 33 passing scores and only six interceptions. Murray’s got a pristine 12.63 adjusted net yards per pass attempt overall, although that number sits at 9.46 over the last two games.
Look for a balanced approach offensively from Oklahoma in this one. Kennedy Brooks (646 rushing yards, eight rush TDs on the year), Marquise Brown (879 receiving yards, seven receiving TDs) and Kyler Murray (673 rush yards, 10 rush TDs, 0 receiving yards) have each played key roles lately.
On the other sideline, Will Grier has managed to complete 209-of-309 passes for 2,982 yards, 30 TDs and seven INTs. Grier’s ANY/A sits at 9.46 for the season and 8.44 across his last two outings.
Kennedy McKoy (608 rushing yards, four rush TDs, 173 receiving yards, one receiving touchdown this season), Gary Jennings Jr. (634 receiving yards, 10 receiving TDs) and David Sills V (694 receiving yards, 12 receiving TDs) have combined for 555 total yards and eight touchdowns the past couple of games.
When these two squads faced one another last year, Oklahoma knocked off West Virginia by four touchdowns 59-31.
RELATED: Week 13 College Football Betting Odds and Predictions
Free Pick: Oklahoma Sooners at West Virginia Mountaineers
SU Winner – Oklahoma, ATS Winner – Oklahoma, O/U – Over
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Notes
Team Betting Notes
The West Virginia defense has sacked opposing quarterbacks 23 times this year. Oklahoma has produced 22 sacks.
The West Virginia offense has lost five fumbles this season while the Oklahoma offense has lost four.
The Sooners offense has produced 18 pass plays of 40 or more yards, while the Mountaineers have put up 13 such plays.
The Oklahoma defense has allowed 11 pass plays of 40 or more yards, while West Virginia has given up five such plays.
The Oklahoma offense has created 31 rushing plays of 20 yards or more, while West Virginia has created 14 such runs.
The Sooners defense has allowed 13 rushing plays of 20 or more yards, while the Mountaineers have given up 11 such runs.
The Over/Under for West Virginia’s previous game was set at 73. The over cashed in the team’s 45-41 defeat to Oklahoma State.
Over its last three matches, West Virginia is 2-1 ATS and the over cashed in each of those three.
Over its last three contests, Oklahoma is 0-3 ATS and the over cashed in each of those three.
The O/U for Oklahoma’s last game going into it was 68. The over cashed in the team’s 55-40 victory over Kansas.
As a team, Oklahoma has produced 7.4 yards per carry over its past three games and 7.4 over its last two.
West Virginia has averaged 5.0 yards per carry over its last three outings and 4.3 over its past two.
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