Oklahoma at West Virginia Spread, Betting Pick & TV Info

Posted by Michael Hunt on Wednesday,November 16, 2016 10:00, EDT in

It’s the game of the year thus far in the Big 12 on Saturday as No. 8 Oklahoma visits No. 10 West Virginia. The winner remains in great shape to take the Big 12 regular-season title, while the loser has no shot at the College Football Playoff. WVU is a slight home dog in online college football betting.

Oklahoma at West Virginia Spread, Betting Pick & TV Info

When: Saturday, Nov. 19, 8 PM ET
Where: Milan Puskar Stadium, Morgantown, WVA.
TV: ABC
Stream: WatchESPN
Radio: Oklahoma / West Virginia
Opening NCAA Football Lines: OU -2.5 (67)

Why Bet on Oklahoma?

Oklahoma has rallied from a rough start to the season and losses by Clemson, Michigan, Washington, Texas A&M and Auburn last Saturday opened up the field for the Sooners to possibly claim one of the four spots in the College Football Playoff — if they keep winning.

The Sooners routed Baylor last week 45-24. Baker Mayfield passed for 300 yards and two touchdowns and ran for another score. Sooners coach Bob Stoops said Mayfield is playing better than a year ago, when he finished fourth in the Heisman Trophy balloting. The Sooners won their seventh in a row overall and 15th straight in Big 12 play. Joe Mixon had 187 yards from scrimmage and Samaje Perine ran for 100 yards and two touchdowns after missing three games with a pulled muscle.

For the 14th time in the last 17 regular season games, the Sooners put up at least 500 yards of total offense, going undefeated in such performances. OU finished with 566 yards and 45 points against the Bears, who entered the game leading the Big 12 in total defense (394.8 yards per game) and scoring defense (25.0 ppg).

The Oklahoma offense opened with a touchdown, the sixth time this season and fourth time in the last five games it has scored a TD on its opening drive. Mayfield and Dede Westbrook connected for a 40-yard score and Mixon added a 56-rushing touchdown, OU’s 16th and 17th touchdowns, respectively, of at least 40 yards this season (leads the nation). Only four times in OU history have the Sooners had a player record at least five touchdowns of 40 yards or more (from scrimmage) in a single season. Two of those have happened this season as Westbrook (10) and Mixon (five) have both accomplished the feat.

Why Bet on West Virginia?

WVU is 5-0 at home this year and has won eight straight there. Coach Dana Holgorsen’s team just handed Texas its first home loss this season. The premier matchup in this game pits the West Virginia defense, arguably the league’s best, against the potent Oklahoma offense, featuring a four-headed monster after the return of Perine and Mixon against Baylor. The Mountaineers’ 8-1 start to the season is its best since 2007, when they started the season 10-1, and the best in coach Dana Holgorsen’s six seasons.

West Virginia comes off a 24-20 win at Texas. WVU QB Skyler Howard started hot — hitting 11 of his first 14 throws and grabbing a 17-3 lead — but then mostly struggled the rest of the way, including a three-interception third quarter. West Virginia’s defense stepped up and won the day, making Howard 17-7 as the team’s starting QB.

Howard has become one of West Virginia’s most prolific quarterbacks after beginning his college career as a walk-on at an FCS school, then enrolling at a junior college. Howard was 21-35 for 269 yards with one touchdown. He has at least one touchdown pass in eight consecutive games and now has 17 on the season and 51 in his career. With 2,562 passing yards on the season, Howard is No. 7 all-time in program history for passing yards in a season, while his 6,536 career passing yards is third-most in a career WVU history. WVU had 383 yards of total offense, the 70th time in the Holgorsen era that WVU has eclipsed 300 yards of total offense.

WVU has yet to beat Oklahoma since joining the Big 12. Last year, the Sooners once again smothered West Virginia’s offense, forcing crucial turnovers that turned a competitive game upside down in the fourth quarter. The Sooners won 44-24. Final numbers showed WVU with a solid running game of 196 yards to go along with 173 passing to total 369 yards. The Mountaineer defense held OU to just 107 yards rushing, but the Sooners struck for 320 yards passing to total 427 yards. Mayfield had a strong day for OU, finishing with 320 yards passing and three touchdowns.

Oklahoma at West Virginia Betting Pick:

Sooners are 10-4 ATS in their last 14 conference games.
Over is 4-1 in the last 5 meetings.

Like Oklahoma and the over here in online NCAA betting.