Oklahoma at West Virginia Week 12 Expert Pick

Posted by Jordan Walters on Wednesday,July 27, 2016 9:05, EDT in

Oklahoma should be the highest-rated team in the Big 12 when the preseason college football polls come out and the Sooners will be favored to repeat as conference champions on college football lines. They also will surely be favored in online NCAA betting when facing West Virginia toward the end of the regular season.

Analyzing the Oklahoma at West Virginia Week 12 Expert Pick & TV Info

When: Saturday, Nov. 19, TBD
Where: Milan Puskar Stadium, Morgantown, WV
TV: TBD
Stream: SoonerSports.com
Radio: Oklahoma / West Virginia
Opening NCAAF Lines: Oklahoma favored by TBD

Oklahoma vs West Virginia Historic Betting Trends

Last year, the Sooners beat the Mountaineers 44-24. Defensively, linebacker Eric Striker led the charge. He had 13 tackles, including two sacks and three tackles for loss, and forced a fumble in the fourth quarter that Jordan Evans returned 41 yards for a touchdown. Jordan Thomas intercepted two passes and Evans had nine tackles for the Sooners. Baker Mayfield passed for 320 yards and three touchdowns, Dede Westbrook caught five passes for 107 yards and Durron Neal added 87 yards receiving for the Sooners. OU’s offense ran just 58 total plays to West Virginia’s 87, but outgained the Mountaineers, 427-369 (7.4 yards per play to 4.3).

Skyler Howard threw three interceptions and lost two fumbles for the Mountaineers. The Sooners’ defense tallied five turnovers (three interceptions, two fumble recoveries) against WVU, its most in a game since the 2014 Sugar Bowl against Alabama. Oklahoma finished with seven sacks versus WVU, its most in a game since the 2014 Sugar Bowl.

Why Bet On Oklahoma?

Oklahoma is 6-2 all-time against West Virginia and 4-0 against the Mountaineers since they joined the Big 12 (the average score in those four games has been 39-28).

The Sooners return 13 starters from last year’s 11-2 team that went 8-1 in the Big 12 and became the league's first program to be selected for the four-team College Football Playoff. Seven offensive starters are back in the fold, including 2015 Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year Baker Mayfield, and six starters return on defense. That doesn’t include punter and placekicker Austin Seibert. OU welcomes back 92 percent of its total offensive yards from last season and 63 percent of its tackles.

The media picked OU to win the Big 12 crown again. The Sooners garnered 24 of 26 first-place votes in the poll and tallied 258 points. TCU picked up the other two first-place votes and totaled 222 points. Coach Bob Stoops, who is getting ready to start his 18th season in Norman, has led OU to Big 12 titles in 2000, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2012 and last season.

Why Bet On West Virginia?

Since 2000, WVU is 101-13 when scoring 30 or more points in a contest and 52-4 when scoring 40 or more points in a game. In the Dana Holgorsen era, WVU has produced 60 games with 300 or more yards of total offense, 45 games with 400 or more yards of total offense, 23 games with more than 500 yards and 11 with more than 600 yards. Also in the Holgorsen era, WVU has scored 30 or more points in 44 games, 40 or more points in 23 games, 50 or more points in seven games and 60 or more points three times. WVU is 75-11 since 2002 when winning the turnover battle.

WVU returns its starting QB in Howard. He sits solidly in the middle of the pack of the Big 12’s returning passers, the senior threw for 3,145 yards and 26 touchdowns in 2015 — which actually puts him close to the group of top returning passers in the country this year, demonstrating just how strong the quarterback crop is in the Big 12 this year. Furthermore, Howard is one of just 12 quarterbacks in school history with a bowl victory under his belt, and one of only three with a bowl win under his belt who is also returning for another season behind center.

“I think it’s pretty good with all the returning guys,” Holgorsen said. “You’ve got to score points because there’s so many good quarterbacks and so much good skill and so much great offensive minds in this league that 35 points a game isn’t going to get it done all the time.”

My Expert Pick

As you can see above, OU has largely had West Virginia's number and that will continue in NCAA betting this year.