West Virginia at Oklahoma State Week 9 Odds & Free Picks

With the start of the 2016 college football season quickly approaching, clearly, it’s time for some online college football picks! The playoff hopeful Oklahoma State Cowboys will host the West Virginia Mountaineers in a Week 9 Big 12 battle that is offering collegiate gridiron gamblers a ton of value. Now, let’s find out which one of these teams you should back to cover the spread.

Analyzing The West Virginia Mountaineers at Oklahoma State Cowboys Week 9 Odds & Free Picks

When: Saturday, October, 29 2016 Time: TBD Where: Boone Pickens Stadium, Stillwater, OK NCAAF Odds: Oklahoma State -10.5    

Bet The West Virginia Mountaineers at +10.5 Because…

The best reason to back West Virginia Mountaineers (8-5 SU, 5-8 ATS) is that they’re nearly identical, talent-wise, to Oklahoma State in all three phases of the game no matter where they play. The Mountaineers won eight games a year ago but closed out the 2015 season with a pair of crushing one-point losses in each of their final two games. Still, West Virginia ranked an impressive 22nd in total offense and a solid 35th in scoring (34.0 ppg) while also finishing 44th nationally in pints allowed (24.6 ppg). More importantly, the Mountaineers return nearly all of their starters from last season, though they will be without Big 12 rushing leader Wendell Smallwood. Quarterback Skyler Howard is the unquestioned starter as he enters his senior season and second year as the starter and he’ll be throwing to a complimentary group of gifted ad experienced wide receivers. Defensively, West Virginia will be in a rebuilding mode as they try to replace a dozen players including eight starters, including both starting safeties and all three starting linebackers. If the Mountaineers stumble in 2016, I will almost assuredly be on the defensive side of the ball.

Bet The Oklahoma State Cowboys at -10.5 Because…

The best reason to back the Cowboys is that they’re playing at home. Oklahoma State (10-3 SU, 6-7 ATS) returns a whopping 10 starters on offense and eight on dense, so experience certainly won’t be an issue for the Cowboys in 2016. Oklahoma State ranked a stellar seventh in passing last season and impressive 14th in scoring (39.5 ppg) and will have blossoming quarterback Mason Rudolph back under center as they shoot for a berth in the four-team CFB Playoff. The Cowboys have an elite wide receiver in James Washington (1,087 yards, 10 TDs), but they need to improve their offensive line and a pedestrian rushing attack that ranked an uninspiring 114th last season Defensively, the Cowboys need to find a replacement for All-American defensive end Emmanuel Ogbah, but they’ve got plenty of talent, starting with safety Jordan Sterns and linebacker Jordan Burton, a pair of first-team All-Big 12 selections that combined for 206 tackles last season.

Expert Pick & Final Score Prediction

Oklahoma State recorded a hard fought 33-26 win over West Virginia despite being a 5-point road dog in last season’s Big 12 battle after losing to their conference rivals in each of the previous two seasons. The two longtime foes have split the last four meetings evenly, both SU and ATS. While Oklahoma State could reach the double-digit win mark in 2016 and have legitimate playoff hopes, it is West Virginia that I like to cover the spread as a double-digit road dog in this matchup. The Mountaineers are 2-1 ATS in their last three games as an underdog and 3-2 ATS over their last five games as a dog. In the end, I like West Virginia to cover the spread by keeping the final score inside double digits, although I don’t see them pulling off the outright road upset!

My Pick: Oklahoma State 31 West Virginia 24