Oklahoma State has usually faded from the national rankings by this point in the season, as their high-octane offense has failed to outscore their Swiss-cheese defense enough times for the losses to mount and to threaten bowl eligibility. That happened in a six-point loss at Texas and a ten-point loss at Texas Tech — and in an 18-point loss on Homecoming to Baylor, in a game that the Cowboys led in the third quarter. With wins over Iowa State, TCU and Kansas, though, the Cowboys have a three-game winning streak — and a 7-3 record — heading to West Virginia to face the Mountaineers. West Virginia started the season 3-1 but then have lost five of their last six, and they now need to beat Oklahoma State at home and then beat TCU on the road just to gain bowl eligibility. They did look impressive last week, beating then-#24 Kansas State on the road by four. Can the Mountaineers fight off the Cowboys at home? Or will Oklahoma State make it eight wins on the season? Don’t miss our sports betting preview of this Big 12 clash.
Oklahoma State vs West Virginia 2019 College Football Week 13 Odds & Pick
- When: Saturday, November 23, 2019, 12:00 pm ET
- Where: Milan Puskar Stadium, Morgantown, WV
- TV: ESPN2
- Radio: Cowboy Radio Network / West Virginia Mountaineers Sports Network
- Live Stream: ESPN+
- College Football Week 13 Odds: Georgia -13.5 / O/U 45.5
Why should you bet on the Cowboys?
Oklahoma State comes in riding the momentum of a 31-6 whipping of Kansas in their last game. Tailback Chuba Hubbard ran for 122 yards and a pair of touchdowns. That gave him 1,726 yards and 20 scores on the season. Quarterback Spencer Sanders has thrown for 2,065 yards and has posted a 16:7 TD:INT ratio. His favorite target has been Tylan Wallace, who has 903 receiving yards and eight scores.
The Cowboys rely on a more balanced offense this year than in seasons past, when they were pass-happy. However, Sanders is not the same caliber of quarterback as such predecessors as Mason Rudolph, so coach Mike Gundy has had to adjust. This has actually paid off for the Cowboys, and if they can win out, they could find themselves in the Big 12 championship — so there is plenty to play for. Given that West Virginia has just covered once in their last six games at home, Morgantown is not the scary destination it was when Dana Holgorsen coached the Mountaineers, so the opportunity is there for the taking.
Why should you put your money on the Mountaineers?
West Virginia looked headed toward the basement of the Big 12 until they posted that huge upset of Kansas State last week. Defensive back Hakeem Bailey swiped an interception from the arm of Skylar Thompson near the end zone in the waning minutes of the fourth quarter, sealing the win for West Virginia. The Mountaineers started Jarret Doege for the first time, and he rewarded their faith with 353 passing yards and four touchdowns.
West Virginia’s running attack has been limited at best. Their top running back is Leddie Brown, who has picked up just 289 yards, scoring a touchdown. If you’re looking here for the cover instead of the straight up win, you might note that the “under” has paid off in four of the last five Mountaineer contests. So West Virginia might be able to grind the pace down and keep the Cowboys from being able to pull far enough away to cover. There is also the possibility that Oklahoma State overlooks the down-and-out Mountaineers after their big win last week.
Final Score Prediction
West Virginia was a tough place to win when Dana Holgorsen coached the Mountaineers, but that has definitely changed since he took off to coach the Houston Cougars. Oklahoma State’s balance makes them a more dangerous team this year, and I see them winning and covering. Final score prediction: Oklahoma State 30, West Virginia 20.
