Iowa State vs. West Virginia Spread Pick
Could there be an upset in Ames, Iowa on Saturday night when the Iowa State Cyclones host the West Virginia Mountaineers at 7:00 p.m. ET? The Mountaineers are laying less than a touchdown on the road.
Game Snapshot
175 West Virginia Mountaineers at 176 Iowa State Cyclones
7:00 p.m. ET, Saturday, October 13, 2018
Jack Trice Stadium, Ames, Iowa
Public Betting Trends
According to oddsmakers from online sports book BetNow.eu, the Mountaineers are 6.5-point favorites to beat the Cyclones. The total, meanwhile, sits at 56.5 points. As of this writing, 66% of the public betting tickets wagered on this matchup are on the Mountaineers.
West Virginia Mountaineers
West Virginia senior QB Will Grier completed 27-of-41 passes for 332 yards, four touchdowns and three interceptions in Saturday’s 38-22 victory over Kansas. Grier came into today with a 25/0 TD/INT rate in the red zone over his West Virginia career. Today, incredibly, he threw three red zone interceptions in the first half against the Big 12’s longtime doormat. Grier ended up with four turnovers total, but the Mountaineers were nonetheless able to pretty easily fend off the Jayhawks. Grier is a very gifted NFL prospect, but we’d love to see him tamp down on unforced errors, which typically come from him overextending to try to make a play.
Iowa State Cyclones
Iowa State redshirt senior QB Kyle Kempt (knee) is doubtful for Saturday’s game against West Virginia. A surprise return by Kempt is the only thing that would potentially keep freshman Brock Purdy from drawing the start against the Mountaineers. Purdy came on in relief of Zeb Noland — and ripped it up for five touchdowns — in Saturday’s win over Oklahoma State. We have not seen Kempt take the field since injuring his knee against Iowa in Week 2.
Betting Trends
West Virginia
The Mountaineers are 4-1 against the spread in their last five games overall.
Iowa State
The Cyclones are 13-3-1 against the spread in their last 17 games when facing a team with a winning record.
Prediction
The freshman Brock Purdy ignited the Cyclones offense a week ago and I expect him to play well again at home on Saturday. Will Grier is a stud but he also threw three interceptions a week ago in a lackluster victory over Kansas. With the spread jumping two full points from its original number, I like Iowa State to cover, if not pull off another outright victory.
College Football Prediction: Iowa State Cyclones +6.5