No. 12 Kansas State at West Virginia (-2.5) 7 pm Thursday Fox Sports 1
Daniel: A close loss to TCU two weeks ago was understandable for West Virginia, but a pretty solid beat down from Texas last week wasn’t. The Mountaineers have been respectable at home this season despite some tough matchups, and this will be another one with Bill Snyder, Tyler Lockett and Co. coming into town. I’m a little surprised to see that WVU is the favorite here. KSU is a little down after their big loss at TCU last week, but the Wildcats are still one of the best coached teams in America and their defense should be good enough to limit WVU from running wild. This one will come down to the wire. Winner: KSU 28-24
Houston: I may live to regret this pick, but Morgantown, West Virginia is an extremely tough environment for visiting teams. They dropped a confusing game at Texas two weeks ago, but they’ve had two weeks to prepare for this game and they should be well-prepared for Bill Snyder’s team. Kansas State is also coming off of a bye week – thanks to the Thursday night kickoff – but I have to give the nod to the home team in this scenario. I think Clint Trickett and James White put together another huge performance and hold off a stingy, well coached KSU team in what should be one of the better games to watch all weekend. Winner: Mountaineers 31-27
Reed: I’m a habitual picker of Bill Snyder’s teams, but I don’t have to be to go with Kansas State in this one. Their defense ranks 21st nationally in points allowed and their offense ranks 20th in points per game. They’re balanced and they’ve been better on both sides of the ball than the Mountaineers this season. West Virginia has lost two straight. They’ve been solid at home, but just aren’t playing great ball right now. Winner: Snyder 38-31
Tony: I love the toughness of K State but give me Morgantown on a Thursday night. Everyone should see a game there one time in their lives. WVU would’ve been a GREAT SEC school! Those people LIVE IT! It’s tough to pick against Bill Snyder but I feel a Mountaineer night in this one. QB Clint Trickett has a big night and the Mountaineers roll to the W. Winner: WVU 24-23
