West Virginia Mountaineers (7-4 SU, 5-5-1 ATS) vs. Oklahoma Sooners (10-1 SU, 6-5 ATS)
College Football Week 13
Date and Time: Saturday, November 25th, 2017 3:45 PM ET
Where: Gaylord Family – Oklahoma Memorial Stadium Norman, OK
TV: ESPN
by Keith F., Football Handicapper, Predictem.com
Point Spread: WVU +22/ OU -22
Over/Under Total:68.5
The Oklahoma Sooners will host the West Virginia Mountaineers in a mid-afternoon conference clash as they continue their sprint toward a third straight Big 12 title. The contest will be one of national interest, the contest will be aired nationally on ESPN with a kick-off time scheduled for 3:45 PM ET. The fixture will come live from Norman, Oklahoma at Gaylord Family – Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. The Sooners have won every game against West Virginia since they joined the Big 12 in 2012. The streak has now extended to five. Previous to this, the Sooners had been beaten down by WVU in the Orange Bowl in 2008 when the Mountaineers were still in the Big East. However, in 2016 it was all Sooners as OU marched up to Morgantown to hand West Virginia a 56-28 loss in its own backyard. Oklahoma has successfully covered in the last three meetings between the two.
The Mountaineers conclusion to the 2017 campaign is one they will look to put away as soon as possible, as they will be without the services of their starting quarterback Will Grier who suffered an injury against the Texas Longhorns last week in Morgantown. The Horns would hook WVU on its own turf by a score of 28-14 but again the Mountaineers were reeling from the injury to the leader of their offense. The prospects for West Virginia seem only bleaker as they are heading into a notoriously animated environment. If there is any solace they can find, its that Iowa State managed to hand Oklahoma its sole defeat this year in Norman with a back-up quarterback. However, chances are the Sooners were snoozing when they were upset at home. They wont the mistake of overlooking the Mountaineers.
The Sooners have been as dominant as they can come down the backstretch. Between their thrashing of TCU at home two weeks ago and their ability to put up over 60 points on the Pokes in Stillwater in the annual Bedlam Game, the Sooners look unstoppable. The catalyst of this supremacy? Baker Mayfield. Mayfield is now the favorite for the Heisman Trophy. However, he will be sitting for a portion of the game after his antics against the Kansas Jayhawks coaches, players, and fans last week. Oklahoma has a rematch against TCU on the horizon in the Big 12 Championship. If the Sooners were to win next week, there is no reason to suggest they cannot crack the top four in the College Football Playoff poll and earn a spot. However, the Sooners have to take care of business in Norman first to put itself in that position.
From the get-go we have seen a huge lean by the public on the Sooners and thus the price has begun to ascend in some markets. So far, the figure has gone up by a point and this has been supported by extensive action on Oklahoma. The public is selling on West Virginia with the critical injury. However, some pundits and analysts have argued to fade the Sooners albeit Mayfield will be sitting for a portion of the game. There are pros and cons to either side of the equation. In Over/Under markets, we have seen the number rise dramatically by 4.5 points to its current position of 68.5 reflecting serious action coming in on the Over in this market.
As we have stated previously, laying chalk and this kind of lumber is something we try to avoid if possible. However, in this scenario it is likely the better of the two options. If West Virginia performs anything like what we saw last week against Texas with Grier being absent, it will be a very long day for the Mountaineers in Norman. Texas offense is far less potent compared to the fireworks that Oklahoma sets off on a regular basis. Its for this reason we have seen Oklahoma get on a tear and not let up until the final whistle. The Sooners will not be caught looking ahead and will look to use this as an opportunity to send a message to TCU of what awaits them in Arlington.
Keiths Pick to Cover the Point Spread: OKLAHOMA -22. Bet this game for FREE by taking advantage of a FAT 100% bonus up to $1000 at MyBookie! (Use Promo Code: PRDCT14)