[3:30 PM] TCU @ #12 West Virginia

Who will WIN this matchup?

TCU Horned Frogs (4-2)

@ #12 West Virginia Mountaineers (5-0)

 

Current odds:

TCU Horned Frogs: (+200)

West Virginia Mountaineers: (-229)

 

• ESPN simulations have West Virginia as 89.4% favorites to win the game.

• 62% of sports bets are currently on West Virginia to win as (-229) favorites.

• West Virginia has been the biggest surprise in the Big 12 and the No. 13 Mountaineers strive to remain undefeated when they host TCU on Saturday. West Virginia has rattled off five consecutive victories and has started drawing mention as a possible College Football Playoff contender after a surprisingly good run that includes last week’s 48-17 road rout of Texas Tech.

• West Virginia has limited three opponents to 17 or fewer points – including high-scoring Texas Tech – and will face a challenge with a TCU offense averaging 40.2 points. The Horned Frogs also may get back standout sophomore receiver/returner KaVontae Turpin back after a three-game absence.

• Junior quarterback Kenny Hill has topped 400 passing yards three times and has passed for 2,142 yards and 12 touchdowns but has also thrown a Big 12-worst eight interceptions. Junior running back Kyle Hicks has a team-leading 479 rushing yards and has scored nine touchdowns (seven rushing, two receiving) but the Horned Frogs have sorely missed Turpin, who caught 16 passes and stood out on kickoff (32.8 average) and punt returns (28.8, one touchdown) before injuring a knee against Iowa State on Sept. 17.

• Howard has been highly accurate with a 66.1 percentage and has thrown for 1,590 yards and eight touchdowns against four interceptions. Junior running back Justin Crawford (373 yards, three touchdowns) is expected to play despite injuring an ankle against Texas Tech and he has formed a good combo with senior Rushel Shell III (348 rushing yards, five touchdowns). The defense allows just 19.4 points per game with senior safety Jarrod Harper (team-best 30 tackles), senior strong-side linebacker Justin Arndt (team-high four tackles for loss) and senior cornerback Rasul Douglas (team-leading two interceptions) enjoying good campaigns.

• TCU holds a 3-2 series edge after routing West Virginia 40-10 last season.

 

StreakSmarts Pick: #12 West Virginia Mountaineers

Confidence: 5/10

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