Iowa State vs West Virginia Prediction, Game Preview, and Betting Lines

West Virginia might be 3-2, but after wins over Kansas and Oklahoma State it’s 2-0 in the Big 12 with the next two home games the make-or-break moment of the season.

Beat Iowa State, and then beat Kansas State, and it’s Game On with a shot at the Big 12 Championship.

Iowa State might be 5-0, but the last second win over Iowa was the one lone good win. The defense has been fantastic, the offense good enough, and if it gets by this it’ll be bowl eligible before getting three of its next four games at home.

Iowa State vs West Virginia Preview

Iowa State vs West Virginia How to Watch
Date: Saturday, October 12, 2024
Game Time: 8:00 pm ET
Venue: Milan Puskar Stadium, Morgantown, WV
How to Watch: FOX
West Virginia (3-2), Iowa State (5-0)

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Why Iowa State Will Win

How healthy is the West Virginia quarterback situation? Starter Garrett Greene injured his shoulder against Oklahoma State, and it was all about the Mountaineer running game.

The Mountaineers ran a whopping 65 times - and it totally worked with 389 yards averaging six yards per pop - but the Iowa State defensive front should be able to hold up a bit better. It can get gouged, but it pulled off wins even when Iowa and Houston were ripping off yards in chunks.

The Cyclones lead the Big 12 in passing yards allowed, and it’ll be a stunner if the Mountaineers get to 200 yards through the air.

The Iowa State offense is cranking it up on the line. The front five is fantastic in pass protection, the ground game has hit 237 yards or more in each of the last three games, and …

Why West Virginia Will Win

The Mountaineers aren’t screwing up.

There’s no real magic to what Iowa State does. It blocks well, tackles better, and it doesn’t make mistakes. It’s No. 2 in the Big 12 in fewest penalties and leads the conference in fewest turnovers.

West Virginia is No. 1 in fewest penalties and against Oklahoma State, it finally stopped with the giveaways and won the turnover margin for the first time all year.

And yes, Iowa State might be great on the lines - again, the blocking and tackling thing - but the strong West Virginia offensive front is a big positive that can take over for stretches.

So it’s this simple …

Iowa State vs West Virginia: Who Will Win

This will be a tight game with both teams running well, both defenses rising up in key moments, and both teams needing to win the turnover battle - or, at least, not lose it big.

Iowa State is a +7 on the season in turnovers and likely won’t have major screwup issues, but if West Virginia really did solve the turnover battle it should be fine.

The home field advantage matters here. West Virginia will run well enough to push through for one of the biggest wins in the Neal Brown era.

Iowa State vs West Virginia Prediction, Betting Lines

West Virginia 27, Iowa State 26
Line: Iowa State -3, o/u: 53.5
ATS Confidence out of 5: 2
Iowa State vs West Virginia Must See Rating: 3.5

Week 7 CFN Expert Picks
Coastal Carolina at JMU | MTSU at La Tech
UTEP at WKU | Memphis at USF
Northwestern at Maryland | UNLV at Utah St
Utah at Arizona St | South Carolina at Alabama
Washington at Iowa | Texas vs Oklahoma
Penn State at USC | Stanford at Notre Dame
Arizona at BYU | Florida at Tennessee
Ohio State at Oregon | Ole Miss at LSU
Kansas St at Colorado | Boise St at Hawaii