West Virginia vs. Kansas State Prediction, Pick, Odds: Will Will Howard and the Wildcats Keep Rolling?

West Virginia vs. Kansas State Prediction, Pick, Odds: Will Will Howard and the Wildcats Keep Rolling?

Two Big 12 programs heading in opposite directions will face each other in Morgantown, West Virginia during a 2:00 p.m. ET kickoff on Saturday. The Mountaineers are in danger of finishing below .500 for the second consecutive season under fourth-year head coach Neal Brown, while the Wildcats are humming under Chris Klieman in his fourth year at Kansas State. Where exactly did each team's season take a turning point?

West Virginia engaged in high drama early against Pitt in Week 1, where a throw from quarterback J.T. Daniels bounced off of his wideout and landed in the arms of an outstretched Pitt defender, sealing the game and setting the tone for the Mountaineers' 2022 season. The bad news is that the losses for West Virginia have nearly all been by double-digit deficits, however, the Mountaineers rallied and won 23-20 over Oklahoma in Morgantown last weekend, improving to 4-6.

Kansas State has traded wins for losses since mid-October but they are still ranked 19th in the AP Top 25 after dominating Baylor 31-3 in a game where the Bears were three-point favorites at home. A steady dose of transfer quarterback Adrian Martinez started the Wildcats' season but junior quarterback Will Howard stole the headlines during the blowout win against Baylor, completing 70 percent of his pass attempts and winding up with three touchdowns. Of course, it helps to have junior running back Deuce Vaughn in the backfield, who is averaging 5.5 YPC and is a dynamic receiver in the Wildcats' passing attack.

Can West Virginia play their brand of football and limit Kansas State's offense during the final home game in front of its home fans in Morgantown? Or will the Wildcats be too much to handle with Howard and Vaughn causing mayhem in the backfield? Here are our picks, predictions, and odds for Saturday's afternoon game between the Kansas State Wildcats vs. West Virginia Mountaineers.

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West Virginia vs. Kansas State Start Time and Where to Watch

Date: Saturday, November 19

Game time: 2:00 p.m. ET

Where to Watch: Big12, ESPN+

West Virginia vs. Kansas State Odds

Spread: Kansas State -7.5 (-110), West Virginia +7.5 (-110)

Total: Under/Over 55 (-110)

Moneyline: Kansas State (-295), West Virginia (+245)

Click Here for West Virginia vs. Kansas State Odds

Kansas State vs. West Virginia Injury Report

Kansas State

No injuries to report.

West Virginia

TE CJ Donaldson (Out - Leg)

West Virginia vs. Kansas State Prediction

Last season was the first time Kansas State has won this head-to-head Big 12 matchup in five years, covering the spread in Manhattan, Kansas as six-point favorites against the Mountaineers. In 2022, the Wildcats are even better against the spread, boasting a 7-3 ATS record that includes a 3-1 ATS road record. Meanwhile, West Virginia is 5-5 ATS overall and 3-2 ATS at home, where they are giving 7.5 points to the Wildcats as the betting favorite.

J.T. Daniels is QB1 in Morgantown, completing over 61 percent of his pass attempts for 13 touchdowns and nine interceptions. It hasn't been the best year for the Georgia transfer but not all blame can be pinned on his shoulders. The Mountaineers defense has been atrocious, unable to force a turnover in three of the past four games, while the offense has recorded nine turnovers during this stretch. On offense, West Virginia struggles to establish the run, recording under 4.0 YPC despite high volume in four consecutive games. Three of these resulted in losses but the defense answered the call against Oklahoma last weekend, holding the Sooners to under 200 passing yards and zero passing touchdowns.

The Mountaineers will need to tighten up their run defense if they wish to win outright as home underdogs. Kansas State's pivot to Will Howard who has made the offense much more balanced, while Vaughn is a threat to explode through any running lane and turn it into six points. West Virginia has allowed at least two rushing touchdowns and 4.4 YPC in five consecutive games, which is an ominous sign for their outlook in Morgantown on Saturday.

The Wildcats have recorded two impressive wins over Oklahoma State (48-0) and Baylor (31-3) thanks to an opportunistic defense that excels at stuffing the run. West Virginia already has trouble establishing the run, so when that doesn't work, they will need Daniels to make better decisions with his big arm, avoiding the costly turnovers that flip momentum to the opponent. Kansas State's loss to Texas was due to Bijan Robinson and the rest of the Longhorns' rushing attack averaging 6.7 YPC, leading to two touchdowns and control of the time of possession. When teams fail to generate successful running on high volume, that's when Kansas State takes over the game.

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Teams are averaging only 17.5 points against Kansas State, while West Virginia is allowing over 32 points per game, nearly double the amount compared to the Wildcats. As tempting as it is to think about taking West Virginia to cover as 7.5-point underdogs at home, I like how Kansas State is playing on both sides of the line of scrimmage, including their new quarterback who knows how to spin the pigskin. With the Big 12 Championship game in sight, expect a motivated Wildcats team to come out firing early, covering the 7.5-point spread with ease in Morgantown on Saturday afternoon.

Kansas State vs. West Virginia Pick

• Kansas State -7.5 (-110) Bet $100 to collect $190. Click here to bet at Ceasers, who have the best odds