West Virginia at Texas Tech College Football Expert Predictions

When you see that a team has an unbeaten record at this stage of the college football season, it’s easy to imagine that they are a pretty talented group. This is a fair enough assumption, but there are times when it can still be pretty difficult to tell. The perfect example of that this season is the West Virginia Mountaineers, a team that is 5-0, but who have yet to face a ranked opponent. To muddy the waters even further, they might not get to face a team like that for another few weeks, which makes it tough to get a real handle on what this team is all about. This weekend represents a potential trip up game, as a trip into to Texas to face the Red Raiders is never a straightforward proposition, no matter how the Tech team is playing. The bookies have the Mountaineers as a slim 1-point online betting favorite for this one, and that seems like a pretty fair assessment to me given how recent meetings have gone between these two.

A Closer Look At The Mountaineers At Red Raiders College Football Expert Predictions

When: Saturday, October 15 at 12 PM ESTWhere: Jones AT&T Stadium, LubbockTV: FS1Live Stream: FOX Sports GONCAAF Odds: TBA  

Why bet on the West Virginia Mountaineers

Over the course of the past few seasons, the West Virginia Mountaineers have established a reputation as being an offensively gifted team with some deficiencies on the defensive side of the ball. The scrip has been flipped a little this season, as it is the defense that is doing a lot of the heavy lifting for West Virginia. That’s not to say that the offense is terrible, but their 26 PPG average against FBS opponents this season is a lot less than what we have become used to over the years. The good news for the Mountaineers is that they will be facing a Red Raiders team that has been a little sloppy on defense this season, particularly against the run. Look for the Mountaineers to establish the ground game, which should lead to a win if they can pull it off.

Why bet on the Texas Tech Red Raiders

The Texas Tech Red Raiders are living proof that an explosive offense will not consistently win you games if you can’t keep your opponent off the score board. Texas Tech has the number one ranked offense in college football, yet are still just coming into this game with a 3-2 record. Where this team falls particularly flat is in red zone defense, as they are giving up a TD almost 70% of the times that their opponent gets inside the 20. We know that the Mountaineers can move the ball, so the key to success for Tech is to try and hold their opponents to field goals.

Expert Pick and Final Score Prediction

It’s tough to say what might happen with West Virginia in the coming weeks, as its fair to say that they might be a little overrated right now. That said, I still think they have a little more to offer than Texas Tech, which is why the Mountaineers get the win in a close one.

West Virginia Mountaineers 40 Texas Tech Red Raiders 37