Quarterback Charlie Brewer will try to continue his climb in the Baylor record books on Saturday when he and the Baylor Bears take on the West Virginia Mountaineers at Milan Puskar Stadium in Morgantown, W.V. A senior from Austin, Brewer has passed for 7,884 yards in his career, which ranks third in Baylor history behind Robert Griffin III and Bryce Petty. With 312 passing yards on Saturday, Brewer would pass Petty (8,195) for second on Baylor's career passing yardage list. Brewer will face a West Virginia team that ranks 88th in the country in passing yards allowed per game (239.9).
Kickoff is noon ET. The Bears are three-point favorites at William Hill in the latest Baylor vs. West Virginia odds. The over-under for total points expected is set at 53.5, down 1.5 points form the opener. Before making any West Virginia vs. Baylor picks, be sure to see the college football predictions from Barrett Sallee.
When it comes to college football, there are few who deserve the "expert" tag quite like Sallee. The CBS Sports writer and analyst hosts shows on SiriusXM College, writes for CBSSports.com and appears regularly on CBS Sports HQ as well as countless radio shows across the nation as a guest.
Sallee debuted with SportsLine in 2017 and has delivered in a big way, posting a winning record in his weekly best bets column since that point. He went 59-35-2 (63 percent, plus $2,037) on all his college football picks for SportsLine in 2019, and he also enters Week 5 of the 2020 college football season on a 48-26 streak on his best bets since the start of last year.
In addition, the college football guru has had a particularly keen eye for Baylor. In fact, Sallee is 6-0 all-time with his against-the-spread picks involving the Bears. Anybody who has been following him is way up.
Now, Sallee has studied West Virginia vs. Baylor from every angle and has revealed his picks over at SportsLine. Here are the college football odds from William Hill and trends for Baylor vs. West Virginia.
- Baylor vs. West Virginia spread: Bears -3
- Baylor vs. West Virginia over/under: 53.5 points
- Baylor vs. West Virginia money line: Bears -145, Mountaineers +125
- BAY: RB Trestan Ebner leads the country in all-purpose yards per game (272.0)
- WVU: RB Leddie Brown ranks eighth in the country in rushing yards per game (113.5)
Why Baylor can cover
The Bears face a West Virginia offense that has struggled to run the ball. The Mountaineers have rushed for 73.3 yards per game this season, which ranks 128th (out of 130 teams) in the country. Last week West Virginia averaged just 1.6 yards per rush in a 27-13 loss to Oklahoma State.
In addition, Baylor should be at full strength on the offensive line. Three experienced starters -- tackle Jake Burton, guard Blake Bedier and center Xavier Newman-Johnson -- did not play in the season opener (Newman-Johnson was serving a suspension; the reasons for Bedier and Burton's absences were not disclosed) but are expected to start on Saturday. The three linemen have combined for 55 starts in their careers.
Why West Virginia can cover
Running back Leddie Brown is off to a fast start. The 5-foot-11, 210-pound junior from Philadelphia has rushed for 227 yards and scored three touchdowns this season. His 113.5 rushing yards per game ranks second in the Big 12 and eighth in the country.
In addition, the Mountaineers have had success against Baylor at home. In fact, West Virginia is 4-0 all-time against the Bears in Morgantown, which is considered one of the toughest road trips in college football. The average score in those four games has been 48-31.
How to make Baylor vs. West Virginia picks
Sallee is leaning over on the total, and he's also found a critical x-factor he believes makes one side of the spread a must-back. You can only get the pick at SportsLine.
So who wins West Virginia vs. Baylor? And which critical x-factor has Sallee jumping all over one side of the spread? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Baylor vs. West Virginia spread to jump on Saturday, all from the expert who's on a 6-0 run picking Bears games, and find out.
