Teams looking to get back into the mix in the Big 12 Conference standings battle on Thursday night when the Baylor Bears meet the West Virginia Mountaineers. The Bears (3-2, 1-1), who are sixth in the conference standings, are coming off a 36-25 loss to Oklahoma State on Oct. 1, the rematch of last year's Big 12 Conference Championship Game. Baylor's only other loss was Sept. 10 at BYU, 26-20. The Mountaineers (2-3, 0-2) are eighth in the league after losing at Texas 38-20 in Week 5. Both teams had this past weekend off.
Kickoff from Milan Puskar Stadium in Morgantown, W.Va., is set for 7 p.m. ET. Baylor's defense is allowing 320 total yards per game this season, while West Virginia is giving up 331.4. The Bears are favored by 3 points in the latest Baylor vs. West Virginia odds from Caesars Sportsbook, while the over-under for total points scored is 55. Before making any West Virginia vs. Baylor picks, be sure to check out the college football predictions and betting advice from the SportsLine Projection Model.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every FBS college football game 10,000 times. Over the past six-plus years, the proprietary computer model has generated a stunning profit of almost $3,000 for $100 players on its top-rated college football picks against the spread. Anyone who has followed it has seen huge returns.
Now, the model has set its sights on Baylor vs. West Virginia and just locked in its picks and CFB predictions. You can visit SportsLine now to see its picks. Here are the college football odds and betting lines for West Virginia vs. Baylor:
- Baylor vs. West Virginia spread: Baylor -3
- Baylor vs. West Virginia over/under: 55 points
- Baylor vs. West Virginia money line: Baylor -165, West Virginia +140
- BAY: The Bears are 20-4-2 against the spread in their last 26 games following an ATS loss
- WVU: The Mountaineers are 4-1 ATS in their last five Thursday games
- Baylor vs. West Virginia picks: See picks at SportsLine
Why Baylor can cover
The Bears' offense is led by sophomore quarterback Blake Shapen, who has put up some big numbers this season. Shapen has passed for 1,118 yards and nine touchdowns with a 153.3 rating on 97 of 143 passing (67.8%). In a loss to Oklahoma State on Oct. 1, he was 28 of 40 for 345 yards and two scores. A week earlier at Iowa State, he completed 19 of 26 passes for 238 yards and three TDs.
The team's top pass-catcher is senior tight end Ben Sims. Sims has a team-high 20 receptions and has at least four in all four games he has played in. He had a season-high six receptions for 33 yards, including a long of 17 yards, against Oklahoma State. Last season, Sims caught 31 passes for 361 yards (11.6 average) and six touchdowns, all career highs. In four seasons at Baylor, he has 67 receptions for 669 yards (10.0 average) and 11 touchdowns.
Why West Virginia can cover
The Mountaineers offense is powered by junior quarterback JT Daniels. Daniels ranks 23rd nationally in completions per game at 23, by completing 115 of 181 passes (63.5 percent) for 1,209 yards and eight touchdowns passing and two rushing. He has been picked off twice, but has a rating of 132. His best game came in a 55-42 overtime loss to Kansas. In that game, he completed 27 of 39 passes (69.2 percent) for 365 yards and three touchdowns.
His top target is junior wide receiver Bryce Ford-Wheaton, who is ranked 11th nationally with seven receptions per game, No. 36 in receiving yards per game (82.4) and No. 43 in receiving touchdowns with four. His best game was against Kansas on Sept. 10. He had 11 receptions for 152 yards (13.8 average) and two scores vs. the Jayhawks. On Sept. 1, in a loss at 17th-ranked Pittsburgh, he caught nine passes for 97 yards and two TDs.
How to make West Virginia vs. Baylor picks
SportsLine's model is leaning Under on the total, projecting 53 combined points. It also says one side of the spread hits almost 60% of the time. Head to SportsLine to see the picks.
So who will win Baylor vs. West Virginia? And which side of the spread hits almost 60% of the time? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the spread to jump on, all from the model that has crushed its college football picks, and find out.
