Experts Favor West Virginia Ahead of Saturday’s Matchup with Ohio
ATHENS,OH – Despite being only 3.5-point favorites in Las Vegas, West Virginia is drawing critically important support from both betting markets and college football analysts ahead of saturday’s road game against Ohio. While 53% of total bets are on the Mountaineers, a striking 94% of the total money wagered favors WVU, indicating “sharp” money is heavily backing a West Virginia victory.
the matchup, a rare Group of Five road contest for west virginia, has garnered attention from prediction models and a limited number of national experts. This game’s relative anonymity – neither team is currently ranked – explains the sparse coverage from major national writers. However, those offering predictions largely lean towards a Mountaineers win.
Computer models overwhelmingly favor West Virginia.ESPN’s Football Power Index gives WVU a 53.6% chance of winning,while PFF’s Greenline projects the Mountaineers as slight favorites with a 52.4% win probability. Bill Connelly’s SP+ model is even more bullish, forecasting a 67% chance of a West Virginia win and a final score of 32-25.
Among human analysts,David Kenyon of Bleacher Report predicts a 30-17 victory for West Virginia.Athlon Sports’ panel of experts also leans towards the Mountaineers, with two out of three picking WVU too win. The limited number of predictions reflects the game’s unranked status and the broader lack of national attention.
