West Virginia Football: Mountaineers Open as Big Underdogs vs. Oklahoma

West Virginia will take on one of their biggest rivals on Saturday. Oklahoma opened as massive favorites at home against the Mountaineers.

West Virginia and Oklahoma have this long history of playing good football games when both teams are strong. Who can forget last season’s 59-56 shootout where the Mountaineers came up just short?

This seasons, the odds makers do not expect a close game. Oklahoma is currently 33.5-point favorites in this game. The Sooners are currently the No. 5 team in the nation and have a Heisman candidate in Jalen Hurts at quarterback. On paper, this is a one-sided game but can West Virginia keep things close?

History is not on the Mountaineers side. Oklahoma has won four out of the last five meetings by double-digits. They have scored 40 or more points in six of the last seven games against West Virginia. The Sooners are on a seven-game win streak over West Virginia in this matchup between two big name schools.

So far this season, West Virginia is 2-3-1 ATS. They recently suffered a 38-14 loss to Iowa State where they fell apart in the fourth quarter. The week before, they did not cover a 10.5-point spread against Texas, a game in which Austin Kendall threw four interceptions. Oklahoma is 3-3 ATS this season. They have allowed their opponent to cover late in their previous two meetings. This is a team that allowed Kansas to score 20 points.

Heading into the game, it is hard to think of a situation where West Virginia wins, or even competes in this game. However, 33.5 points is a ton of points for a team to give, especially for a team like Oklahoma who has been known to give up points. We will keep an eye on the line and see if it moves at all in either direction throughout the week.