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The West Virginia Mountaineers (3-1, 1-0 Big 12) and the TCU Horned Frogs (3-1, 1-0) meet Saturday at Amon G. Carter Stadium in Fort Worth. Kickoff is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET (ESPN2). Below, we analyze FanDuel Sportsbook’s lines around the West Virginia vs. TCU odds, and make our expert college football picks and predictions.
The Mountaineers look to push their conference record to 2-0 after earning a 20-13 win over Texas Tech last weekend at Milan Puskar Stadium, cashing as a 6.5-point underdogs. West Virginia has cashed 3 in a row since dropping the opener 38-15 at Penn State.
The defense has been much better for the Mountaineers lately, too, allowing a total of just 36 points in 3 wins over Duquesne, Pitt and TTU, hitting the Under in each of the 2 games against FBS foes during that span.
TCU welcomed Houston to the Big 12 with a 36-13 win on the road, covering a 7-point number, and it doubled up SMU last weekend at home by a 34-17 score to comfortably cash a 6.5-point number. After a narrow 45-42 loss to Colorado in Week 1, which suddenly doesn’t look so bad, TCU has won 3 in a row, covering the past 2 against FBS opponents.
Like West Virginia, defense has been a big part of the turnaround for TCU. The Horned Frogs were gouged for 45 in the opener vs. Colorado, but it has allowed just 36 total points in the past 3 games, cashing the Under in each contest.
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West Virginia at TCU odds
Provided by FanDuel Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated Friday at 9:16 a.m. ET.
- Moneyline (ML): West Virginia +450 (bet $100 to win $450) | TCU -630 (bet $630 to win $100)
- Against the spread (ATS): West Virginia +13.5 (-104) | TCU -13.5 (-128)
- Over/Under (O/U): 51.5 (O: -110 | U: -110)
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West Virginia at TCU picks and predictions
Prediction
TCU 25, West Virginia 16
Moneyline
TCU (-630) will cost you more than 6 times your potential return, and that’s just a ridiculous amount of risk for not nearly enough reward. Even including TCU in a multi-team parlay isn’t a great idea, as it would suck all of the value out of your ticket.
PASS.
Against the spread
WEST VIRGINIA +13.5 (-104) is a solid play here, as the offense has been able to do just enough, and the defense has been nasty. TCU -13.5 (-128) isn’t likely to roll up very big totals, while also holding down the opposition with its tremendous defense.
This will be a good old-fashioned slugfest, with the Mountaineers keeping it within a pair of TDs.
Over/Under
UNDER 51.5 (-110) is the best play on the board, and really, it isn’t even close.
The Mountaineers have managed to average just 17.3 points per game (PPG) on offense in 3 games against FBS opponents, with the outlier being a 56-point explosion against Duquesne of the FCS. On defense, the Mountaineers have yielded just 19 total points in a pair of wins over Texas Tech and Pitt the past 2 weekends.
For TCU, after getting pounded by Colorado for 45 points in the opener, the Horned Frogs have coughed up just 36 total points in the past 3 games, cashing the Under in each contest. It’s offense is a bit more explosive than West Virginia, but it will also have difficulty solving the yellow crush defense.
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