West Virginia vs. Texas Tech Total Pick
The unbeaten West Virginia Mountaineers hit the road on Saturday to take on the Texas Tech Red Raiders, who are coming off an impressive victory over the Oklahoma State Cowboys. Will Saturday’s WVU-Tech matchup live up to its shootout potential?
Game Snapshot
183 West Virginia Mountaineers at 184 Texas Tech Red Raiders
12:00 p.m. ET, Saturday, September 29, 2018
Jones AT&T Stadium, Lubbock, Texas
Public Betting Trends
According to oddsmakers from online sports book BetNow.eu, the Mountaineers are 3.5-point favorites to beat the Red Raiders. The total, meanwhile, sits at 76.5 points. As of this writing, 62% of the public betting tickets wagered on this matchup are on the Mountaineers.
West Virginia Mountaineers
West Virginia senior QB Will Grier completed 7-of-9 passes for 125 yards and three touchdowns against the blitz in Saturday’s win over Kansas State. There are few answers to stopping Grier, who has thrown for at least 332 yards and four touchdowns in all three games this season, including the blitz. Grier (6’2/223) is well on his way to a Hesiman candidate campaign but is also playing well enough to keep West Virginia just outside of the top-10. The Mountaineers and Texas Tech Red Raiders will put on an offensive show for us next Saturday.
Texas Tech Red Raiders
Texas Tech freshman QB Alan Bowman completed 35-of-46 passes for 397 yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions in Saturday’s 41-17 road upset win over Oklahoma State. Bowman and the Red Raiders did what they do best. Score points in a hurry. Coming off a National Player of the Week performance last week, Bowman was asked to throw the ball 46 times, and he did so efficiently. The freshman quarterback averaged 8.6 yards per attempt, and his aerial threat opened up lanes for the running backs who scored three touchdowns. With another big yardage game and more importantly with another win, Bowman is really separating himself over the injured McLane Carter. The Red Raiders host Will Grier and the West Virginia Mountaineers next Saturday. It wouldn’t be surprising if there was 750+ combined passing yards in that game.
Betting Trends
West Virginia
The under is 6-2 in the Mountaineers’ last eight games dating back to last season.
Texas Tech
The over is 4-1 in the Red Raiders’ last five games and 4-1 in their last five home games.
Prediction
West Virginia and Texas Tech in Lubbock? Casual bettors will load up on the over and then sit back and enjoy the ride. That said, I have my concerns about Texas Tech. The Red Raiders will suffer a natural letdown following their win over OK State last week, even with WVU coming to town on Saturday. The Mountaineers also own the No. 2 defense in terms of points allowed and are 18th nationally in total defense. Yes, both offenses are loaded. But I think WVU’s defense makes the biggest difference in keeping this game from going over the total.
College Football Prediction: West Virginia/Texas Tech under 76.5