Baylor vs West Virginia Prediction College Football Picks 11/16/24

The Baylor Bears and the West Virginia Mountaineers meet Saturday in college football action from Milan Puskar Stadium. Here’s a Baylor vs West Virginia prediction. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best Baylor vs West Virginia pick. We will examine:

The Baylor Bears’ recent form and player performance

The West Virginia Mountaineers’ recent form and player performance

Recent betting trends and streaks involving the Baylor Bears

Recent betting trends and streaks involving the West Virginia Mountaineers

Recent betting trends in games played between Baylor and West Virginia

A summary that ties it all together and produces a favorable betting outcome for the Baylor vs West Virginia game

Baylor Bears Betting Preview

Baylor won two of their first three games this year over Tarleton State and Air Force. The Bears then hit a losing streak versus Colorado, BYU, and Iowa State before recovering on wins versus Texas Tech, Oklahoma State, and TCU.

In the TCU matchup back on November 2, the Bears scored points in every quarter (and gave up points in every quarter) on the way to a tight win 37-34. Sawyer Robertson threw for 242 yards, but the major contributor was Bryson Washington and his 26 carries for 196 yards and four scores.

West Virginia Mountaineers Betting Preview

Over on the West Virginia side, they lost two of their first three versus Penn State and Pittsburgh. The Mountaineers went 3-2 over the next five games, taking wins over Kansas, Oklahoma State, and Arizona alongside losses to Iowa State and Kansas State.

Matched up against Cincinnati on Saturday, WVU posted 17 points in the second quarter on the way to a tight win 31-24. Nicco Marchiol finished with 156 pass yards, one TD, and an interception. Justin Robinson caught the score among his two receptions for 60 yards.

Why the West Virginia Mountaineers will win

• West Virginia has won each of its last six November games against non-AP-ranked teams.
• Baylor has lost five of its last six road games.
• West Virginia has covered the spread in each of its last five November home games against non-AP-ranked teams.
• Baylor has failed to cover the spread in four of its last five games at Milan Puskar Stadium.

Why the Baylor Bears will win

• The favorite has won each of West Virginia’s last seven games at Milan Puskar Stadium.
• Baylor has covered the spread in each of its last four games as a favorite against non-AP-ranked teams.
• West Virginia has failed to cover the spread in four of its last five games at Milan Puskar Stadium.

Total Points Facts

• Each of Baylor’s last six games has gone OVER the total points line.
• Five of West Virginia’s last six games against non-AP-ranked teams have gone OVER the total points line.

Baylor vs West Virginia Prediction

I’ll lean toward Baylor here. The Bears won a dogfight with TCU in their last matchup, posting 499 total yards (257 rushing), 6.4 yards per play, and 31 first downs. Defensively Baylor gave up 444 total yards (339 passing) but held the Frogs to a tepid 4-of-12 on third-down tries. The Bears are on a nice three-game win streak with 37 or more points in each outing.

As for WVU, on Saturday they pulled off a rather ugly win versus a decent Cincinnati team. The Mountaineers mustered a tepid 248 yards (156 passing), 10 first downs, and 3-of-11 on third-down tries but benefitted heavily from three takeaways. West Virginia is going to have their hands full this weekend in another tricky matchup, and I don’t think they’ll cover/win.