West Virginia plays host to the Brigham Young University Cougars Saturday night in Morgantown. The game will kick off at 7:00pm ET, televised on Fox.
Our staff gives their predictions on the game.
Ashley O’Brien: After what was their most comfortable Big 12 win of the season, West Virginia heads home to face new Big 12 foe BYU. Garrett Greene has been nothing short of spectacular, but can this team once again deal with being considered a favorite. I think they can and I think the primetime spot at home helps. I like the Mountaineers to win and get bowl eligible.
West Virginia 30, BYU 20
Wesley Shoemaker: The Mountaineers get back home with a chance to become bowl eligible. West Virginia should win this game but they also should have won the Houston game and probably not lost by two scores against Oklahoma State. That’s besides the point but I have confidence in this offense. Garrett Greene is figuring things out and I think his dual threat ability will pose problems for BYU. I think with Kedon Slovis not starting, it will be interesting to see how WVU adjusts. WVU should win and I think they will.
West Virginia 34, BYU 20
Patrick Reneau: With another nationally televised game for the mountaineers I look to see them continue the momentum from UCF. The offense looks to be hitting a consistent level with players healing from injury as well and the defense has been great at forcing turnovers. With byu coming into the game without Kedon Slovis I expect the defense to force more turnovers than anticipated.
West Virginia 41, BYU 17
Aaron Parker: West Virginia got a big win at UCF last Saturday after back-to-back, and now the Mountaineers will take their momentum back to Morgantown for a night game against the BYU Cougars. I think West Virginia will reach bowl eligibility on Saturday, as I believe they will ride the hot hand (and legs) of Garrett Greene. I think a storyline to watch for will be how the battered WVU defense fairs against BYU’s backup quarterback Jake Retzlaff. WVU has struggled in recent years against backup quarterbacks (Jett Duffey in 2018 and Henry Columbi in 2021), so it will be a focal point to see if the Mountaineers can force turnovers for a second straight week. I think WVU gets it done in a close game to get their sixth win of the season.
West Virginia 27, BYU 21
Ryan Roddy: West Virginia earned a much needed victory last week against a run heavy UCF team. Heading into BYU, look for the team to stay disciplined and stay on track to rack up yet another victory in the Big 12. Earlier in the season, BYU had some troubles against a TCU squad that the Mountaineers beat, allowing 44 points in the loss.
I think the Mountaineers rushing trio gives the Cougars some problems, while the WVU defense holds their own and helps the Mountaineers to their 6th win.
West Virginia 40, BYU 24
Mark Wratchford: West Virginia will look to clinch bowl eligibility with a win over BYU on Saturday night. West Virginia has been favored by as much as 11 points heading into this one. BYU is coming off their lowest graded performance of the season in their 35-6 loss to Texas per Pro Football Focus. They also had their lowest graded run defense performance, which does not bode well against a West Virginia team that just came off their highest graded performance of the season running the ball. I think West Virginia should be able to keep their rushing attack going against a BYU team that is also among the nation’s leaders in missed tackles per PFF. BYU is the opposite of West Virginia offensively, where they are better in the passing game. If West Virginia can limit the explosive plays in the passing game, they should be able to both win and cover the spread.
West Virginia 28, BYU 13
Korey Moore: The Cougars have nothing that the Mountaineers cannot stop. They have sub-par offensive production, and they are just okay at protecting the ball. The real question is whether or not the Cougars can stop the Mountaineers. Because BYU relies so much on their defense in order to turn stops into quick scoring, they’ve had an inconsistent season as far as scoring margins are concerned. For powerful offensive teams, like TCU and Kansas, the Cougars struggle to make those stops and thus lose big. If they can control the offense, it is a different story. West Virginia has a consistent enough offense that they should find themselves in the former and keep a comfortable lead throughout for the win.
West Virginia 38, BYU 30
Bryce Cohen: West Virginia hosts BYU in a battle of 5-3 Big 12 teams. This game will prove to be critical late in the season as both teams fight for position in the conference. West Virginia brought a rushing attack that looked strong against UCF, while BYU was blown out by No. 7 Texas on the road. I predict the Mountaineers lean on the rush attack once again, and let it set-up the deep ball. I wouldn’t expect this one to be particularly close and could very well see it being a quiet flight home for the Cougars. WVU put up 41 against UCF and 38 against Houston. BYU joins them as another one of the recent Big 12 additions and I could see them allowing the Mountaineers to score the most they have all season.
West Virginia 48, BYU 34
