West Virginia vs Virginia Tech (9/22/22): Odds, Picks, Predictions

West Virginia visits Virginia Tech to kick off the start of Week 4 in college football. West Virginia got its first win of the season last week after struggling the first two weeks. Virginia Tech also won last week, its second in a row after losing to open the season. Whenever these rivals meet its always an interesting matchup. Let’s take a look at the odds, and also make some picks and predictions for the game!

West Virginia vs. Virginia Tech Odds

West Virginia opens this game as a 3-point favorite on the road and are -145 on the moneyline. The over/under for the game sits at 53, which makes little sense and because West Virginia has been able to score in all their games, while Virginia Tech’s offense has been inconsistent so far. The West Virginia offense has scored over 30 in each of their games, and over 40 in the last two. Virginia Tech, on the other hand, hasn’t eclipsed 30 points yet in a game, so the total here seems like a weird number.

West Virginia vs. Virginia Tech Prediction & Pick

West Virginia needs to get back on track in order for Neal Brown to keep his job as head coach, and while I don’t know if he will, I love the Mountaineers in this spot. Blacksburg is always a very tough place to play, and Virginia Tech’s defense is pretty decent, but I trust the Mountaineer offense more in this spot than anything else in the game. JT Daniels has gotten off to a decent start so far this year. He’s already thrown over 750 yards, six touchdowns, and also is completing 64% of his passes. Virginia Tech is in rebuilding mode this year, under new head coach, Brent Pry, and the biggest example of that is how the offense has looked so far. For example, new quarterback, Grant Wells has as many touchdowns as interceptions so far this year at four. The defense for the Hokies should show up, but they just might not be there yet, in terms of depth. The biggest thing going against the Mountaineers here is that it’s a road, night game in Blacksburg, but still that might be too much for this Hokies team to take advantage of. The difference here is that it seems like one team can consistently score points, while the other doesn’t. I really like West Virginia here, they got the best quarterback in this matchup, and most of the time that’s the team that wins out in a game like this.

West Virginia vs. Virginia Tech Key Matchups

Check out the key matchups and mismatches for West Virginia vs Virginia Tech below.

Grant Wells vs the West Virginia Defense

West Virginia is going to get their offense going in this game, but the difference might be what happens on the other end for the Hokies. In two games against FBS opponents, the Mountaineers defense overall, has given up 38 and 42 points apiece. The passing defense in those two games, also gave up 300 yards each. With those stats in mind, can Grant Wells step up for the Hokies? Wells has thrown an equal amount of touchdowns and interceptions so far, but has a decent completion percentage at 65 %, and also has over 650 yards passing too. This matchup will be fascinating to watch, because with Wells being at home he could have an extra amount of confidence and play well in this rivalry game, or he might be just what the Mountaineers needed to face after getting torched so far. These two teams are also on different trajectories with the Hokies rebuilding, and the Mountaineers having a coach on the hot seat, so this matchup could not only decide the game, but also have a big impact on how each team feels heading into the off-season.