Betting lines, game preview, and prediction for West Virginia vs. Cincinnati

West Virginia needs to do more.

After losing its first two games, it beat Arizona to end the skid. Now it needs to win two of its last four games to be eligible for the bowl season. The next three games are all at home, against Baylor, UCF, and Texas Tech. This is the last road game for a few weeks.

The Bengals are having a good season, but they lost to Colorado two weeks ago. Still needs one more win to get into a bowl game, but it has to go to Iowa State and Kansas State, which are both tough places to play.

That comes next, then the last game against Kansas State.

West Virginia vs Cincinnati: How to Watch and Game Preview

Date: Saturday, November 9, 2024
Game Time: 12:00 pm ET
How to Watch: FS1
Venue: Nippert Stadium, Cincinnati, OH
Teams: Cincinnati (5-3), West Virginia (4-4)

Why West Virginia Will Win

The Mountaineers need to start playing on the ground.

So far, the Mountaineers have stuck to a pretty simple plan. They win when they run the ball well and do not lose it.

Their record is 3-0 when they run for at least 200 yards, which makes everything else easier. They do not force the passing game when they grind, so they do not get turnovers.

In those three wins, the team turned it over once. The Cincinnati defense has done a good job of getting turnovers, but they are 14th in the Big 12 in terms of overall defense and are 0-3 when giving up more than 440 total yards. But…

Why Cincinnati Will Win

West Virginia has only gone over 440 yards three times, and that was against Albany. Their running game also has too many problems to pick up the pace and take over.

The Mountaineers, on the other hand, have a hard time when teams make a lot of throws. They are 4-0 when teams can not complete 65% of their passes and 0-4 when they can. Cincinnati makes 66% of its throws, and at home they make well over 70%.

West Virginia vs Cincinnati: Who Will Win?

The game should be fun and close. People will not notice it, but it will be close by late.

The defense for the Bearcats will be a little better, but it should still be good enough to mess with West Virginia. There will be a lot of difference between the teams in the second half because of two things that Cincinnati will do.