Both the West Virginia Mountaineers and the Houston Cougars have had middling starts. Who can steal a win on Thursday night and bring themselves one step close to making a bowl game?
Our West Virginia vs. Houston prediction indicates a strength on one side.
West Virginia vs. Houston Betting and DFS Preview
- Spread
West Virginia – - Moneyline
West Virginia -155, Houston +130 - Over/Under
51.5 - Game time
7:00 p.m. ET - Location
TDECU Stadium, Houston, TX - Predicted Weather at Kick
82 degrees, partly sunny, 13 mph winds - How to Watch
FuboTV, FS1
Looking to bet on the game? Use our widget below to easily place your bet if it is legal in your state.
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Top DFS and Fantasy Plays
All values below come from FanDuel’s multi-team entries for Friday night. Looking to sign up for FanDuel? New customers bet $5 and get $200 in bonus bets guaranteed. Click here for more details.
For each team’s starting 22 on their depth charts:
West Virginia Depth Chart | Houston Depth Chart
- QB Donovan Smith, Houston ($10,200)
- QB Garrett Greene, West Virginia ($10,000)
- RB CJ Donaldson Jr., West Virginia ($8,500)
- RB Parker Jenkins, Houston ($7,000)
- RB Jahiem White, West Virginia ($5,700)
- RB Tony Mathis Jr., Houston ($5,600)
- RB Jaylen Anderson, West Virginia ($5,400)
- RB Jaylen Anderson, West Virginia ($5,400)
- RB Brandon Campbell, Houston ($5,100)
- RB Stacy Sneed, Houston ($5,100)
- WR Samuel Brown, Houston ($8,700)
- WR Matthew Golden, Houston ($8,500)
- WR Joseph Manjack IV, Houston ($7,300)
- WR Hudson Clement, West Virginia ($7,000)
- WR Devin Carter, West Virginia ($6,100)
- WR Preston Fox, West Virginia ($5,700)
- WR Dalton Carnes, Houston ($5,600)
- WR Stephon Johnson, Houston ($5,100)
- TE Kole Taylor, West Virginia ($6,000)
- TE Mike O’Laughlin, Houston ($4,700)
At some point, CJ Donaldson is going to have a breakout performance. Through five games, he has only two games over 80 rushing yards and just one over 100. As a true freshman last season, Donaldson had four games over 100 yards, with three of them coming in his first four games.
The Mountaineers have averaged nearly 200 yards per game (191.8) on the ground. Quarterback Garrett Greene is the second-leading rusher and could be a sneaky play in DFS with a lack of great quarterback options, especially with Houston’s 97th-ranked rushing defense.
Parker Jenkins might be a value play here for the Cougars. When Tony Mathis Jr. injured his ankle, Jenkins took ahold of the starting job, including 105 yards and three touchdowns on the ground against Sam Houston State.
Donovan Smith is a risky play. At Texas Tech, he was very boom or bust and that has continued in his time at Houston. Only one game saw Smith eclipse 300 yards and two touchdowns, and that was his revenge game against Texas Tech, which the Cougars lost by 21.
There really aren’t great receiving options on either side. The only one has been Samuel Brown: 34 receptions and 518 yards has been far and away the best on either side and is a solid play against a good Mountaineers’ secondary.
Prediction for West Virginia vs. Houston
This is one of those games on the schedule that doesn’t look very sexy on paper but has the chance to be really good.
The Mountaineers have been a surprise at 3-2 this season despite being picked to finish last in conference play. They upset TCU in Fort Worth before their Week 6 bye week.
Houston’s defense has fallen from grace after losing an influx of talent. They are 103rd in total defense and have struggled to prevent teams from putting the ball in the end zone.
This has the makings of being an old-school Big East clash, blatantly favoring the visiting Mountaineers. Look for them to grind it out against a Cougars team that might struggle to make a bowl game.
Prediction: West Virginia 23, Houston 17