Houston vs. West Virginia odds, line, spread: 2023 college football picks, Week 7 predictions by proven model
An important Big 12 football showdown is on the Thursday night college football schedule when the upstart West Virginia Mountaineers visit the struggling Houston Cougars. Both clubs have defied expectations in contrasting manners. West Virginia (4-1, 2-0) was picked to finish near the bottom of the Big 12 by nearly all college football media outlets, but instead has won four straight following a 38-15 loss to Penn State in Week 1. Conversely, Houston (2-3, 0-2) was widely considered an upper-tier club but still seeks its first Big 12 victory of the 2023 college football season following a 49-28 loss at Texas Tech in its last outing.
Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. ET from TDECU Stadium. The Mountaineers are 3-point favorites and the over/under for total points scored is 51.5 in the latest West Virginia vs. Houston odds from the SportsLine consensus. Before locking in any West Virginia vs. Houston picks, make sure you see the college football betting advice and picks from the SportsLine Projection Model.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every FBS college football game 10,000 times. Since its inception, it has generated a stunning profit of more than $2,000 for $100 players on its top-rated college football picks against the spread. Anyone who has followed it has seen profitable returns.
Now, the model has locked in on WVU vs. Houston and released its top picks. You can head to SportsLine now to see the model's picks. Here are the college football odds and betting lines for Houston vs. WVU:
- West Virginia vs. Houston point spread: West Virginia -3
- West Virginia vs. Houston over/under total: 51.5 points
- West Virginia vs. Houston money line: West Virginia -151, Houston +127
- WVU: The Mountaineers are 2-1 against the spread in their last three games as a betting favorite
- UH: The Cougars are 2-1 in their past three conference games as a betting underdog
- West Virginia vs. Houston picks: See picks at SportsLine
- West Virginia vs. Houston live stream: fubo (try for free)
Why West Virginia can cover
The Mountaineers have quietly found themselves at the top of the Big 12 standings, one game out of first place behind Oklahoma, because of an unspectacular but steady performance arch that has seen them consistently show a solid defense and a mistake-free offense. In a 24-21 road win over TCU two weeks ago, WVU trailed by seven points on three different occasions, but fought back behind a physical running game and a defense that pitched a shutout in the second half.
TCU's six second-half possessions ended with four consecutive punts followed by a pair of missed field-goal attempts. The West Virginia defense racked up five sacks, nine tackles for loss and six passes defended. On the offensive side, the rushing attack compiled 201 yards, led by quarterback Garrett Greene with 80 yards on 12 carries and two touchdowns. Versatile running back CJ Donaldson logged 61 yards on 22 carries and added a score. See which team to pick here.
Why Houston can cover
The Cougars are known for their high-powered offense under coach Dana Holgorsen, a former WVU coach who is noted as a pioneer of the spread offense that is now popular across the college football landscape. The Cougars are averaging 414 yards of total offense, and their passing attack ranks No. 26 nationally with 281.2 yards per contest. Houston's crutch thus far has been a defense that is allowing nearly 30 points per game and yielded 470 yards of total offense to Rice in a 43-41 Week 2 upset loss.
However, in their two wins, against UTSA and Sam Houston, the Cougars have allowed just 21 total points. Their defensive stats can in part be attributed to facing high-powered opponents such as Texas Tech and TCU. Holgorsen told the media this week the team spent a good portion of its bye week working on tackling and assignment discipline, two of its major weaknesses thus far. Even so, an experienced defensive line has been the strength of the unit and is led by junior lineman Nelson Ceaser, who has a team-high 4.5 sacks, 21 total tackles and three passes defensed. See which team to pick here.
How to make West Virginia vs. Houston picks
The model has simulated West Virginia vs. Houston 10,000 times and the results are in. The model is leaning Over on the point total and has generated an against-the-spread pick that hits well over 50% of the time. You can only see that model's pick and analysis at SportsLine.
