West Virginia vs Iowa State Prediction 10-12-24 College Football Picks

The Iowa State Cyclones and the West Virginia Mountaineers meet Saturday in college football action from Milan Puskar Stadium. Here’s a West Virginia vs Iowa State prediction. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best West Virginia vs Iowa State pick.

Iowa State Cyclones Betting Preview

Iowa State got off to a good start this year with a series of wins. The Cyclones took out North Dakota 21-3 in their opener, then escaped Iowa 20-19 in game two. The Arkansas State game was a blowout win 52-7, then came a 20-0 win over Houston.

Matched up against Baylor, the Cyclones scored double-digit points in each of the final three quarters during a 43-21 win. QB Rocco Becht logged 277 yards with two scores and a pick, while Jaylon Jackson led the rush with 15 carries for 107 yards and two TDs.

West Virginia Mountaineers Betting Preview

Over on the Mountaineers’ side, they started off the year on a .500 clip. West Virginia lost to Penn State 34-12 in their opener, then beat Albany 49-14 to bounce back. Game three was a loss 38-34 to Pittsburgh, then came a 32-28 win over Kansas on September 21.

In the Oklahoma State game, the Mountaineers jumped out to a 31-7 halftime lead and cruised to the win 38-14. Garrett Greene had 159 passing yards with a rush score. Jahiem White led the ground game with 19 carries for 158 yards and a TD of his own.

Why the West Virginia Mountaineers will win

• West Virginia has won three of its last four October games as a home underdog.
• Iowa State has lost three of its last four games at Milan Puskar Stadium.
• The home team has covered the spread in four of the last five games between Iowa State and West Virginia.
• The team ranked 11th in the AP Poll has failed to cover the spread in each of its last three games.
• West Virginia has won the first quarter in each of its last four games against conference opponents.
• West Virginia has won the first half in seven of its last eight games against conference opponents.

Why the Iowa State Cyclones will win

• West Virginia has lost each of its last nine October games against top-15 AP-ranked teams.
• Iowa State has won each of its last six road games.
• Iowa State has covered the spread in each of its last six road games.
• West Virginia has failed to cover the spread in nine of its last 10 home games against top-15 AP-ranked teams.
• Iowa State has won the first half in four of its last five road games against conference opponents.
• Iowa State has won the first quarter in each of its last four road games against conference opponents.

Total Points Facts

• Each of West Virginia’s last six October home games against AP-ranked teams have gone OVER the total points line.
• Six of Iowa State’s last seven October games as a favorite against non-AP-ranked teams have gone OVER the total points line.

Matchup/League Facts

• West Virginia ranks T9th among FBS teams for Q1 opponent points per game this season (2.0).
• West Virginia ranks 13th among FBS teams for rushing yards per game this season (222.8).
• Iowa State ranks T1st among FBS teams for Q4 opponent points per game this season (1.4).
• Iowa State ranks 5th among FBS teams for H2 opponent points per game this season (4.0).

West Virginia vs Iowa State Prediction

I’ll go with West Virginia. The Mountaineers did a pretty solid job on both sides during their road win over Oklahoma State this past weekend, bagging 558 yards (389 rushing) on offense with 31 first downs and 9-of-15 on third-down conversions. On the other side, WVU gave up just 227 yards (191 passing), 11 first downs, and 3-of-10 on third downs.

As for Iowa State, they’re coming off a nice win of their own with 542 yards (265 rushing), 7.7 yards per play, and 27 first downs versus Baylor. The Cyclones’ defense was good on third downs as well (4-of-13 allowed) and allowed the Bears to hold the ball for just 24:06. I like this weekend’s matchup to be a good one, and cover/win-wise you could make a great case either way.