by Rod Pearson
Monday, Oct 27, 2025
Game Time: 12:00 pm ET, Saturday, November 1, 2025
Venue: TDECU Stadium, Houston, TX
Where to Watch: Fox Sports 1
Opening Odds at USA Sportsbooks
DraftKings: Point Spread: WVU +14, Houston -14; Over/Under: 49.5 points
Bet365: Point Spread: WVU +14, Houston -14; Over/Under: 49.5 points
BetMGM: Point Spread: WVU +14.5, Houston -14.5; Over/Under: 49.5 points
Season Record
West Virginia Mountaineers: 2-6 (0-5) (15th place, Big 12)
Houston Cougars: 7-1 (4-1) (4th place, Big 12)
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Recent Form
West Virginia Mountaineers: lost their last game at home against the TCU Horned Frogs 23-17.
Houston Cougars: won their last game on the road against the Arizona State Sun Devils 24-16.
West Virginia Mountaineers vs Houston Cougars Preview and Analysis
West Virginia is entering this game with a 2-6 record overall and they have a 0-5 record in their conference games too. They are 2-2 in their home games, 0-4 in their road games, and they are also 0-0 in their neutral site games this season, but they will be on the road for this game. They lost their last game against TCU 23-17. Scotty Fox Jr. was the starting QB and he completed 28/41 passes for 301 passing yards, 2 touchdowns, and 0 interceptions. Diore Hubbard led the team in rushing yards with 32. Cam Vaughn led the receivers with 85 receiving yards on 6 receptions. Reid Carrico led the defense in that game with 6 solo tackles and 1 assisted tackle while Devin Grant led the defense in sacks with 1. No one on the defense came away with an interception for them in that one.
Houston is entering this game with a 7-1 record overall and they have a 4-1 record in their conference games too. They are 3-1 in their home games, 4-0 in their road games, and they are also 0-0 in their neutral site games this season, but they will be at home for this game. They won their last game against Arizona State 24-16. Conner Weigman was the starting QB and he completed 17/22 passes for 201 passing yards, 1 touchdown, and 0 interceptions. Conner Weigman led the team in rushing yards with 111 and 2 TDs. Tanner Koziol led the receivers with 100 receiving yards on 7 receptions and 1 TD. Latrell McCutchin Sr. led the defense in that game with 7 solo tackles and 1 assisted tackle while Eddie Walls III led the defense in sacks with 3. No one on the defense came away with an interception for them in that one.
West Virginia vs Houston Prediction
The current betting odds have Houston listed as a 14 point favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. Houston has looked great in their games this season with their 7-1 record overall and their 4-1 conference record which has them right near the top of the Big 12. Their only loss was to a really good Texas Tech team, but they are off a 24-16 win on the road over Arizona State in their last one and they have a really good defense that hasn't been giving up many points this year. Meanwhile, West Virginia has looked terrible in their games this season with their 2-6 record overall and their 0-5 conference record which has them right near the bottom of the Big 12. They are off a 23-17 loss to TCU in their last one, but that game was also at home where they have looked a lot better this season. They have been a terrible road team this year with their 0-4 road record and they have been getting blown out in a lot of those games. Their defense has looked terrible with the number of points they have been giving up in most of their games, and their offense hasn't looked good this season either, struggling to put up 20 points in any of their games. Houston has one of the best defenses in the Big 12 this year so this West Virginia offense isn't going to get much done on the road here and Houston will be able to pull away throughout this game. The best way to place a bet here is on Houston to cover the spread in this game.
West Virginia Houston Prediction: Our NCAAF Pick for Saturday, November 1, 2025 (12:00 pm ET start time) is Houston 38 West Virginia 13.
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NCAAF Betting Trends
West Virginia Mountaineers: 4-1 ATS off a home loss against a conference rival. 9-5 ATS after 1 or more consecutive straight up losses. 11-4 OVER in road lined games. 9-2 OVER off a loss against a conference rival.
Houston Cougars: 2-5 ATS when playing against a team with a losing record. 1-4 ATS when playing against a terrible team (Win Pct. <=25%). 4-0 OVER as a favorite of 10.5 to 21 points. 4-1 OVER when playing against a terrible team (Win Pct. <=25%).
Key Injuries
West Virginia Mountaineers: K. Wilkins (QB) Questionable - Undisclosed. C. Pitchford (WR) Questionable - Undisclosed. A. Woods (LB) Questionable - Undisclosed. N. Marchiol (QB) Questionable - Foot. J. Henderson (QB) Questionable - Undisclosed. C. Young (OG) Questionable - Undisclosed. J. Horton (S) Questionable - Undisclosed. J. McCants (WR) Questionable - Undisclosed. H. Russell IV (DL) Questionable - Undisclosed. J. White (RB) Out - Knee. J. Bray (WR) Out - Undisclosed.
Houston Cougars: D. Williams (WR) Questionable - Undisclosed. K. West (CB) Questionable - Undisclosed. S. Sneed (RB) Questionable - Undisclosed. J. Ridgle (RB) Questionable - Undisclosed. L. McGary (TE) Questionable - Undisclosed. Q. Lee (DL) Questionable - Undisclosed. S. Johnson (WR) Out - Undisclosed. D. Ndukwe (OG) Out - Leg. R. Sanford II (RB) Out - Undisclosed.
Notable Quotes
"A true freshman quarterback with 10 new starters around him, I thought the kid acquitted himself pretty well.” - Rich Rodriguez after his team’s loss against TCU in their last game.
“It's all good. But our deal is the next game. We'll review this game on Monday, flush it down the toilet, and move on to our next opponent. That's how you got to do it if you want to be as good as you can be.” - Willie Fritz after his team’s win against ASU in their last game.
Starting Lineups
West Virginia Mountaineers
WR Vaughn, Cam
WR Smith-Brown, Justin
WR Gallagher III, Rodney
TE Barnes, Grayson
QB Fox Jr., Scotty
RB Bowers, Cyncir
Houston Cougars
WR Young, Koby
WR Johnson, Stephon
WR Thomas, Amare
TE Koziol, Tanner
QB Weigman, Conner
RB Connors, Dean
Statistical Leaders
West Virginia Mountaineers
Passing: Nicco Marchiol (720)
Rushing: Khalil Wilkins (243)
Receiving: Cam Vaughn (420)
Touchdowns: Tye Edwards (3)
Houston Cougars
Passing: Conner Weigman (1,581)
Rushing: Dean Connors (586)
Receiving: Amare Thomas (535)
Touchdowns: Conner Weigman (8)
Coaches:
West Virginia Mountaineers: Rich Rodriguez (1st season)
Houston Cougars: Willie Fritz (2nd season)
Rod Pearson
About the Author:
Rod Pearson has been a rabid sports fan his entire life. He grew up in Ontario, and was skilled in both hockey and baseball, and pitched in an elite baseball league for many years. In 2022, Rod decided to hang up his glove, so that he could write about the sports he loves -- but from a gambling perspective. Join Rod every day as he breaks down the games to find the best betting value.
