Rutgers at West Virginia Odds

Written by Steve Janus

This Saturday the No.24 West Virginia Mountaineers will host the Rutgers Scarlet Knights in a Big East showdown that could determine who wins the conference title. The Mountaineers come into the game off an impressive 35-10 win over Pittsburgh, and with a win this week and a Connecticut loss, it will be the Mountaineers representing the Big East in a BCS bowl game. First West Virginia has to take care of a struggling Rutgers team that has lost five straight, including a 40-13 loss to Louisville last week. West Virginia is a perfect 15-0 against Rutgers at home, but the last two have been close. The oddsmakers aren’t giving Rutgers much of a chance in this one, as the current college football odds have the Mountaineers favored by 20-points over the Scarlet Knights at home.

Rutgers (4-7, 1-5): It didn’t really seem like the Scarlet Knights showed up to play last week against the Cardinals, as they allowed Louisville to score a touchdown on their first four offensive possessions, and it’s hard to imagine that this team will play any harder on the road this week.

Rutgers got a strong performance from running back Jordan Thomas, who ran for 120 yards and a touchdown on just 16 carries. Jeremy Deering added 51 yards and score on just 12 carries, but neither of these two figure to do much against a West Virginia defense that comes in ranked second in the country against the run, allowing just 87 yards a game.

That means quarterback Chas Dodd is going to have to step it up and make some big plays in the passing game. Dodd went just 14 of 32 for 177 yards with no touchdowns and two interceptions against Louisville, just one week after throwing for 335 yards and four touchdowns against Cincinnati.

West Virginia (8-3, 4-2): The Mountaineers come into the game this weekend on a three game winning streak, and you have to give credit to the West Virginia defense, that has allowed just 10 points in each of the last three games, and comes in ranked second in the country, allowing just under 13 points a game.

Last week against Pitt, the Mountaineers defense had a tough time stopping the Panthers offense from moving the ball up and down the field, but they forced three fumbles and an interception. The Mountaineers went into half with a 14-7 lead, but had been outgained 205 to 75. The offense got it going in the second half, as the Mountaineers finished with 360 yards on the game.

Quarterback Geno Smith attempted just 12 passes, but completed nine of them for 212 yards and three touchdowns. Shawne Alston led the Mountaineers with 71 yards rushing, while Ryan Clarke added 28 yards and two touchdowns. The Mountaineers offense has struggled at times this season, but should be able to get things going against a Rutgers defense that struggles against both the pass and the run.

Looking at the Odds: While the Mountaineers aren’t exactly the most explosive offense, I think you have to lay the 20-points on them this week. Rutgers has nothing to play for but the season being over, and even if they tried on offense its unlikely they put many points on the board. Rutgers has allowed 109 points in their last two games. My final score prediction is West Virginia 31, Rutgers 9.

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