West Virginia vs. #23 BYU Picks and Predictions: Friday Night Big 12 Battle

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Can BYU stay perfect on the road against Texas Tech? BYU Texas Tech Picks

The Big 12 is giving us a battle after dark in Utah this Friday night, as the No. 23 ranked BYU Cougars take on the West Virginia Mountaineers. The visitors are a LONG way from Morgantown, making the 1,900 mile journey across the country for this matchup. The hosts are a perfect 4-0 so far this season and are ranked for the first time, finally gaining some national attention after their run last season. As for the Mountaineers, it’s been a season they want to forget. Can they turn things around on a short week? Or will the Cougars roll at home? Let’s dive in and find our favorite picks.

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West Virginia Mountaineers vs. #23 BYU Cougars NCAA Football Insights

Nicco Marchiol and the Mountaineers head out west to take on the BYU Cougars - West Virginia BYU Picks

Nicco Marchiol and the Mountaineers head out west to take on the BYU Cougars

West Virginia has not had a good season, and it really started early. Sure, they took down Robert Morris (Go Bobby Mo!) to start the year, winning 45-3, but we can’t really take anything from that matchup. They followed that up by losing to Parker Navarro and the Ohio Bobcats on the road, 17-10. I get it, the MAC is tough, maybe it was a fluke. The Mountaineers then took down their rival in the Backyard Brawl, needing overtime to beat the Pittsburgh Panthers, 31-24. That was a huge win for West Virginia, but then conference play started.

They went to Lawrence, Kansas to take on the Jayhawks, and then hosted the Utah Utes, allowing 40+ points in both games and failing to score more than two touchdowns. The Mountaineers have been outscored 89-24 in two games of Big 12 play, and now find themselves as nearly 20 point underdogs on the road.

As for BYU, they are undefeated, but haven’t really been tested in my eyes. They blew out Portland State and Stanford at home before beating East Carolina on the road, winning those games by a combined score of 130-16. Then they went next door to Boulder to take on the Colorado Buffaloes, beating them 24-21 to start conference play. The Cougars were down 14-0 just 10 minutes into that game, rallying to outscore the Buffs 24-7 the rest of the way.

Can they keep it up on the road on a (technically) short week?

Matchup Information – West Virginia vs. BYU – October 3

  • Venue & Location: LaVell Edwards Stadium (Provo, UT)
  • Date: Friday, October 3, 2025
  • Kick Off: 10:30 p.m. Eastern
  • Broadcast: ESPN

West Virginia vs. BYU Betting Odds

Odds are courtesy of BetOnline, one of our favorite online sportsbooks, as of October 2, 2025 at 9:30 a.m. eastern. Sign up today with Promo Code BNBOL55 for a 55% deposit bonus.

Spread

  • West Virginia +19 (-110)
  • BYU -19 (-110)

Moneyline

  • West Virginia +795
  • BYU -1300

Total

  • Over 47 (-110)
  • Under 47 (-110)

Beating Colorado doesn’t necessarily move the needle for me, but West Virginia isn’t anything to be worried about. While I do think BYU can get this cover, I am much more interested in a player prop, and let me be the first to tell you, it’s our first two unit play of the NCAA Football season.

West Virginia vs. #23 BYU NCAA Football Picks and Predictions

Bear Bachmeier is running for 4.4 yards per carry with four touchdowns on the ground this season - West Virginia BYU Picks

Bear Bachmeier is running for 4.4 yards per carry with four touchdowns on the ground this season

West Virginia vs. BYU Prediction: BYU Wins and Covers, Over 47

Best Bet: Bear Bachmeier (BYU) Over 31.5 Rushing Yards (-115) BetOnline

Before I get into the sell job, let me tell ya, this is the play you’ve got to tail. Not only are we 47-28-1 (61.8%) +31.37u on 2u plays overall, in college football specifically, we are 13-3 (81.3%) +19.29u. Now… the play.

For starters.. we snagged this at 31.5 while the rest of the market is listing 37.5, so we are already getting six yards of value. Always, always, always do your line shopping, ESPECIALLY with player props, more specifically, college player props. Would this be a 2u play at 37.5? Probably not. I think it is playable up to 40 yards, and anything under 35 would be a 2u play for me. As I type this, I am still seeing a 33.5 so go, go, go!

The West Virginia defense is nonexistent, especially in the trenches. They are allowed 180 rushing yards per game, and have significantly struggled against mobile quarterbacks.

West Virginia Defense vs. Mobile QBs

  • Parker Navarro (Ohio): 18-87, Long 19 (2 sacks)
  • Jalon Daniels (KU): 5-69, Long 28 (0 sacks)
  • Devon Dampier (Utah): 11-33-1, Long 7 (0 sacks)

Bear Bachmeier had 15 carries for 98 yards against Colorado, and has cleared this number in both games where he completely avoided a sack. BYU’s offensive line ranks top 40 in QB sack percentage, while the West Virginia defense is bottom 15 in rush play percentage and rushes allowed per game.

BYU will dominate from start to finish, Bachmeier is not afraid of contact and putting his body on the line, and I don’t see him taking any sacks which would take away any rushing yards he has. Look for Bear (QB wearing No. 47) to run all over a Mountaineers defense that has proven they can’t contain quarterbacks.

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