Kansas vs. West Virginia: Prediction, Preview, Betting Odds
Week 4 of the college football season is here. Kansas plays West Virginia, and Heartland College Sports has your game prediction, preview, and betting odds ahead of the matchup.
GAME INFO
Saturday, Sept. 21; 11 a.m. (CT); Milan Puskar Stadium; Morgantown, WV
TV: ESPN2
Records: Kansas (1-2); West Virginia (1-2)
Last Week: UNLV 23, Kansas 20; Pitt 38, West Virginia 34
Series History: West Virginia leads, 10-2
Last Meeting: Kansas 55, West Virginia 42, OT (2022)
Fun Fact: West Virginia is 6-1 against Kansas in Morgantown, outscoring the Jayhawks, 279-139, an average of 39.9-19.9. The Jayhawks’ win over the Mountaineers in 2022 was their first win in Morgantown. All but one of their meetings is a Big 12 game. The exception was their first meeting in 1941, with WVU winning, 21-0, at home.
Kansas vs. West Virginia Betting Lines and Odds
Opening Line: West Virginia (-2.5)
Over/Under: 57.5
Key Players
Kansas Jayhawks
QB Jalon Daniels
The critics are circling the long-time quarterback, who is healthy but hasn’t been quite as effective as hoped for entering this season. The Kansas City Star spent time with three former coaches with experience with Daniels, all of whom say he can turn it around. The problems are clear. He has six interceptions and he’s only completing 54.9% of his passes, the worst since his freshman year. If the Jayhawks want to contend, the time is now for the fifth-year player to turn things around.
LB Cornell Wheeler
Wheeler leads the Jayhawks with 20 tackles and he doesn’t seem to need much help. He has 16 solo tackles in three games. The redshirt senior from West Bloomfield, Mich., is already breathing down his career-high numbers from a year ago. He saw action in all 12 games last year and had 28 total tackles, along with 17 solo tackles. He’s going to blow by that in a game or two as he has emerged as one of the Jayhawks’ key defenders.
West Virginia Mountaineers
RB C.J. Donaldson Jr.
The Mountaineers want to run the ball, and they seem to be at their best when Donaldson is a big part of the plan. Donaldson is leading the Mountaineers with 45 carries for 246 yards and three touchdowns. Running back Jaheim White and quarterback Garrett Greene have been good complements. But, Donaldson was the bell cow against Pitt last Saturday, as he gained 79 hard-earned yards. He also scored a touchdown for the third straight game.
DL T.J. Jackson
When the Mountaineers were bottling up Pitt’s vaunted passing game, Jackson played a big role in it. He’s emerging as a pass rusher of choice for the Mountaineers and leads the team with 2.5 sacks in three games. He also has 11 tackles. The senior had 3.5 sacks last year, so he’s closing in on a career-high in sacks and one that could help West Virginia get off to a good start in Big 12 Conference play.
KEY STORYLINES
Kansas Jayhawks
Can Kansas avoid turnovers and get off to a good start on the road? There is only one road game to base things off of. But at Illinois, the Jayhawks made mistakes and did not get off to a good start in their loss to the Illini. Before the season Kansas was a trendy pick to win the Big 12, or at least get to the Big 12 Championship Game. Right now, little seems to be right. Running back Devin Neal is having a fine season. But Daniels’ inconsistent play under center and a defense that has left one or two big plays on the table as the Jayhawks in a tentative posture going into league action.
West Virginia Mountaineers
Is this the beginning of the end for coach Neal Brown? The natives were already restless before the season. The 1-2 start, including the Backyard Brawl loss to Pitt on Saturday, has them ready to show him the door. The pass defense is one of the worst in college football at the moment. But, if West Virginia is able to run the ball effectively and control the clock, perhaps that will matter less. The rivalry loss hurt like heck for those players. You could see it on their faces. But the Mountaineers have to get over it fast. The season — and Brown’s job — is on the line.
PREDICTION: West Virginia 27, Kansas 23
West Virginia has enjoyed great success at home historically against Kansas. I think that continues on Saturday, but it won’t be easy. It will be a key turnover forced by WVU late that swings things away from the Jayhawks.
