West Virginia vs. Houston Picks and Prediction for Saturday, November 1, 2025
Use Code WWWC West Virginia Mountaineers (2-6) vs. Houston Cougars (7-1)
Week 10 of the 2025 college football season is upon us, and in this preview, we are breaking down the Big 12 Conference showdown from TDECU Stadium in Houston, TX, to get you the West Virginia vs. Houston prediction.
The Mountaineers met the Cougars for the first time two years ago, when Houston joined the Big 12. The Cougars outlasted the Mountaineers 41-39 as 3-point home underdogs, and the game flew over the 49.5-point line.
Houston is a 13.5-point home fave this time around, while the total sits at 49.5 points. The kick-off is set at noon ET, so let’s take a closer look at this West Virginia vs. Houston prediction, one of our Week 10 NCAAF picks for Saturday.
West Virginia is free-falling
The West Virginia Mountaineers (2-6; 4-4 ATS; 3-5 O/U) have gone 0-5 SU and 2-3 ATS since the start of conference play. During that stretch, the Mountaineers have recorded three road defeats against Kansas 41-10, BYU 38-24, and UCF 45-13, along with a pair of home losses to Utah 48-14 and TCU 23-17.
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Last week, the Mountaineers kept it close against the Horned Frogs, covering a 16.5-point spread. West Virginia played a clean game, committing just four penalties for 36 yards. The Mountaineers racked up just one total yard fewer than TCU (343-342), but they were just 3-for-14 on third down and 2-for-7 on fourth down.
Freshman QB Scotty Fox Jr. tortured TCU for 301 yards and two touchdowns. However, the Mountaineers racked up a paltry 41 yards on 32 carries.
"A true freshman quarterback with 10 new starters around him, I thought the kid acquitted himself pretty well,” West Virginia coach Rich Rodriguez said.
It was a wild offseason for the Mountaineers, who have a ton of new players on their roster. Junior QB Nicco Marchiol was benched after a heavy loss at Kansas, and freshman Khalil Wilkins got a few starts under center before Fox Jr. took over. Marchiol (foot) is questionable for this game along with Wilkins (undisclosed).
The Mountaineers score just 20.5 points per game (115th in the nation) on 176.1 rushing yards (47th) and 176.5 passing yards (116th). They allow 29.9 points in return (tied for 105th) on 160.1 rushing yards (93rd) and 247.1 passing yards (111th).
Houston eyes its fourth straight W
The No. 22 Houston Cougars (7-1; 6-2 ATS; 5-3 O/U) extended their SU and ATS winning streak to three games last week. After a 39-17 road victory over Oklahoma State and a 31-28 home win against Arizona, the Cougars beat Arizona State 24-16 as 7.5-point road underdogs in Week 9.
Arizona State outgained Houston 426-384 in total yards, but the Cougars won the turnover battle 1-0 while going 7-for-15 on third down. The Cougars had a 24-0 lead at the start of the fourth quarter. Junior QB Conner Weigman led the way, throwing for 201 yards and a touchdown and rushing 21 times for 111 yards and two scores.
“It's all good,” Houston coach Willie Fritz said. “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.”
Weigman has been terrific this season. He’s tossed for 1,581 yards, 12 touchdowns, and just two interceptions while rushing 87 times for 354 yards and eight touchdowns. Senior RB Dean Connors has amassed 716 yards from scrimmage and five touchdowns, while senior TE Tanner Koziol and junior WR Amare Thomas have combined for 985 yards and eight touchdowns.
Now, the Cougars are 4-1 in conference play and tied with Texas Tech for the third spot in the Big 12. Houston scores 28.8 points per game (tied for 70th in the country) on 171.3 rushing yards (52nd) and 210.0 passing yards (90th).
Houston leans on its defense. The Cougars allow just 18.6 points per game (tie for 21st) on 120.4 rushing yards (38th) and 210.4 passing yards (tied for 52nd). They rank 35th in the nation in opposing 3rd down percentage (34.7%) and are tied for 25th in sacks (21).
West Virginia vs. Houston Pick
Spread Pick for West Virginia vs. Houston
- Houston -13.5 (5 units)
The Mountaineers lost running backs Jahiem White and Tye Edwards for the season. In a run-heavy scheme, that’s a huge problem. Now, it’s Diore Hubbard’s backfield, and he’s struggled through five appearances, tallying just 3.2 yards per carry.
West Virginia’s offense has struggled a lot lately. The Mountaineers have scored more than 17 points just once in conference play. It’s really hard to back them in this matchup, given the Cougars’ defensive prowess.
I don’t feel comfortable with a 13.5-point spread, but Houston could easily hold West Virginia to 10 or 13 points. The Mountaineers’ defense doesn’t breed confidence either, so I’m going with the Cougars.
Over/Under Pick for West Virginia vs. Houston
- Under 49.5 (5 units)
We shouldn’t see a lot of points in this game. As I noted, the Mountaineers are struggling on the offensive side of the ball, and the Cougars lean on their defense. The Cougars take good care of the ball, but they are not a great offensive team by any stretch of the imagination.
I expect the Cougars to hold the Mountaineers below a 20-point mark. Houston’s defensive line should dominate West Virginia’s offensive line, and I think that the Mountaineers will struggle to move the chains in this game.
The under has hit in eight of Houston’s last 10 home games. I will ride this betting trend.
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