Rutgers Scarlet Knights vs West Virginia Mountaineers

West Virginia thought that they had a clear path to the top of the Big East, but were derailed at Syracuse last week in a game where they were dominated on both sides of the ball. That has to deflate this team that thought they could run the table on their way to a BCS Bowl game. Rutgers has the type of swarming-quick defense like Syracuse that could once again slow down the Dana Holgersen express. Rutgers is seven games deep into the season and has not allowed any team to score more than 26 points against them. With a limited offense, they are going to try to shorten this game and force West Virginia to sustain long drives to find the end zone. The Scarlet Knights rise to the occasion as a dog where they are 19-7-1 ATS in their last 27 and will be a tough out here especially at home. Under Greg Schiano, this team is 16-6 ATS as an underdog of 3.5 to 10 points and 31-19 ATS vs. winning teams. West Virginia’s attack slows down on the road as a -3.5 to -10 point favorite with six of their last seven going UNDER the total. Rutgers is building on solid defensive efforts as they are now 12-4 to the UNDER after allowing less than 20 points in their previous game. They are also 11-2 UNDER in their last 13 October home games. Take Rutgers and the UNDER in this one.

West Virginia opened as a 2.5 point favorite but now find themselves getting points in this game. I think the oddsmakers had it right the first time. The Mountaineers aren't playing for the Big East championship, but they are going Bowling. And, a win here will likely earn them a spot in a prestigious New Year's day game instead of something much less exciting. A 3-point loss to Cincinnati on November 13 is what kept them out of the Championship game, but we can look for positives in that game. The Mountaineers were double-digit dogs to a very powerful Bearcats team and it was a fight as they lost by just a field goal. West Virginia also lost to South Florida two games prior and Auburn earlier in the year. The only loss that was a bad one was vs. S. Florida. Otherwise they have won every game they were supposed to win this season and they aren't being asked to cover a big number here. They are 2-1 ATS this season as a dog and they are coming off a confidence-building win over Pittsburgh. West Virginia has won 15 straight vs. Rutgers and are 30-4-2 all-time in the series. I like the Mountaineers to get it done here.