West Virginia at Virginia
West Virginia (2‑0) travels to Virginia (#25, 2‑0), with Virginia favored by 10. The model gives Virginia a 83% shot.
How they got here
Last two games
West Virginia · 2-0
Picked #182 in the preseason · now #168 — better than expected.
Two straight wins — but still hunting a ranked opponent.
W 52–7 vs UT Martin #167 of 669
won by 45 as a 41.5-point favorite
W 31–24 vs Coastal Carolina #230 of 669
won by 7 as a 21-point favorite
Last two games
Virginia · 2-0
Picked #56 in the preseason · now #51 — about right.
Two straight wins — but still hunting a ranked opponent.
W 59–3 vs Norfolk State #228 of 669
won by 56 as a 47.5-point favorite
W 34–8 vs NC State #45 of 669
won by 26 as a 4-point favorite
What’s at stake
West Virginia
- West Virginia is coming off a 45-point win.
Virginia
- Virginia is ranked #25, right on the edge of the Top 25.
- Virginia is coming off a 56-point win.
The series
Virginia leads the series 12-9-1
22 meetings since 1921 · Virginia has won the last 3
- 2002 · neutral siteVirginia 48–22
- 1985Virginia 27–7
- 1984Virginia 27–7
- 1981West Virginia 32–18
- 1980West Virginia 45–21
Face-off
What each fanbase carries into this one.
West Virginia
The chip · vs the national mediaMountaineer fans are tired of their state's only major team being treated as an afterthought, a hard place to recruit, a name from the past. They say Morgantown is the loudest Saturday nobody outside the state bothers to watch — and they wear the slight like armor.
What this game touches
The 2007 Backyard Brawl. Ranked No. 2 and a home win over 4-7 Pitt from the BCS title game, West Virginia lost 13-9 in the season's biggest stunner — and two weeks later Rich Rodriguez left for Michigan. The closest the program ever came to the summit became its deepest scar, and the man at the center of it is now the head coach again.
Virginia
The chip · vs the national mediaCavalier fans spent years hearing their program treated as an afterthought at the bottom of the ACC. They say 2025 — eleven wins, a bowl scalp of an SEC team — was the answer to everyone who assumed Virginia football would never amount to anything.
Best players
West Virginia
- Isaiah Patterson (LB) · 14 tackles
- Cam Cook (RB) · 194 rushing yards
- DJ Epps (WR) · 148 receiving yards
Virginia
- Jacobie Henderson (CB) · 12 tackles
- Myles Brown (LB) · 12 tackles
- Maddox Marcellus (LB) · 10 tackles
The line, and the room
Virginia fans are feeling it more than most fanbases this week (28th percentile) — the mood matches the numbers.
Home −10 · O/U 53.5
Conditions
80°F · 7 mph wind · Cloudy
Recent games
Virginia
- Wk 1Wvs NC State34-8
- Wk 2Wvs Norfolk State59-3
West Virginia
- Wk 1Wvs Coastal Carolina31-24
- Wk 2Wvs UT Martin52-7
Trajectory
The market
Spread: −9.5 → −10 · Total: 54.5 → 53.5
Book hold: 4.8%