MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — How The MetroNews Sports staff forecasts Saturday night’s Big 12 game in Ames between No. 6 West Virginia (5-0, 3-0) and Iowa State (2-3, 1-2):
Kyle Wiggs
Iowa State completely caught Oklahoma State off guard with the insertion of freshman quarterback Brock Purdy into the lineup last week. With a week to prepare, the Mountaineers should have the ability to slow Purdy some. Getting Big Joe Brown back at guard should go a long way toward solidifying WVU’s offensive line. West Virginia 28, Iowa State 24
Kyle’s other picks:
Goose Gyorko
WVU has now played 7 consecutive quarters of meh football. They’ve gotten away with it, but that’s mostly due to doing so against Texas Tech’s backup QB and Kansas. Conference road games at night are tricky, but West Virginia is the more talented team. Time to show it. West Virginia 31, Iowa State 26
Goose’s other picks:
Brad Howe
The Cyclones will be playing in front of a raucous home crowd and have momentum.
West Virginia counters with the best, most experienced quarterback in the league in Will Grier. That should matter in a game like this. West Virginia 35, Iowa State 27
Brad’s other picks:
Hoppy Kercheval
WVU is on a 4-0 run versus ISU straight up and against the spread….that will continue this week in Ames. Even though the Cyclones defense is holding opponents 110 yards under their average, Grier will bounce back and the Mountaineer offense will look more like they did in the first half against Texas Tech. West Virginia 38, Iowa State 24
Hoppy’s other picks:
Allan Taylor
Favored by 6 points, WVU won’t gain a ton of credit by winning in Ames, yet stands to have its CFP hopes ruined by losing there. (Expect a tougher road environment than what the Mountaineers faced at Texas Tech, where the 11 a.m. kickoff made for a drowsy day.) For two weeks, Holgorsen has warned about never taking a win for granted, and I think he’ll be genuinely grateful after surviving this one. West Virginia 27, Iowa State 24
Allan’s other picks:
