ESPN Computer Model Predicts Winner of Kansas vs. West Virginia

Which team does ESPN project to win the upcoming matchup between Kansas and West Virginia?

Sep 6, 2025; Columbia, Missouri, USA; Kansas Jayhawks quarterback Jalon Daniels (6) warms up during the second half against the Missouri Tigers at Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images | Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

Fresh off a bye week, the Kansas Jayhawks are looking to get back to their winning ways after falling to Missouri in the Border Showdown to close out nonconference play.

Their first Big 12 matchup comes at home against West Virginia, a game where KU enters as significant favorites.

WVU is coming off a thrilling overtime win over Pittsburgh, but just one week earlier the Mountaineers fell to Ohio on the road. The inconsistency makes them tough to gauge, but on paper, KU has an edge.

Interestingly, the ESPN matchup predictor has been perfect on KU’s season so far. It had the Jayhawks as heavy favorites over Fresno State and Wagner, both easy wins, and gave Missouri a 64% chance to come out on top, which turned out to be correct.

Will the tool move to 4-0 in forecasting Kansas football games? We’ll find out soon enough.

Kansas at West Virginia: ESPN Matchup Predictor Gives Prediction

For the third time this year, the matchup predictor gives Kansas a better probability of winning, with over four-fifths chance.

ESPN Matchup Predictor Chances at Victory: Kansas 80.6%, Kansas 19.4%.

Kansas On SI's Take

The matchup predictor clearly isn’t too fond of the Mountaineers, as this is the second-highest probability for Kansas to win a game the rest of the year, trailing only the Oklahoma State matchup in November.

The predictor gives KU a 90.4% chance in that contest, but aside from that, this is by far the second-best percentage.

Two weeks ago, this looked like a sure-fire Jayhawk victory, but West Virginia showed some life last week under head coach Rich Rodriguez in his second stint in Morgantown.

The Mountaineers stormed back for an exciting win in the Backyard Brawl to knock off rival Pitt. They also seem to have found something in running back Tye Edwards, who stepped in after star tailback Jahiem White went down with a season-ending injury.

This probability could shift as the week goes on, but Lance Leipold and Co. will remain at least a touchdown favorite.

It also marks the first Big 12 Conference game in the newly renovated David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium, and coming off a tough loss, both the fans and players should be fired up early. More importantly, KU simply has a deeper and more talented roster than WVU, which was hit hard by the transfer portal.

Now, KU fans just have to hope the matchup predictor gets it right once again.