Odds for WVU's First Road Game of the Season Against Iowa State

A tough one on the road is coming up for the Mountaineers.

Sep 26, 2026; Morgantown, West Virginia, USA; West Virginia Mountaineers wide receiver DJ Epps (2) catches a pass during the first quarter against the Oklahoma State Cowboys at Milan Puskar Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ben Queen-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

With what happened last night in Morgantown, you would think it would be safe to assume that West Virginia will come out ticked off next week when they hit the road to take on the Iowa State Cyclones.

It's a game they absolutely have to have if they want any shot at making it to Dallas at the end of the year. Losing the conference opener puts a huge cloud over those hopes, but there is still a lot of football to be played.

For the fourth time in five games, West Virginia will be favored to win a game... that is, for now at least.

Odds via FanDuel Sportsbook

West Virginia University quarterback Mike Hawkins Jr. | Christopher Hall - West Virginia on SI

Spread: West Virginia -1.5

I am a little shocked that the Mountaineers are favored here. I am fully aware that the Cyclones are expected to be one of the worst teams in the Big 12 Conference this year, but they've played much better than everyone thought to this point, myself included. They took Iowa down to the wire on the road and only trailed Utah 24-17 deep into the fourth quarter before the Utes put it away with a Devon Dampier touchdown with 2:58 to go.

Jack Trice Stadium is an incredibly tough place to play, and the Mountaineers have lost each of their last three trips out there, albeit under Neal Brown (2020, 2022) and Dana Holgorsen (2018). It would not surprise me one bit if this line flipped at some point throughout the week and Iowa State entered the game as the slight favorite. It has the makeup of a true coin-flip type of game.

Over/Under: 52.5

After that abysmal performance the Mountaineers put on display last night, you're probably thinking, "Only 52.5???" Well, the identity of both of these teams is built on the ground game. They each want to be physical in the trenches, hammer the ball with their top back and quarterback, and piece together long scoring drives. Iowa State may throw it a little more, but they are going to want to run it, which should shrink the game and make it a fairly quick afternoon in Ames.

The Mountaineers and Cyclones are scheduled to square off at 12 p.m. ET. The game will be televised on TNT and can be heard on Mountaineer Sports Network.

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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