Spread & Over/Under Predictions for West Virginia vs. UT Martin

Things did not go as well as the Mountaineers would have liked in Week 1 against Coastal Carolina, watching a 24-0 lead end in a 31-24 victory. This week's opponent, UT Martin, should pose no threat to West Virginia, and the real question is how many points will WVU win by?

Here are my picks for the week's game, using the numbers from FanDuel Sportsbook.

Spread: West Virginia -39.5

Sep 5, 2026; Morgantown, West Virginia, USA; West Virginia Mountaineers quarterback Michael Hawkins Jr. (3) after the game against the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers at Milan Puskar Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ben Queen-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Prediction: UT Martin covers

This is a pretty chunky number, and yes, I am fully aware of why the number is what it is. This really isn't about what happened last week either. Well, maybe to some degree, but not about how Coastal Carolina was able to climb back into the game. It's more about how, once the Mountaineers create a comfortable lead, I'm not sure we will see the starters in the game for very long, and just like he tried to do in the opener, Rich Rod will almost certainly try to milk the clock in the second half so they can get to Week 3 healthy and not show much of anything to Virginia.

While you would love to win this game 56-0, there's no benefit to throwing the ball around that much and putting up a bunch of points. Doing so would completely contradict the purpose of calling a conservative game in the second half of last week's game. I'm assuming the Skyhawks will get on the scoreboard, and with that, it should be enough to cover the near 40-point spread.

Total: 56.5

Prediction: Under

Poor UT Martin is going to face a Zac Alley defense that is ticked off after what they allowed to happen last week. His unit generated 39 pressures against Coastal Carolina, yet only managed to record five sacks. We may see similar pressure numbers this week, but a higher percentage of those plays resulting in sacks with more of a true pocket passer in at QB. My score prediction, which drops tomorrow, is right up against this over/under but falls a little short. I expect much of the Mountaineers' scoring to take place in the first half, and once they turn to the young guys, they'll take their sweet old time and coast to victory.

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