WVU to Meet Pac-12 School in Latest Bowl Projection

Now in Week 6 of the season, there’s a new bowl game projection for WVU. As of now, Brett McMurphy of the Action Network has the Mountaineers facing off against Oregon State in the Independence Bowl.

Scheduled to take place on Dec. 28 in Shreveport, Louisiana, this matchup would pit West Virginia against one of the remaining Pac-12 schools left behind after the latest iteration of conference realignment officially took shape at the start of the 2024 season.

WVU is currently 2-2 (1-0, Big 12) as they prepare for a road trip to take on Oklahoma State while Oregon State is 3-1 so far on the season. The Mountaineers are considered a 5.5-point favorite in this bowl projection.

But obviously, an Independence Bowl appearance would fall shy of expectations for West Virginia. Currently, WVU is looking to remain undefeated in conference play.

A week off may have helped WVU in the Big 12 standings, but it did no favors for the Mountaineers when it comes to the ESPN FPI (Football Power Index).

After jumping back closer to where they opened the season last week following a comeback win over Kansas, West Virginia has now dropped back to the wrong side of the top 50 at No. 51. WVU entered the bye week at No. 43.

As the major sportsbooks open their initial lines on Sunday, FanDuel and DraftKings both feel the Cowboys are bound to finally win a Big 12 game and will beat the Mountaineers. DraftKings has the line at -5 in favor of OSU while FanDuel places it a bit closer at -3.5.

As West Virginia enjoyed the day off, their next opponent experienced another tough loss. Oklahoma State will now head into their matchup with WVU very vulnerable after losing to Kansas State.

The Cowboys fell to the Wildcats by the convincing score of 42-20, dropping their second straight conference game. Despite three overall wins on the season, Oklahoma State is now 0-2 in the Big 12 standings.

West Virginia and Oklahoma State will kickoff at 4 pm ET and 3 pm local time in Stillwater. The game will air nationally on ESPN2. OSU won the 2023 matchup in Morgantown thanks to big fourth quarter by the score of 48-34.