Our side
MoneylineHOU to win
ours 45%
Projected score
28–24
HOU – WVU
2026-11-21 · kickoff TBD
Milan Puskar Stadium · Morgantown, WV
B12 game
Early season
The books
No book has priced this game. Nothing to compare, and no ticket to build.
Series
Houston and West Virginia split 2 (1–1)
· 2 meetings since 2023
2025 unit ranks —
last completed season, from games actually played
Run game
edge West Virginia Mountaineers
189 ranks
Houston Cougars #244 rush offense
West Virginia Mountaineers #55 run defense
Pass game
edge Houston Cougars
108 ranks
Houston Cougars #81 pass offense
West Virginia Mountaineers #189 pass defense
Run game
edge Houston Cougars
167 ranks
West Virginia Mountaineers #253 rush offense
Houston Cougars #86 run defense
Pass game
edge Houston Cougars
89 ranks
West Virginia Mountaineers #189 pass offense
Houston Cougars #100 pass defense
Houston Cougars
Run-heavy · 63% run
Avg pace
Dual-threat QB · 54 rush ypg
West Virginia Mountaineers
Run-heavy · 62% run
Ball-control
Willie Fritz · 77-62 · defense-minded
Rich Rodriguez · 39-38 · defense-minded
Ranked by team-unit strength
(rush & pass offense vs. run & pass defense) across all 265
D1 teams, not by individual players. Identity, tempo and unit strength are measured from the
2025 season.
The evidence 2025 production and power ratings · supporting the number above
Who carried each team in 2025
Houston Cougars
WR
Amare Thomas
11 rec · 162 yds · 2 TD
#73 WR
TE
Patrick Overmyer
8 rec · 100 yds · 1 TD
#30 TE
DB
Jordan Allen
5 tkl · 4 PD · 1 INT
#162 DB
DB
Jalen Mayo
9 tkl · 2 PD
#271 DB
West Virginia Mountaineers
RB
Cam Cook
194 rush yds · 3 TD · 2 rec
#38 RB
QB
Michael Hawkins Jr.
287 pass yds · 3 TD · 0 INT
#21 QB
LB
Isaiah Patterson
14 tkl · 1.0 sacks · 1.5 TFL
#193 LB
WR
DJ Epps
5 rec · 148 yds · 1 TD
#211 WR
Top-rated players from last season, ranked within their
position across D1. A grade measures what a player produced, and no
2026 game has been played yet — so this is who produced for
these programs in 2025, not a claim about who is on the field this year.
Power breakdown
Def is higher = better. The projection assumes a 2.4-pt home edge (0 at neutral sites).
Where the number comes from
Houston offense vs West Virginia defense+5.8 pts
West Virginia offense vs Houston defense+1.9 pts
Travel · context onlyAway team travels 1,109 mi
Altitude · context only322 m higher than the visitor's home elevation
An efficiency adjustment from season-to-date EPA and success rate applies once teams have
played enough games; before then it is 0 and the number is the power rating alone.
Situational spots are shown for context, not baked in: travel, altitude and rest
were tested against 6,000+ games and the power and efficiency ratings already account for them.
Adding them again would double-count.