NCAA Football Lines – Connecticut at West Virginia
Saturday, October 24 – Noon ET
BetUS NCAA Football Lines: WEST VIRGINIA -7.5
Of course, the minds of the Connecticut Huskies players may be somewhere else, after the incident this week where starting cornerback Jasper Howard was stabbed to death at an on-campus party. Howard’s family came to Storrs from Miami and asked the team to dedicate this game, and the rest of the season, to their son. Meanwhile, you can bet coach Randy Edsall told his team not to go out socializing, and not to “investigate” into what happened (there have since been arrests made).
Here are some of the NCAA college football betting trends as they relate to this matchup:
CLICK HERE FOR THE TOP ONLINE NCAA-F Handicappers Plays For This Week —–>
CONN has won five of its last seven games SU
CONN has won five of its last six road games SU
CONN has lost 15 of its last 23 road games SU
CONN has played seven of its last 10 road games UNDER the total
WV has won seven of its last eight games SU
WV has won its last five home games SU
Also….
WV has won and covered the last five meetings
Four of the last five meetings have gone OVER the total 
There would appear to be little doubt that this will be an emotional team taking the field, but at some point that emotion wears off, and fundamentals take over, and those fundamentals favor West Virginia, which has managed to improve on its propensity to turn the ball over in the last couple of games. In something that has an effect on the NCAA football lines, the Mountaineers have a potential problem on their hands with the availability of quarterback Jarrett Brown, who suffered a mild concussion in last Saturday’s 24-7 win over Marshall, and is uncertain for this game despite the fact that he has been participating in some team drills.
Brown is a guy with NFL-type size, and he can run with the ball, though not quite like Pat White, who had the job last year. He has completed almost 69% of his passes with eight touchdowns.
If Brown isn’t on the field, they’ll go with Geno Smith, a freshman, who was 15-for-21 against Marshall. Smith was rated one of the top five available recruits at his position, so the Mountaineers won’t be scraping the bottom if they have to go with him.
Another absence could be a concern, as defensive tackle Scooter Berry, who was an All-Big East selection last year, was arrested for public drunkenness and disorderly conduct and has been suspended. That’s a blow because West Virginia’s defense has allowed just 2.6 yards per rush this season.
Cody Endres, a sophomore, has stepped in nicely for U-Conn at quarterback and led wins against Baylor and Louisville, and a cover in the college football betting odds against Pittsburgh, He’s thrown only one interception in 104 attempts and ranks 14th in the country in his efficiency rating.
In the last two years, even though they have had decent teams with good defenses, the Huskies have been treated like a rag doll against West Virginia, being outscored by a 101-34 margin.
The Mountaineers have won and covered all six meetings, and they come into this game with a bit of momentum. We’ll lay the points with West Virginia in the BetUS NCAA football lines, but it is a small recommendation.
OUR PLAY: WEST VIRGINIA -7.5 *
