Expect offensive fireworks when West Virginia visits Iowa State this weekend, and also expect the Super Bowl preseason favorite to take another step back.
Let’s take a look at my underdog picks of the week.
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It was a brutal defensive performance for West Virginia last Saturday, surrendering an astonishing 605 yards of total offense in a 41-24 loss to Oklahoma State. This week, West Virginia looks to bounce back as it visits Ames, Iowa to take on 2-2 Iowa State.
While it was far from pretty defensively last week, WVU had been off to an impressive start at 3-0, and even in defeat showed signs of something that could spell trouble for any opponent on any Saturday, rushing for over 300 yards against OSU. Iowa State is also coming off of a loss, and was gashed for 41 points and allowed about seven yards per play at home vs. Utah.
Essentially, stops might be hard to come by and there should be plenty of points.
In a game where neither defense can be trusted, I think it’s a good spot to bet on West Virginia to rebound in a thriller.
Hill’s Pick: West Virginia +3.5, +150
An interesting game here between two NFC contenders, with each team coming off of a loss.
For the Rams — the preseason darlings and clear betting favorites to win it all — a 1-2 start will grow into panic-time if that record becomes 1-3 over the weekend. For the Eagles, any loss creates angst among passionate Philly fans, and losing by 20 as favorites against third-string quarterback Case Keenum and the Bears on Monday night makes this upcoming game that much more important.
The Eagles are in-need of a bounce-back win over the Rams this weekend (Getty Images).
I like the Eagles to win this one and send the Rams into early crisis mode. The travel obstacles for the Rams and the difficult early part of their schedule were overlooked by some, as L.A. continued to add talent to its team throughout the offseason. But a trip to Australia, coupled with tough road games at Denver and now at Philadelphia, provide a challenging stretch here for the ultra-talented Rams. And we still don’t know for certain when star wide receiver Puka Nacua will make his season debut.
Winning in Philadelphia against a motivated Eagles, one that is coming off of an embarrassing loss, is no easy task. I’ll back the home team to bounce back.
