Things are looking up. After months of waiting for months for just one West Virginia online sportsbook to launch, residents now have two of the best available in any market:
Wagering on both college football and the NFL are extremely popular in WV, especially when the local teams are making noise.
That’s the scene, as both the WVU Mountaineers and Marshall Thundering Herd have started the 2019 season out with a bang.
Both teams came away victorious again this past weekend, but what does week 4 look for WV college football?
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WVU football predictions
The Mountaineers had a great weekend. Despite being touchdown underdogs against NC State, the Mountaineers put on a show for more than 57,000 fans in Morgantown.
Quarterback Austin Kendall and the offense finally clicked, exploding for 44 points and a 17-point win at home.
After scoring only 27 points combined in their first two games, the Mountaineers scored two touchdowns in the first 15 minutes on Saturday. It was clear early on that the offensive unit looked much better than in week’s past.
Although they surrendered 21 first-half points, the defense settled down after the break. WVU outscored the Wolfpack 23-6 in the second half en route to its second win of 2019.
Kendall had his most impressive outing at quarterback, but it was the rushing game that made the difference. Kennedy McKoy and Leddie Brown combined for over 100 yards and three touchdowns.
Sam James had a massive game through the air as well. The freshman recorded nine receptions for 155 yards and a score.
WVU will try to continue growing the momentum it has built against this week’s matchup with Kansas. Fortunately, the Mountaineers open their Big 12 Conference schedule with one of the easiest teams possible.
The Jayhawks went 3-9 a year ago, including a 1-8 record in conference. Things are looking up for Kansas, though. It enters this weekend with an identical 2-1 record, coming off a 24-point win at Boston College.
New coach Les Miles is trying to change the football culture in his first year in Lawrence. The team has been dreadful in recent seasons.
The Mountaineers are listed as 4.5-point road favorites in the week’s early line. Both FanDuel and DraftKings currently have the same odds.
Even though Kansas is feeling good about its season thus far, this is a must-win game for WVU and coach Neal Brown. With Texas, Iowa State and Oklahoma next on the schedule, the Mountaineers need to take care of business this week.
Conference games on the road are difficult of course, but WVU should be able to take a lot of the success it had this past week and get another big win at Kansas.
WVU betting odds: WVU vs. Kansas – Updated Sept. 21, 2019
DraftKings:
- WVU -4.5 (-110)
- Moneyline: -205
- Kansas +4.5 (-110)
- Moneyline: +165
FanDuel:
- WVU -4.5 (-110)
- Moneyline: -195
- Kansas +4.5 (-110)
- Moneyline: +165
Marshall football betting preview
The Thundering Herd also recovered beautifully after losing a week ago. It, too, improved its record to 2-1.
Marshall defeated Ohio in a hard-fought battle, escaping with a 33-31 victory. It had a 10-point halftime lead but struggled to score in the second half.
The Herd needed a 43-yard touchdown pass from Isaiah Green to Xavier Gaines in order to re-take the lead halfway through the fourth quarter.
While Green was effective through the air, it was Marshall’s ground attack that won the game. It gained over 300 rushing yards Saturday, with Brenden Knox pacing the group. He totaled 133 yards on just 16 carries and added a touchdown as well.
Besides the game-winning grab, Gaines added a few explosive runs, too. He had 52 yards and a score on only three attempts.
It was a significant win for coach Doc Holliday and the Herd. They’ll take their winning record into a bye week before taking on Cincinnati at home on Sept. 28.
Check our full college football betting guide here:
Week 3 preview: NFL betting in WV
The NFL’s second week had a lot of interesting storylines. While there was plenty of quality football, injuries overshadowed a lot of the action on the field.
Legendary quarterbacks Drew Brees and Ben Roethlisberger both suffered serious injuries. Brees will miss close to two months with his thumb, while the Steelers’ signal-caller is out for the remainder of 2019.
On the field, teams local to West Virginia had mixed success.
The Cleveland Browns earned their first win of the season in Week 2’s finale on Monday Night Football. Odell Beckham Jr. had a career-long 89-yard touchdown to give the Browns a commanding lead over the Jets.
New York’s injuries proved to be too much. The team played without Sam Darnold and several defensive starters. Baker Mayfield was able to do enough and the Browns defense dominated in a 23-3 win.
The competition gets a little more difficult this week when the Browns host the defending NFC Champion Rams. Cleveland opens as three-point home underdogs.
While Browns fans could celebrate, Pittsburgh supporters had a rough weekend. Not only did it lose to Seattle at home to fall to 0-2 on the year, but also any expectations are nearly gone due to Big Ben’s injury. The future Hall of Famer will have surgery on his right elbow.
Sportsbooks will likely have Pittsburgh as underdogs for the majority of its remaining games. The Steelers are getting seven points this week when QB Mason Rudolph and his teammates travel to San Francisco.
The Redskins were on the losing end as well. After nearly stunning the Eagles in their opener, the Redskins lost to another division rival in the Dallas Cowboys, 31-21.
This upcoming week, Washington will host the Monday night contest. It will be looking to get its first win of the season against Khalil Mack and the Chicago Bears.
The Redskins are another home underdog, currently receiving four points at sportsbooks.
The Cincinnati Bengals also didn’t fare too well this past Sunday. Andy Dalton threw for another 300 yards, but the 49ers were too strong on offense. The Bengals lost 41-17.
In Week 3, they’ll head up to Buffalo for a tussle with the Bills. Buffalo is off to a surprising start with wins against both the Jets and Giants. The Bills are six-point favorites over Cincinnati.
Here are the following odds for both online sportsbooks available in WV, DraftKings and FanDuel. See our full guide to NFL betting here:
DraftKings NFL betting odds – Updated Sept. 21, 2019
Cleveland Browns vs. Los Angeles Rams
- CLE +3 (-110)
- Moneyline: -167
- LA -3 (-110)
- Moneyline: +138
Pittsburgh Steelers vs. San Francisco 49ers
- PIT +6.5 (-110)
- Moneyline: +235
- SF -6.5 (-110)
- Moneyline: -275
Washington Redskins vs. Chicago Bears
- WAS +4 (-110)
- Moneyline: +170
- CHI -4 (-110)
- Moneyline: -195
Cincinnati Bengals vs. Buffalo Bills
- CIN +6 (-110)
- Moneyline: +220
- BUF -6 (-110)
- Moneyline: -265
WV sports betting news
It’s no surprise that both sports betting apps have been an immediate hit with bettors in the state. In just their first full week since going live, the betting revenue figures have skyrocketed.
Many believed that the presence of a mobile sports betting app would help the WV market, but the results have happened even quicker than expected. In fact, WV set new records for both overall handle and revenue.
Online gambling in West Virginia still has more expanding to do as well. While the two online options are great, more are better. William Hill is expected to release its app sometime soon. Additionally, it was recently announced that the PointsBet WV Sportsbook app will launch soon, too.
This news is exciting enough, but the fact that the WV Lottery was able to get these sportsbooks into the WV gambling market for football season is even more important.
WV sportsbooks should continue to see more action, and more online sportsbooks open their virtual windows as the season continues.
And in case, you want the weekend experience cheering with hundreds of closest friends, you can still head to one of the three active retail sportsbooks for the complete football weekend experience:
- Hollywood Casino Sportsbook
- Mountaineer Sportsbook
- The FanDuel Sportsbook at The Greenbrier
