The West Virginia Mountaineers take on the Kansas Jayhawks in Lawrence, Kansas. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. ET on Fox Sports 1.
Kansas is favored by 13 points on the spread with a moneyline of -550. The total is set at 55.5 points.
Here’s my West Virginia vs. Kansas prediction and college football picks for Saturday, September 20, 2025.
West Virginia vs Kansas Prediction
- West Virginia vs. Kansas Pick: Kansas -13 or Better
My Kansas vs. West Virginia best bet is on the Jayhawks to cover. Find the best line available on our live NCAAF odds page.
West Virginia vs Kansas Odds
| West Virginia Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+13 -110 | 55.5 -110o / -110u | +375 |
| Kansas Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-13 -110 | 55.5 -110o / -110u | -550 |
- West Virginia vs Kansas point spread: Kansas -13
- West Virginia vs Kansas over/under: 55.5 points
- West Virginia vs Kansas moneyline: West Virginia +375, Kansas -550
West Virginia vs Kansas Preview
This is probably the most obvious situational spot on the board and one I had circled before the season.
I'm sure Kansas has had this circled all offseason as well, after it started Big 12 play in 2024 with a loss in Morgantown in a game it led by 11 with four minutes to go in regulation before a monumental collapse.
Following a thrilling comeback victory over rival Pitt in overtime, West Virginia now must travel to Lawrence to take on a Kansas team fresh off a bye.
Not only should the Jayhawks come in fresher (the high-tempo 'Eers ran a ton of plays last week to boot) with additional time to prep for this matchup with an elite head coach in Lance Leipold, but they will also boast a much better injury situation.
While West Virginia has lost three key offensive contributors in recent weeks, Kansas should arrive at the stadium almost entirely healthy — even at linebacker, which bodes well in this particular matchup against the run-first Mountaineers.
The West Virginia offense is struggling due to a poor offensive line and some key injuries. I don't see the Mountaineers having much success on the ground against a much more athletic Jayhawk front that ranks in the top-20 nationally in Rush Success Rate allowed and EPA per Rush allowed. Until a late broken run, they really held an extremely dynamic Missouri rushing attack in check.
The way to attack the Jayhawks' defense is through the air after the departure of two All-American corners. Still, I don't think West Virginia has the personnel to consistently exploit those deficiencies on the back end. And if they are failing quickly with their tempo, they may wear down late.
In regard to Kansas, that extra prep time should really help Jalon Daniels and his new receivers to build more chemistry and work on timing after he missed the spring with an injury. And looking under the hood, the underlying, more predictive early down metrics are pretty encouraging for the Jayhawks on both sides of the ball. The late down success should begin to follow suit.
The West Virginia defense, which seems to have hit on several lower-level transfers, has been a very pleasant surprise under new defensive coordinator Zac Alley. However, the dam should eventually break here, especially with the threat of Daniels' legs.
Keep in mind that West Virginia lost 17-10 on the road at Ohio in a game where it recorded three interceptions. The Bobcats finished with nearly 200 more net yards.
The West Virginia offense is just not where it needs to be at the moment, with Rich Rod even benching starting quarterback Nico Marchiol last week and bringing in two others before going back to Nico in the end to lead the crazy comeback in the final minutes in a game where Pitt helped them out with 14 penalties.
Lastly, expect Kansas to win the field position battle throughout the night with a much better overall special teams unit at the moment.
Pick: Kansas -13 or Better
