The 3-0 West Virginia Mountaineers begin life in the Big 12 when they host the 3-0 Baylor Bears Saturday afternoon (noon ET, FX).

The Mountaineers were early 12-point favorites over Baylor in the first-ever meeting between these two schools.



View Baylor vs West Virginia Odds and Stats.

Betting Line: If you're siding with the visitors in this one you'll find the Bears listed as 11.5-point underdogs. Meanwhile, the over under line will be set shortly.

Power Rankings / Prediction: The Mountaineers - Bears odds would favor the Mountaineers if the lines were set according to power ranks. West Virginia is rated No. 60 in our latest OddsShark poll, while the Bears sit at No. 85. Math models based on recent stats and predictive formulas point to a 63-59 win for the Mountaineers.



How They Match Up:
Offensively, the game matches up West Virginia's No. 10-ranked offense (47.3 PPG) against a Bears defense that ranks No. 90 at 29.7 PPG. The Mountaineers passing attack has averaged 370 yards per game, more than the Bears give up through the air (315 YPG on average).

Defensively, the Bears feature the league's No. 102-rated road run defense, allowing 262 yards per game. West Virginia, meanwhile, ranks No. 62 in rushing offense at home.

In their last action, Baylor was a 47-42 Sportsbook on the road against Louisiana-Monroe. They failed to cover the 8.5-point spread as favorites, while the combined score (89) was profitable news for OVER bettors. Nick Florence led the way last time out for the Bears, connecting for 351 passing yards and a 47-42 victory over the Warhawks at Malone Stadium.

In their last action, West Virginia was a 31-21 Sportsbook at home against Maryland. They failed to cover the 27-point spread as favorites, while the combined score (52) was profitable news for UNDER bettors. Geno Smith led his team to victory last time out, throwing for 338 yards Saturday as the Mountaineers downed the Terrapins 31-21 at Mountaineer Field at Milan Puskar Stadium.


Baylor Bears Trends:
When playing in September are 9-1
When playing on turf are 9-1
After being outgained are 3-7
When playing within the conference are 6-4

West Virginia Mountaineers Trends:
When playing in September are 8-2
When playing on turf are 7-3
After outgaining opponent are 7-3
When playing within the conference are 8-2

A few Bears at Mountaineers trends to consider:
Baylor is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Baylor's last 6 games on the road
Baylor is 7-18 SU in its last 25 games on the road
Baylor is 0-5 ATS in its last 5 games on the road
West Virginia is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
West Virginia is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 6 of West Virginia's last 8 games at home
West Virginia is 3-7-1 ATS in its last 11 games at home


Next up:
Baylor home to TCU, Saturday, October 13
West Virginia at Texas, Saturday, October 6