The No. 22 Houston Cougars are 7-1 on the season and trying to stay tied for first place in the Big 12 this weekend when they host 2-6 West Virginia. The Cougars are fresh off a solid road win over No. 24 Arizona State, while West Virginia came up short at home against TCU. The Mountaineers are 0-5 in league play, have lost five in a row, and have only kept one of those games to within single digits.
Houston is favored by 13.5, and the over/under is set at 49.5 points. Here are two key players to watch in this game, followed by the top storylines for each team, and a prediction from Heartland College Sports.
Two Key Players to Watch
Connor Weigman
Houston quarterback Connor Weigman continues to lead the way for this offense, and he’s getting more comfortable by the week, especially running the ball. Weigman has rushed for 209 yards on 35 carries in their last two games in wins over Arizona and Arizona State. In the three games prior, Weigman had a total of 18 carries for 3 yards. His rushing attack has opened up his passing game as well, with QBR’s of 94.7 and 86.4 the last two weeks, combined with QBR’s of 38.8, 32.6 and 72.7 in the three games prior. He’s rolling, and so are the Cougars.
Scotty Fox Jr.
Did Scotty Fox Jr. figure something out at quarterback last week for WVU against TCU? Or was it just a flash in the pan? He threw for 301 yards and two touchdowns last week, when his previous high for passing yards was 56. The former three-star prospect, per 247Sports, is getting a chance to prove he can be Rich Rod’s guy in 2026 and beyond. And if he can build on last week, he will be well positioned to do just that.
Top Storylines
Can WVU Get The Run Game Going?
We know what RichRod’s offense wants to do, and that’s run the ball. Even though they’ve trailed in most of their games this season, often by wide margins, they have the most rushing attempts in the Big 12 with 356 attempts on the season, three more than the Utah Utes. The bad news for the Mountaineers is that Houston is only allowing 3.4 yards per carry, the third-fewest in the Big 12, behind Texas Tech and TCU. Interestingly, WVU only had 41 rushing yards on 32 carries last week, despite the close game against TCU. So we’ll see what this week brings.
Houston Getting to the QB?
Houston has done a great job getting to the quarterback this season, including last week when Sam Leavitt was on the run most of the game. Last week, the Cougars had four sacks and five tackles for loss vs. Arizona State. It was their most impressive defensive performance of the season. On the season, Houston is 4th in the Big 12 with 21 sacks in eight games, while West Virginia has given up the second-most sacks in the league, with 22 allowed in eight games. If Houston puts on that kind of defensive showing, it’s lights out early.
Prediction: Houston 34, West Virginia 13
This is not a trap game or letdown game for Houston. Their final four games are actually as easy a stretch as any team in Big 12 contention. They’re back home after the big road win over ASU and I don’t think Willie Fritz is going to let these guys let down. WVU was in the game last week against TCU, but it was another example of TCU allowing a team back into a game late, when they had total control for the first three quarters. This happened to TCU two weeks ago against Baylor. I don’t think WVU can keep this game close, and the Cougars roll to 8-1 on the season.
