Marshall Thundering Herd at West Virginia Mountaineers Odds

Betting Odds

Point Spread: Mountaineers (-23)
Game Total Line: (55)
(wagering lines available at 5Dimes)

The Marshall Thundering Herd, out of Conference-USA take on the West Virginia Mountaineers, from the Big East this Sunday afternoon in what has become a heated in-state rivalry over the past few years. Game time is set for 3:30 p.m. (ET) and it will be broadcast nationally on ESPN.

Marshall found itself stuck in the middle of the pack in Conference-USA last season with a 5-7 record overall. It enters this season at 10/1 odds to win the East Division and at 28/1 odds to win the conference. Despite this fact, this game presents not only a huge opportunity to knock-off the best team in the state, but a chance for redemption for last season’s heart-breaking loss.

The Thundering Herd had a 21-6 fourth quarter lead over the Mountaineers, but collapsed down the stretch, allowing West Virginia to pull-out a dramatic 24-21 overtime victory as a 12.5-point road favorite. This loss went on to derail Marshalls’ season with a 1-6 start, before rallying for a respectable 4-1 finish.

If the Herd is going to have any chance to pull off the upset this season they will need a huge effort from a defense that returns nine starters including the entire secondary and All-Conference defensive end Vinny Curry.

West Virginia enters this season with a chip on its shoulder as well after a disappointing 2010 campaign that fell way below its expectations. The Mountaineers did manage to win nine games, but a 16-13 overtime loss to Connecticut as a 4.5-point road favorite cost them the Big East title and a sloppy 23-7 loss to NC State as a three-point favorite in the Champs Sports Bowl ended the season on a sour note.

Dana Holgorsen takes over the reins as head coach and has a good chunk of talent from last year’s offense with quarterback Geno Smith and a trio of targets at wide receiver made up of Tavon Austin, Bradley Starks, and Stedman Bailey. The running game will feature a couple of new faces with Shawne Alston and Andrew Buie getting the bulk of the carries.

West Virginia also returns a good deal of talent on defense as well including Bruce Irvin, who led the Big East in sacks last season with 14,and Keith Tandy, who has established himself as a playmaker in the secondary.

The Mountaineers have owned this series straight-up over the past five years, going 5-0, but Marshall has held its own against the spread with a 3-1 record in the last four meetings. The total has stayed ‘under’ in the last three games.

Game Betting Pick

West Virginia will go on to win this game with relative ease, but bet on the Thundering Herd to keep things close enough to cover the 20-point spread. Prediction: West Virginia 31 Marshall 13.
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