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Connecticut vs. West Virginia

by Kris Lazaro

11/23/07

There hasn’t been much talk about the Big East this year—especially stories concerning the University of Connecticut. This Saturday, though, will perhaps open eyes across the nation if BCS #20 Uconn can somehow upset BCS #3 West Virginia in Morgantown this Saturday.

Connecticut +19.5
West Virginia -19.5

Oddsmakers have placed a heavy tariff on West Virginia backers in this matchup, as it opened up as a 17 point favorite (with some places moving the line to 17.5 at the time of writing). The West Virginia Mountaineers have been under the scrutiny of the oddsmakers this year as it only has a 5-5 mark against the number, while the University of Connecticut Huskies are 7-2 ATS for the year.

The game itself is pretty interesting in itself. The winner of this game will capture the Big East title and an automatic bid to a BCS game. Uconn is 9-2 for the year, while West Virginia is 9-1. If Uconn is able to upset West Virginia this Saturday, they will have the tiebreaker (since this is Uconn’s last game of the season, while the Mountaineers have one game left with the Pittsburgh Panthers). With the way things are going this year, it will not surprise the author if Uconn is able to defeat West Virginia this Saturday.

The Cinderella story of the Huskies this season should be noted. They had a meager 4-8 record last year, with certainly no hopes of a great season this year. But, as this season has been as unpredictable as it is, the Huskies now sit atop the Big East as the #2 seed. Upsetting the might Mountaineers in their backyard will be no small feat indeed, but if the Huskies force turnovers and have the Mountaineers play Husky football, then perhaps an upset might be in the making. The author believes that the Mountaineers will somehow pull it off, but certainly not cover the high number set by the oddsmakers.

Game prediction: 44-38 West Virginia.