West Virginia Mountaineers vs Minnesota Golden Gophers Prediction, Picks and Game Preview - 12/28/2021

Game Time: 10:15 pm ET, Tuesday, December 28, 2021

Venue:  Chase Field, Phoenix, AZ 

Where to Watch:  ESPN

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  WVU +4, Minnesota -4; Over/Under:  45 points

Bet365:  Point Spread:  WVU +4, Minnesota -4; Over/Under:  45 points

BetMGM:  Point Spread:  WVU +4.5, Minnesota -4.5; Over/Under:  44.5 points

 

West Virginia Mountaineers:  6-6 (6th place, Big 12)

Minnesota Golden Gophers:  8-4 (2nd place, Big Ten West)

 

Do not miss out on our expert handicapper analysis! Larry Ness has a CFB record of 15-3 CFB 10*s YTD / heading to bowls at 54-34-2, +$15,651! Make sure you check out his picks and many more from the expert handicappers featured in the Shop Picks section.

 

West Virginia Mountaineers:  won on the road on Nov. 27 against the Kansas Jayhawks 34-28.

Minnesota Golden Gophers:  won at home on Nov. 27 against the Wisconsin Badgers 23-13.

 

 

 

WVU is coming into this game after finishing the regular season with a 6-6 record overall and they will be playing their first neutral site game this season in this game. Their last loss was against the Kansas State Wildcats but they have gone on a 2 game winning streak since then with wins coming against the Texas Longhorns and the Kansas Jayhawks in their last game. Jarret Doege completed 16/21 passes for 170 yards, 3 touchdowns and 1 interception in that one. Leddie Brown had a very nice day on the ground as he led the team in rushing with 156 yards and 1 touchdown on 19 carries while Tony Mathis was right behind him with 118 yards on 22 carries. Sean Ryan led the receivers with 87 yards on 5 receptions while Winston Wright had 29 yards and 2 touchdowns on 3 receptions. Sam James also caught 1 touchdown pass in that one as well. Josh Chandler led the defense in that game with 8 solo tackles. Akheem Mesidor led the defense in sacks in that game with 1 while Chandler came up with the only 2 interceptions for them in that one. They have scored 322 points in their 12 games this season averaging 26.8 PPG and they have allowed their opponents to score 292 points against them allowing 24.3 PPG. Their offense is averaging 384.8 YPG while their defense is allowing 349.6 YPG. 

 

 

Minnesota is coming into this game after finishing their season with an 8-4 record overall and they will be playing their first neutral site game this season in this one. Their last loss was against the Iowa Hawkeyes but they have gone on a 2 game winning streak since then with wins coming against the Indiana Hoosiers and the Wisconsin Badgers in their last game. Tanner Morgan completed 11/16 passes for 199 yards, 1 touchdown and 1 interception. Ky Thomas led the team in rushing with 55 yards and 1 touchdown on 18 carries. Brevyn Spann-Ford led the receivers with 62 yards on 3 receptions while Chris Autman-Bell caught the lone touchdown pass in that one. Jack Gibbens led the defense in that game with 7 solo tackles and 3 assisted ones. No one on the defense recorded a sack in that game while Justin Walley was the only one who came up with an interception for them in that one. They have scored 313 points in their 12 games this season averaging 26.1 PPG and they have allowed their opponents to score 219 points against them allowing 18.3 PPG. Their offense is averaging 361.4 YPG while their defense is allowing 284.9 YPG.

 

Minnesota is coming into this Guaranteed Rate Bowl as a 4 point favorite with the current betting odds according to Draftkings Sportsbook. Both of these teams were playing well to finish out the season with each ending on a 2 game win streak but WVU had to win those games to make it here while Minnesota could have lost both games and still would have ended up in a bowl game. Minnesota also finished with the better record and they have a really good defense that allowed less than 20 PPG this season. WVU does not have a great offense and they will likely struggle to score and move the ball against Minnesota here. The best bet to place in this game is on Minnesota to cover the spread here as they will win this game with their defense.

 

West Virginia Minnesota Prediction:  Our NCAAF Pick for Tuesday, December 28, 2021 (10:15 pm ET start time) is Minnesota 24 WVU 14.

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West Virginia Mountaineers: 5-18 ATS in a bowl game. 2-10 ATS in minor bowl games (played in December). 1-5 ATS on a neutral field where the total is between 42.5 and 49. 3-6 ATS against Big 10 conference opponents. 7-23 ATS in games played on a neutral field. 6-17 ATS in December games. 

Minnesota Golden Gophers: 5-0 ATS as a favorite of 3.5 to 10 points. 5-1 ATS when the total is between 42.5 and 49. 5-0 ATS when playing with 2 weeks or more of rest. 15-7 ATS after playing a conference game. 7-3 ATS off 1 or more consecutive unders. 5-1 ATS after covering the spread in 2 out of their last 3 games. 22-10 ATS off an upset win over a conference rival as an underdog. 6-1 ATS off a home win against a conference rival. 27-13 ATS off an upset win as an underdog. 12-4 ATS after allowing 275 or less total yards in 2 consecutive games.

 

 

West Virginia Mountaineers:  L. Dixon (LB) Ques Dec 28 - Undisclosed injury. J. Matthews (CB) Ques Dec 28 - Undisclosed injury. N. Fortune (CB) out for season - Leg injury. M. O'Laughlin (TE) out for season - Leg injury.

Minnesota Golden Gophers:  B. Williams (RB) out for season - Undisclosed injury. T. Potts (RB) out for season - Undisclosed injury. M. Ibrahim (RB) out for season - Leg injury.

 

 

"Now we have a chance to finish the year with a three-game win streak. We have a chance to send the guys exiting out in the right manner. We have a chance to set the tone for next year." - Neal Brown on his team coming into this game.

 

 

"We all put a ton into it. I'm just so proud that they have a big reward for it." P.J. Fleck on his team’s win against Wisconsin in their last game of the regular season. 

 

 

 

WR Ford-Wheaton, Bryce 

WR Ryan, Sean

WR James, Sam 

WR Wright Jr., Winston 

TE Finley, Charles

QB Doege, Jarret 

RB Brown, Leddie 

 

WR Autman-Bell, Chris 

WR Jackson, Daniel 

WR Brown-Stephens, Mike

TE Kieft, Ko 

QB Morgan, Tanner 

RB Thomas, Ky

 

 

Passing: J. Doege (2908)

Rushing: L. Brown (1065)

Receiving: W. Wright Jr. (672)

Touchdowns: L. Brown (14)

 

Passing: T. Morgan (1935)

Rushing: K. Thomas (680)

Receiving: C. Autman-Bell (490)

Touchdowns: T. Potts (6)

 

Coaches:

West Virginia Mountaineers: Neal Brown (3rd season)

Minnesota Golden Gophers: P.J. Fleck (5th season)