West Virginia's Jahiem White (1) carries the ball during an NCAA football game against Robert Morris on Saturday, Aug. 30, 2025, at Milan Puskar Stadium in Morgantown.
West Virginia's Jahiem White (1) carries the ball during an NCAA football game against Robert Morris on Saturday, Aug. 30, 2025, at Milan Puskar Stadium in Morgantown.
The two Division I football teams in West Virginia have two different thought processes heading into their respective second games of the season on Saturday.
West Virginia is hoping to tame the Bobcats of Ohio on Saturday at 4 p.m., while the Marshall Thundering Herd is looking for its first win as Missouri State comes to town.
WVU will take the field in Athens, Ohio, for the first time since Harry S. Truman was president of the United States.
The Mountaineers are coming off a 45-3 victory over Robert Morris last Saturday, marking the first win of Rich Rodriguez Era 2.0.
Ohio, on the other hand, is coming off a close 34-31 season-opening loss to Rutgers.
WVU will have its hands full against Ohio quarterback Parker Navarro, who had an impressive 2024 season, passing and rushing for a total of 3,477 yards.
Saturday's contest will be the first time WVU has gone on the road to take on a Group of Five opponent not named Marshall since 2008 at East Carolina.
The Mountaineers did lose that game, 24-3. Sorry.
Rodriguez was asked Tuesday whether this was considered a "trap game," since the Mountaineers' next opponent is their archrival, the Pitt Panthers.
"That's ridiculous," Rodriguez said. "If somebody's thinking about anybody other than Ohio, they need to go somewhere else. It's as simple as that."
Some are speculating it's a trap game is because it will feature what's expected to be the largest crowd in Peden Stadium history.
Ohio is a dangerous team that poses impressive players across the board, including Navarro.
However, I do think WVU will win the game, but it won't be by two touchdowns. Sorry, EerRational.
The Mountaineers will win 28-24 over the Bobcats. If you're a betting man or woman, I like the under, which, according to DraftKings, is 58.5.
In Huntington, Marshall is coming off a thumping of a loss at Georgia in Week 1. However, when listening to the Feel the Thunder podcast and the analysis of Tyler Kennett, it seems like we'll see a more motivated Thundering Herd inside Joan C. Edwards Stadium on Saturday.
The Herd lost to the SEC powerhouse Bulldogs, 45-7, last week. OK, it's Georgia. Let's not get bent out of shape over the final score.
Now, all due respect to Missouri State, I don't see the Bears being competitive on Saturday.
The Bears are coming off a 73-13 loss to USC in their opener. I'm not comparing Marshall to USC, but Missouri State will be getting a Marshall team that will be playing with an extra chip on its shoulder.
Marshall wins, 38-10.
Other betting thoughts
Two quick plays if you're into betting.
My first is No. 15 Michigan covering +4.5 on the road in Norman against No. 18 Oklahoma.
The other is an NFL two-leg parlay, with the Bengals –5.5 and Dolphins +1.5 for the odds set at +252. So, if you bet $10, it'll pay out $35.26. This is all according to DraftKings.
