Posted on 10/26/2007 5:28:02 PM

NCAA Football Betting: West Virginia at Rutgers

By Charles Jay

BetUS college football betting line: West Virginia –6, Total: 57

Rutgers rolled up 400 yards of offense in ending South Florida's national title hopes on October 18 with a dramatic 30-27 win as a one-point home dog. The game went over the 51.5-point total. West Virginia beat Mississippi State 38-13 at home last Saturday but did not cover the 26-point impost.

In the HEAD-TO-HEAD college football betting trends:

* WEST VA. has won its last five games SU against Rutgers

* WEST VA. has won its last five road games SU against Rutgers

* Two of the last three meetings have gone over the total

* The road team has covered four of the last five meetings

* The favorite has covered four of the last six meetings

Last year West Virginia beat Rutgers 41-39 at Morgantown but did not cover the 10.5-point spread. The tams combined for 891 yards of offense. During the 2001 and 2002 seasons, West Virginia outscored the Knights 120-7 in the two meetings, indicating how far Rutgers has come.

Rutgers averages 36.1 points a game while giving up 18.6 ppg. Ray Rice is of course one of the best running backs in the country, and resurrected his feint Heisman hopes with 181 yards against South Florida. Rice is sitting with 999 yards, and his 142.7 average is fourth in the nation. Mike Teel (14 TD's) is 8th in the country in passing efficiency and his 10.13 yards an attempt is the top figure in all of Division I. Rutgers is also 7th nationally in pass efficiency defense and is second best at protecting its passer. Also:

* RUTGERS has won 12 of its last 14 home games SU

* RUTGERS has won 16 of its last 20 overall games SU

* RUTGERS has covered 13 of its last 18 games

* RUTGERS has covered its last six games as a dog

* RUTGERS is 12-4 ATS last 16 as a home dog

West Virginia has tallied 42.1 points per game, outscoring opponents by an average of 25.6 ppg. The Mountaineers roll for 304 rushing yards a game (2nd in the country), led by Steve Slaton, with 752 yards and 10 TD's. Patrick White, who has completed 71% of his passes with just two INT's, is now 6th nationally in passing efficiency. West Virginia is fourth in the country in total defense, and has a tremendous yards-per-attempt ratio, gaining 6.2 yards per rush while giving up just 2.6. Also:

* WEST VA. has covered 11 of its last 15 road games

* WEST VA. has won 13 of its last 15 road games SU

* WEST VA. has played over the total in four of its last six road games

* WEST VA. is 14-5 ATS last 19 as a road favorite

There are suddenly a lot of teams in the Big East who can play, and Rutgers is certainly one of them. This is an unusual case, as a team worthy of a national ranking is a home dog two games in a row, the second time even after beating the #2 team in the BCS. You have to respect West Virginia's record as a road favorite, but Rutgers is dangerous as a home dog, has enough strength on its defensive front to make things uncomfortable, and has Teel, who can throw it down the field. Slaton and White combined for almost 3000 rushing yards last season; they're nowhere near that pace in '07. I'd definitely lean toward Rutgers, the 6-point underdog on the BetUS college football betting line, in this one.

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(Charles Jay of TotalActionExtra.com loves to help people pick winners. He is a regular contributor to the BetUS.com Locker Room)