Fact checked at 9:12 AM ET, Nov 14, 2026Odds as of 7:27 AM ET, Nov 14, 2026
Kansas (3-6, 1-5 Big 12) visits West Virginia (5-4, 2-4) at 3:30 PM ET at Milan Puskar Stadium in Morgantown, with the Mountaineers favored by 2.5 and the total at 68.5. The Big 12 moved the kickoff because of the national FAA ground stop, and West Virginia says Kansas had already arrived before the stoppage. Both of these teams would rather run. West Virginia averages 263.6 rushing yards a game, sixth in the country, and Kansas averages 201.2. When they do throw, it tends to go deep, so neither receiver we're backing needs more than one or two catches downfield. Kansas should find those chances against a West Virginia pass defense that ranks 138th in passing yards allowed and has given up 70 plays of 20 yards or more, the most in the country.
Kansas vs. West Virginia Predictions
Pick #1Nahzae Cox 39+ Receiving Yards−141
Cox is Kansas's deep threat, with 446 yards on 16 catches this season. That's 27.9 yards a catch, which is why a number this low suits a receiver who rarely catches more than two or three balls. He has reached 39 yards in six of Kansas's eight games against FBS teams: 68 against Arizona State, 42 against Middle Tennessee, 41 at Utah, 51 against Baylor, 145 at TCU and 42 against UCF. He fell short with 10 against Missouri and with no catches at Kansas State. He also had 47 against Long Island, an FCS team.
West Virginia gives up 322.8 passing yards a game, last in the country, and has allowed 35 plays of 30 yards or more, also the most. Isaiah Marshall averages 13.6 yards per completion and ranks near the top of Big 12 quarterbacks in depth of target. One completion in Cox's usual range gets this home. At -141 the implied probability is 58.5%, and six of eight beats that.
The margins are thin. Three of his six hits landed at 41 or 42 yards, and the 145 at TCU came with Cole Ballard at quarterback; with Marshall throwing, Cox is 5 of 7. Marshall is the expected starter, not a confirmed one. He was a game-time decision at TCU and didn't play, but Lance Leipold said this week that "the health of the quarterback room ... is probably as good as it's been in three weeks or so." The National Weather Service has a west wind around 12 to 13 mph with gusts near 20 at kickoff, which can push deep balls around, and Kansas can also win this game on the ground.
Pick #2Prince Strachan 40+ Receiving Yards−186
Michael Hawkins Jr. leads the country in yards per completion and yards per attempt, and the 6-foot-5 Strachan is the target he looks for downfield. Strachan missed the first two games, only blocked in his debut against Virginia and caught one pass against Oklahoma State while he worked his way back. He is listed first at his receiver spot on this week's depth chart, and since that slow start he has reached 40 yards in four of five games: 41 at Iowa State, 121 against Arizona, 84 against Cincinnati and 70 at Texas Tech. Three of those came on three catches. After the Arizona game Hawkins called him "a huge target" and said, "His radius is great."
This is the harder of the two. The price implies 65.0%, and the secondary is the strength of Kansas's defense, allowing 186 passing yards a game. Strachan's miss came at TCU, where West Virginia ran for 186 yards in a 24-20 win, Hawkins threw 15 passes for 79 yards and Strachan finished with two catches for 24. The 41 at Iowa State cleared by a yard. DJ Epps, at 24.5 yards a catch, and TaRon Francis, who turned his first three catches of the year into 169 yards at Texas Tech, take some of the same throws. We're on it anyway because West Virginia's passing yards come in chunks rather than volume, and Strachan has caught at least two passes in each of the last five games while Epps has had one catch or fewer in three of the last four. The gusts work against this one too. Hawkins is the expected starter, and the pick depends on him playing.
21+ (18+ where permitted). Odds subject to change. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, call 1-800-GAMBLER.
