The Shotgun/Throwdown (10/12/18): West Virginia Prepares To Take On Surging Cyclones

Welcome, By-Godders, to The Shotgun/Throwdown, WVU’s best place for sports links, information, sophomoric humor and daily distractions.

Football

WVU football: Mountaineers prepare for suddenly hot Iowa State offense | Charleston Gazette-Mail
It took more than a month, but it appears the Iowa State offense finally woke up last week in a win against Oklahoma State.

Hot Reads: Dodging History | West Virginia Athletics
The drive from Des Moines to Ames is an unremarkable one. That's the trip the Mountaineers first made in 2012, and have made every two years since, from the West Virginia team headquarters in West Des Moines to the Iowa State campus.

West Virginia at Iowa State: 5 questions before the game | WV MetroNews
Allan Taylor takes a look at a handful of questions as we head into the heartland of corn syrup and ethanol for No. 6 West Virginia’s game at Iowa State.

Will Grier is finding running backs to be good receiving targets | WV MetroNews
West Virginia quarterback Will Grier has thrown touchdowns to 10 receivers this season, a huge leap from the five that caught scores a year ago.

T.J. Simmons stepping up as another trusted target for Will Grier | WV MetroNews
Will Grier’s confidence is growing in all of his wide receivers. Sophomore T.J. Simmons is the latest beneficiary of West Virginia’s more widespread distribution.

WVU football: Holgorsen named to midseason watch list | EerSports
Officials from the Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Foundation and Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl released the midseason watch list for the 2018 Dodd Trophy.

Basketball

Where WVU Hoops Ranks in All the Preseason Rankings | EerSports
Despite losing one of their all-time great players in Jevon Carter, West Virginia's men's basketball teams is still expected to be a Big 12 title contender that has a chance to make another run in the NCAA Tournament.

WVU Picked Third in Big 12 Preseason Poll | West Virginia Athletics
The West Virginia University women's basketball team was picked to finish third in the league for the 2018-19 season in the return of the Big 12 Preseason Poll, as announced by the league office on Thursday.

West Virginia Athletics

No. 18 Mountaineers Travel to Iowa State | West Virginia Athletics
The No. 18-ranked West Virginia University women's soccer team returns to the road for a match at Iowa State on Friday, Oct. 12, with kick at the Cyclone Sports Complex set for 8 p.m. EST.

Mountaineers Head Back to Penn State | West Virginia Athletics
The West Virginia University cross country team closes its 2018 regular season with a trip to University Park, Pennsylvania, for the Penn State National Open on Friday, Oct. 12.

Mountaineers Head to Big 12 Match Play | West Virginia Athletics
Fresh off a victory at The Health Plan Mountaineer Invitational earlier this week, the West Virginia University golf team travels to Hockley, Texas, this weekend to compete in the inaugural Big 12 Match Play Tournament from Friday through Sunday.

Around the Big 12

Instant Reaction: Texas Tech vs. TCU | Viva The Matadors
Defense, Jett Duffey, and crazy finish. This team is for real.

TEXAS TECH IS GOOD AT DEFENSE?? (Well, sometimes, at least) | SBNation
And maybe that’s enough.

Oklahoma's loss leaves Big 12 looking like playoff outsiders | Charleston Gazette-Mail
Oklahoma’s chances of reaching college football’s playoff may have been washed down the Red River last weekend, and there is a good chance the Big 12’s championship aspirations went right with them.

Why Baylor’s a pretty smart spread bet against Texas | SBNation
The Horns could win by double digits, keep their Big 12 hopes alive, and still not cover.

Around the NCAA

Spread picks for every game in 2018’s college football Week 7 | SBNation
Georgia’s easy road ends, Michigan gets a major progress check, and more in this week’s dozens of projections.

College football Week 7 game picks | ESPN
Can No. 2 Georgia survive a trip to Death Valley against No. 13 LSU? Will No. 7 Washington hold off No. 17 Oregon? Can No. 15 Wisconsin make a run at No. 12 Michigan? Can No. 6 West Virginia escape a night game in Ames against Iowa State?

Six key Week 7 games that could shape the playoff race | ESPN
A Saturday loss could spell CFP elimination for LSU and Michigan, but results in two key Pac-12 games just might KO the entire conference's CFP shot.

The whole recent history of so-so Pitt teams stunning national title contenders | SBNation
*sigh*

#6 West Virginia Mountaineers vs Iowa State Cyclones
Saturday at 7:00PM ET on FS1 from Ames, Iowa. Can the Mountaineers shake off two not-so-great games and take down a surging Iowa State on their own turf? West Virginia is favored by 6.5 points.

Oklahoma State Cowboys vs Kansas State Wildcats
Saturday at Noon ET on ESPNU from Manhattan, Kansas. Oklahoma State will look to rebound after a loss to Iowa State last week by beating up on a Wildcats team without an identity. Cowboys are favored by 7 points.

Baylor Bears vs #9 Texas Longhorns
Saturday at 3:30PM ET on ESPN from Austin, Texas. Texas is fully back and I’m not sure I like it one bit. Baylor may cover the spread, but the Longhorns will continue to roll. Texas is favored by 14 points.

#2 Georgia Bulldogs vs #13 LSU Tigers
Saturday at 3:30PM ET on CBS from Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Georgia can validate its ranking and LSU can redeem itself when those teams meet in an SEC showdown on Saturday afternoon in Tiger Stadium. The Bulldogs are 7 point favorites.

#7 Washington Huskies vs #17 Oregon Ducks
Saturday at 3:30PM ET on ABC/ESPN2 from Eugene, Oregon. Mario Cristobal built this Oregon team specifically to beat Washington. Let’s see how that works out. The Huskies are 3.5 point favorites.

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