A Big 12 showdown will take place on Fox Sports 1 on Thursday at 7:00 PM when the West Virginia Mountaineers travel to Houston, Texas to face the Houston Cougars at TDECU Stadium in week 7 of the college football season.

The West Virginia Mountaineers enter this game with a record of 4-1 following a 24-21 win on the road against the TCU Horned Frogs while covering the 14-point spread as a road underdog by winning the game outright in week 5 of the college football season. West Virginia scored 24 points while compiling a total of 343 yards offensively which included 142 passing yards and 201 rushing yards while allowing 21 points and 433 total yards defensively which included 298 passing yards and 135 rushing yards. Garrett Greene led the team in passing, completing 10 of 21 attempts for 142 yards while also leading the team in rushing with 80 yards and two touchdowns. Hudson Clement led the team in receiving, catching three of five targets for 43 yards.

Houston enters this game with a record of 2-3 following a 28-49 loss on the road against the Texas Tech Red Raiders while failing to cover the 8.5-point spread as a road underdog in week 5 of the college football season. The Cougars scored 28 points while compiling a total of 489 yards offensively which included 335 passing yards and 154 rushing yards while allowing 49 points and 400 total yards defensively which included 161 passing yards and 239 rushing yards. Donovan Smith led the team in passing, completing 29 of 40 attempts for 335 yards and four touchdowns while rushing for 59 yards. Parker Jenkins led the team in rushing with 13 carries for 71 yards while adding a reception for 12 yards. Samuel Brown led the team in receiving, catching nine of 13 targets for 113 yards and a touchdown.

BookMaker has the West Virginia Mountaineers listed as 3-point favorites on the road against the Houston Cougars on Thursday evening in week 7 of the college football season. This will be the first time in the history of these two programs that they will face each other in college football. West Virginia is 4-1 ATS overall, 1-1 ATS on the road, 2-0 ATS as a favorite, and 2-0 ATS in conference games this season while the Houston Cougars are 2-3 ATS overall, 2-1 ATS at home, 1-2 ATS as an underdog, and 0-2 ATS in conference games on the year.

West Virginia is on a four-game winning streak since losing in week 1 on the road against the Penn State Nittany Lions and has been one of the best teams in the Big 12 at covering the spread going 4-1 ATS overall and has covered the spread in both of their conference games this season. The same cannot be said for the Houston Cougars who have lost both of their conference games to start the season and have failed to cover the spread in either of those matchups. I look for the West Virginia Mountaineers to improve to 3-0 in conference play and 3-0 ATS in those matchups as well which is why I am taking the West Virginia Mountaineers -3 against the Houston Cougars.