West Virginia
West Virginia Enters Final Home Game of 2024 Season as Underdogs to a 4-6 UCF Team
West Virginia (5-5, 4-3) will close out the home portion of their 2024 campaign next Saturday when they play host to the UCF Knights (4-6, 2-5).
Although the Mountaineers appear to be the better team on paper, the sportsbooks don’t like their chances in this matchup with one of the newer members of the Big 12.
According to FanDuel Sportsbook, UCF is currently a 2.5-point favorite, with the over/under set at 64.5.
I always say they don’t build those massive, fancy buildings in the desert for nothing. However, I struggle to see how the Mountaineers are the underdog in this game. As a matter of fact, I wouldn’t be shocked if this eventually flips to WVU as the favorite, or at least down to a pick’em.
The Knights are going to rely on its ground game, and that’s the one thing the Mountaineers have done well all year on the defensive side of the ball. UCF doesn’t throw the ball a whole lot, and I expect that even against a soft pass defense, Gus Malzahn will be stubborn and rely on the ground game to get the job done.
Plus, it’s also senior day for West Virginia. The season has not gone the way anyone had anticipated it, but they still have a chance to end the year on a strong note by winning these final two games and taking whichever bowl game they get invited to play in.
Quarterback Garrett Greene has gone through on-field struggles and injuries all year long, causing the fanbase to want redshirt sophomore Nicco Marchiol to take over the reins of the offense, who has won each of his two starts. Even if West Virginia’s last two games were on the road, I don’t believe Neal Brown would make a switch. He seems content with riding out the rest of the season with his senior.
With it being Greene’s final game, you’d have to think he’s going to go out a winner. Whether he actually does or not remains to be seen, but when you stack these two teams side by side and look at the situation, I think it favors the Mountaineers.
West Virginia is 4-6 against the spread this season.
The total has gone OVER in four of West Virginia’s last five games.
The Mountaineers are 1-5 against the spread in their last six games played at home.
Eight of West Virginia’s last 10 Big 12 Conference game have gone OVER the total.
The total has gone OVER in each of West Virginia’s last five games played in the month of November.
UCF is 2-5 against the spread in their last seven games played.
The total has gone OVER in eight of UCF’s last ten games.
The Knights have won nine of their last twelve games played in the month of November.
UCF has lost four of its last five games played on the road.
UCF has lost six of its last seven games straight up.
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The transfer portal officially opens here in a couple of weeks, so before the madness begins, we’re going to take a look back at last year’s West Virginia portal class, highlighting some of the biggest surprises and disappointments.
Biggest surprises
For this group, we’re keeping it all positive. These are players who rose above expectations and turned out to be pretty solid players.
OL Donovan Haslam (Austin Peay) – He’s far from a finished product, but he helped West Virginia get through some of its issues toward the end of the season when he replaced Walter Young Bear in the starting lineup. WVU will bring in competition for him, but he’s at least a capable option, just needs more development. That play he had dragging Diore Hubbard for a first down may have been a penalty, but it may have been the most determination we saw from a lineman all year.
BAN Devin Grant (Incarnate Word) – The stats may not show his impact, and sometimes that happens with a role player. His playmaking was very timely. Every time the Mountaineers desperately needed a sack, tackle for loss, or turnover, Grant delivered. He’s someone the staff would love to have for another year.
LB Ben Bogle (Southern Illinois) – Although he didn’t start, Bogle was the Mountaineers’ best run defender in the second level, and it really wasn’t close. As a matter of fact, he graded out as the best run stopper on the entire team. He’ll be in contention to start at the MIKE spot in 2026.
Biggest disappointments
Before I get started here, I’m not including offensive linemen Walter Young Bear and Kimo Makane’ole, simply because they did not come to WVU with big expectations. Yes, they played poorly, but this category is for players who didn’t live up to expectations, in one way or another.
RB Tye Edwards (Northern Iowa) – Obviously, this isn’t a performance-based performance as Edwards injured his hip in the Backyard Brawl and was eventually lost for the season. Not having his physicality really hurt WVU’s offense and its ability to run the football. Had he been healthy, perhaps they could have won another game or two.
RB Jaylan Knighton (SMU) – Who? Yeah, Jaylan Knighton, the guy who never played a down for the Mountaineers. The SMU transfer was expected to be the No. 2 to Jahiem White, which would have formed a pretty strong duo, albeit behind a bad offensive line. He had some academic issues that led to his dismissal in fall camp.
BAN Jimmori Robinson (UTSA) – Without question, the biggest disappointment of all. Robinson was expected to be an elite pass rusher for WVU and an all-league caliber player. I wouldn’t throw all of the blame at his feet, though. Some of it can be attributed to the late start with the NCAA, taking forever with his eligibility, which ended up going to court. Some of it could be the fit in the defense as well. Regardless, Robinson fell well short of expectations, finishing with just 0.5 sacks and 2.5 tackles for loss one year after recording 17 TFLs and 10.5 sacks at UTSA.
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CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The West Virginia Lottery is one of the millions around the nation that will have their eye on tonight’s Powerball drawing.
The Powerball jackpot sits at $1.25 billion, an estimated cash value of $572.1 million. That marks the sixth largest jackpot in the game’s history, and it is just the second time where the game has seen back-to-back jackpots over a billion dollars.
The drawing will be at 10:59 p.m.
“It’s exciting for the lottery and it’s exciting for our players,” said West Virginia Lottery acting director David Bradley. “As excited as we are for our players and for the state and the revenue it generates, we always encourage our players to play responsible.”
Bradley says even if that billion-dollar ticket get hit elsewhere, there will be other big tickets to look out for tonight.
“We’re excited too about the other levels that win. People are excited when they win $5, $20, and $100, and we’re grateful for our players and our retailers and the people that support the lottery,” he said.
Bradley announced Tuesday morning during a lottery commission meeting that two other large tickets had been hit in the state in recent weeks.
A $500,000 ticket was purchased at Martinsburg Wal-Mart, and a $50,000 ticket was sold at the GoMart in Sophia.
In 2025 alone, four different million-dollar tickets were sold in the state. The most recent came a month ago from rural Hardy County at the Misty Valley Grocery in Mathias. Bradley said today that the ticket has not yet been claimed.
Earlier in the year, million-dollar tickets were sold at the Par Mar #17 in Hurricane and the Mardi Gras Casino in Nitro. Neither ticket was claimed.
“When you buy a ticket, make sure you sign the back of it. We encourage all of our players to be sure to check those tickets because you never know. We tell them to look in their car seats, under the car seats, in their book bags, in their purses, gym bags, and jackets.”
WV Lottery financial successes:
The lottery is coming off a strong month of November, where revenues totaled $109,626,000, which is about $14 million ahead of projections.
Total traditional sales for the fiscal year are up six percent — an increase of $31 million from fiscal year 2025. As of the end of November, the Lottery is nearly 13 percent ahead of revenue projections for the year.
So far this year, the Lottery has transferred nearly $300 million to the state for proceeds helping veterans and seniors, the state’s tourism department, the state School Building Authority, and the Promise Scholarship.
“At the Lottery, we do an awful lot of good and we’re important to the state budget. To do good for those programs out there, that’s what makes us happy. I want to make sure people know that when they play, it goes for a good cause.”
West Virginia
West Virginia Lottery results: See winning numbers for Mega Millions, Daily 3 on Dec. 16, 2025
Are you looking to win big? The West Virginia Lottery offers a variety of games if you think it’s your lucky day.
Lottery players in West Virginia can choose from popular national games like the Powerball and Mega Millions, which are available in the vast majority of states. Other games include Lotto America, Daily 3, Daily 4 and Cash 25.
Big lottery wins around the U.S. include a lucky lottery ticketholder in California who won a $1.27 billion Mega Millions jackpot in December 2024. See more big winners here. And if you do end up cashing a jackpot, here’s what experts say to do first.
Here’s a look at Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2025 results for each game:
Winning Mega Millions numbers from Dec. 16 drawing
20-24-46-59-65, Mega Ball: 07
Check Mega Millions payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Daily 3 numbers from Dec. 16 drawing
0-7-5
Check Daily 3 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Daily 4 numbers from Dec. 16 drawing
3-0-0-1
Check Daily 4 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Cash 25 numbers from Dec. 16 drawing
02-05-06-08-23-24
Check Cash 25 payouts and previous drawings here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
When are the West Virginia Lottery drawings held?
- Powerball: 11 p.m. ET on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
- Mega Millions: 10:59 p.m. ET Tuesday and Friday.
- Lotto America: 10:15 p.m. ET on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
- Daily 3, 4: 6:59 p.m. ET Monday through Saturday.
- Cash 25: 6:59 p.m. ET Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday.
Winning lottery numbers are sponsored by Jackpocket, the official digital lottery courier of the USA TODAY Network.
Where can you buy lottery tickets?
Tickets can be purchased in person at gas stations, convenience stores and grocery stores. Some airport terminals may also sell lottery tickets.
You can also order tickets online through Jackpocket, the official digital lottery courier of the USA TODAY Network, in these U.S. states and territories: Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Idaho, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Puerto Rico, Washington D.C., and West Virginia. The Jackpocket app allows you to pick your lottery game and numbers, place your order, see your ticket and collect your winnings all using your phone or home computer.
Jackpocket is the official digital lottery courier of the USA TODAY Network. Gannett may earn revenue for audience referrals to Jackpocket services. GAMBLING PROBLEM? CALL 1-800-GAMBLER, Call 877-8-HOPENY/text HOPENY (467369) (NY). 18+ (19+ in NE, 21+ in AZ). Physically present where Jackpocket operates. Jackpocket is not affiliated with any State Lottery. Eligibility Restrictions apply. Void where prohibited. Terms: jackpocket.com/tos.
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a USA Today editor. You can send feedback using this form.
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