Bowl-bound West Virginia seeks 8th win while Baylor tries to avoid 9th loss

West Virginia (7-4, 5-3 Big 12) at Baylor (3-8, 2-6), Saturday, 7:30 p.m. ET (FS1)

Line: West Virginia by 8 1/2, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.

Series record: West Virginia leads 6-4.

WHAT’S AT STAKE?

Bowl-bound West Virginia can get to eight wins for the first time since 2018, when the Mountaineers also last won six conference games. They went into this season picked by some to finish last in the 14-team Big 12. Baylor is playing its school-record eighth home game this season, but the Bears are only 1-6 at McLane Stadium, and the lone win came against FCS team Long Island in mid-September.

KEY MATCHUP

West Virginia freshman RB Jahiem White against Baylor’s rush defense. White erupted for 204 yards on 21 carries in a 42-21 win last week over Cincinnati. His 8.2 yards per carry leads the Big 12. Baylor is allowing 179 rushing yards per game, next-to-last in the league. The Mountaineers, second in the Big 12 and fourth nationally with 233 yards rushing per game, have at least 140 yards in 14 consecutive games, three more than any other Power Five school.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

West Virginia: QB Garrett Greene. The Mountaineers have the lowest completion percentage (53%) and passing yard totals (2,177) in the Big 12. But Greene, a junior, has had some solid play. He’s third nationally at 16 yards per completion. He’s also coming off a career-high 154 rushing yards and three TDs on the ground against Cincinnati.

Baylor: Drake Dabney already has a single-season school record for tight ends with his 529 yards receiving. He has 31 catches, including a team-high five touchdowns.

FACTS & FIGURES

Baylor has lost 12 of its last 15 games overall. While that has raised questions about the future of fourth-year coach Dave Aranda, who has a 23-24 career record, the private school would be facing a hefty buyout if it decided to make a change. He got a long contract extension after the Bears were Big 12 champions in 2021. … West Virginia CB Beanie Bishop’s 20 pass breakups are one short of matching the school’s single-season record. … Mountaineers coach Neal Brown said leading rusher CJ Donaldson, who saw limited action last week, will only play if he’s fully healed from a lower leg injury sustained two weeks ago against Oklahoma.

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AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/college-football and https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll