West Virginia
No. 17 Kansas State vs. West Virginia Predictions – Blue Gold Sports
The Mountaineers will be at home again this week as they host the No.17-ranked Kansas State Wildcats in yet another night game.
K-State is 5-1 (2-1 in Big 12) and is coming off a 31-28 win over Colorado, in which they hung on late to beat the Buffaloes in a thriller. West Virginia is .500 on the season, 3-3 (2-1 in Big 12). All of their losses have come against ranked, unbeaten teams, but they look to bounce back and pick up momentum after an Iowa State loss last week.
Our staff gives their predictions:
Ryan Roddy: It has been an interesting week for WVU football, to say the very least. The program has found itself in national headlines after what Neal Brown had said on Monday. Now, the Mountaineers will look to block that out or use it for motivation to prove something not only to their fans and those criticizing them nationally but also to themselves. They started hot against Iowa State but ultimately fell flat in the end. The Kansas State team walking into Morgantown is no push-over in the slightest. They are the top rushing offenses in the conference as well as one of the best defenses at stopping the run. Quarterback Avery Johnson has received a lot of recognition this season and for good reason. He can do it with his legs, he can do it with his arm when he needs to. The keys for WVU should be applying pressure on him, containing him, loading the box, stopping the run, and getting their pass game going early. If they can do those, it should be a close game, but I’m unsure if they’re able to, and I predict a game that gets semi-out of hand down the stretch.
Kansas State 38, West Virginia 20
Korey Moore: West Virginia loves building momentum off fan interaction, but this week, the crowd’s positive energy will likely be at a season low. With that in mind, I don’t see anything that could help WVU from avoiding the on-paper disadvantage it has against Kansas State. The threat the Mountaineers are most prepared to stop is Kansas State’s biggest offensive advantage in superstar DJ Giddens, who will fall under 180 rushing yards this game but still shine. Meanwhile, Avery Johnson is no pushover, either, and he has a solid receiver coming off a great game in Jayce Brown. There is no matchup I like for WVU’s defense. Offensively, the Mountaineers have no wind in their sails and no reason to believe they can have a receiver go for 100 yards with Garrett Greene at quarterback right now. The backfield is no match for Kansas State, either, whose stats are inflated after holding Colorado to negative rushing yards last week but still tell the story that Jahiem White, CJ Donaldson, and Garrett Greene are not going anywhere.
Kansas State 49, West Virginia 18
Joe Antenucci: Kansas State has had West Virginia’s number in recent matchups, and I expect that trend to continue Saturday night in Morgantown. The Mountaineers have yet to win one of the “big games” this season. West Virginia has performed at its best when the run game is operating at full strength, limiting the need for quarterback Garrett Greene to make plays downfield with his arm. However, Kansas State’s run defense is one of the best in the country, holding opponents to fewer than 80 rushing yards per game. I believe this game will be close and go down to the wire, but WVU’s offense will be somewhat one-dimensional and run out of steam.
Kansas State 31, West Virginia 20
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West Virginia
Biggest Surprises and Disappointments from West Virginia’s 2025 Portal Class
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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West Virginia
WV Lottery excited about Powerball drawing, sixth largest jackpot ever – WV MetroNews
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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