West Virginia vs BYU: 3 Player Props and Best Bet for Friday, October 3
The Big 12 Conference steps into the Friday night spotlight when the West Virginia Mountaineers (2-3, 0-2 Big 12) head west to take on the No. 23-ranked Brigham Young Cougars (4-0, 1-0 Big 12).
West Virginia won the Backyard Brawl over Pitt last month, but that’s been the extent of the Mountaineers’ successes this season. WVU has been pummeled by conference foes in back-to-back games, losing by a combined 89-24 score to Kansas and Utah.
BYU has been on a roll to start the season. The Cougars won three nonconference games by more than 21 points before the school needed a fourth-quarter rally to beat Colorado by a final score of 24-21.
Can WVU make this a competitive game, or will the Cougars manhandle the Mountaineers? We’ll cover that and provide bettors with our top three player props for this Friday night contest.
BYU Cougars QB Bear Bachmeier UNDER 195.5 Passing Yards
The Cougars are high on freshman quarterback Bear Bachmeier. The 6-foot-2 starter has completed over 67 percent of his passes for 697 yards, six touchdowns, and no interceptions through his four games.
Although he’s finished above 200 yards passing only once, the Cougars haven’t needed him to throw with their run-oriented offensive attack.
Expect that trend to continue on Friday night, and bettors should take the under on this player prop wager.
WVU Mountaineers WR Cam Vaughn OVER 55.5 Receiving Yards
WVU received news that their starting quarterback Nicco Marchiol will be out for the remainder of this season, eyeing to transfer before the 2026 season. That’s why the Mountaineers started senior Jaylen Henderson against Utah last weekend.
The issues at quarterback have made WVU’s run-oriented spread offense ineffective, to say the least. It has opened up opportunities for its receiving corps, and sophomore wide receiver Cam Vaughn has made the most with them.
Through five games, he’s caught 17 passes for 277 yards and two scores, stats that well outpace any other Mountaineer player. Expect him to continue to receive the attention from Henderson on Friday night, and he’ll cover his receiving prop bet.
BYU Cougars RB L.J. Martin OVER 102.5 Rushing Yards
Junior running back L.J. Martin has feasted in BYU’s offense this year. The 6-foot-2 Cougar has a team-best 400 rushing yards, and he’s averaging a whopping 7.3 yards per attempt.
Outside of last week’s rally against the Buffaloes, Martin has excelled. WVU’s offense has been extremely susceptible to rushing attacks this year, giving bettors confidence that Martin will finish with at least 103 rushing yards on Friday night.
Best Bet: BYU (-18.5)
There’s hope for the Mountaineers to become a better team under returning head coach Rich Rodriguez. WVU completely overhauled its roster in the offseason, focusing on the future rather than an immediate return to glory.
BYU is licking its chops after watching the Mountaineers fall by 30-plus points in back-to-back conference games. Take the Cougars to win this game by at least three touchdowns on Friday night, covering the spread.