Opening line and total: Oklahoma -6 (65)

LAS VEGAS – West Virginia’s offensive strength is a ground attack that ranked fourth in the country, averaging 292.9 yards. The Mountaineers averaged 38.9 points per contest, 11th best in the nation.

Quarterback Pat White and star running back Steve Slaton each topped 1,000 yards rushing. Freshman Noel Devine averaged 8.7 yards per carry and Darius Reynaud caught 11 touchdown passes.

West Virginia’s offense often has been too quick for many of its opponents. But Oklahoma has a physical and fast defense. Only two teams managed to average four yards per rush attempt versus the Sooners. Oklahoma is ranked 18th defensively, allowing 324 yards per game. The school is sparked by linebacker Curtis Lofton, the Big 12 Conference Defensive Player of the Year.

Though the Sooners will be without all-conference cornerback Reggie Smith (broken toe), they do expect defensive end Auston English to return. English led the Sooners with 9 ½ sacks before going out with a late-season ankle injury.

Oklahoma features Sam Bradford, one of the top quarterbacks in the country. The redshirt freshman led the nation with a 180.5 quarterback rating and completed 70.1 percent of his passes for 34 touchdowns. He has a 7-0 touchdown-to-interception ratio in the Sooners’ three games versus ranked foes.

Malcolm Kelly and Juaquin Iglesias each topped 800 yards receiving, while tight ends Jermaine Gresham and Joe Jon Finley combined for 15 touchdown receptions. The Sooners were the third-highest scoring team in the nation, averaging 43.4 points.

The Sooners have one of the most reliable kickers in Garrett Hartley, who has missed just three field goals in 32 attempts during the past two seasons.

Early money has been on Oklahoma, with the Sooners currently being bet up to seven-point favorites. The total has dipped slightly to 63. The Sooners may have extra motivation after being upset by Boise State in last year’s Fiesta Bowl.

West Virginia ranks No. 4 defensively, surrendering 291.9 yards per contest. The Mountaineers rated No. 7 in scoring defense, allowing 17.2 points per game.

The Mountaineers’ preparation may have suffered with the announcement that Rich Rodriquez, their well-respected head coach, is going to take over as coach of Michigan. He is also going to bring a number of his assistant coaches with him.

West Virginia has failed to cover the spread in seven of the past 10 games against a team with a winning mark.

The ‘under’ is 7-3 in West Virginia’s last 10 games. The ‘over’ is 7-1 in the Sooners’ last eight non-conference matchups. The Sooners also have gone ‘under’ in six of their past eight bowl games. The ‘under’ is 7-5-1 in Oklahoma’s games this season.

January 2, 2007