Oklahoma vs. West Virginia 2018 live stream: Time, TV schedule, and how to watch online

West Virginia has already seen its College Football Playoff hopes dashed by one team from Oklahoma. Less than a week later, the Mountaineers could see their Big 12 title aspirations die on the line against another program from the Sooner State.

No. 13 West Virginia hosts No. 6 Oklahoma in a game that will decide one half of the Big 12’s conference championship game. The Mountaineers lost their claim to a spot in the FBS’s final four in a 45-41 loss to Oklahoma State that extended Mike Gundy’s recent dominance over WVU head coach Dana Holgorsen. Week 12 marked the Cowboys’ fourth-straight win against West Virginia.

Oklahoma has been even more dominant against the Mountaineers than their in-state rivals. The Sooners haven’t lost to WVU since it joined the Big 12 in 2012. A seventh-straight win against a typically-explosive West Virginia team wouldn’t just extend OU’s reign of dominance against the conference newcomers, it would also secure Lincoln Riley’s program a spot in the Big 12 title game next week and keep its national title hopes alive.

The S&P+ ratings put the Sooners right on the brink of the CFP at No. 5. West Virginia, thanks to a lack of big value wins, clocks in at No. 18. The Mountaineers are capable of putting up a ton of points in a hurry, but so is Oklahoma. So why is Friday’s game going to be much different than WVU’s loss to Oklahoma State?

I ...don’t know. Sooners by 4.

Specifically, throwing the ball more on offense means your defense has to be on the field more because: a) you’re usually covering more ground on a completion than when you’re running the ball, so your own possessions are shorter; and b) the clock stops on incompletions. Therefore, both teams end up with more possessions.

When your defense is struggling the way the Oklahoma Sooners are right now, that creates a problem. The more offensive possessions the opponent gets, the more opportunities it has to score. That gets magnified when you’re playing other offensively inclined teams such as OSU and Tech.

Will Grier has played his way up from overlooked transfer to potential first round pick in Holgorsen’s season. He’s blossomed into one of the NCAA’s most reliable quarterbacks, throwing for 332+ yards in 10 of his 11 games this fall while ranking in the top 10 in passing yards, touchdowns, and quarterback rating. He’s been the engine that’s powered the Mountaineers toward a potential New Year’s Day bowl game.

But he’s not infallible. Iowa State limited him to just 100 passing yards in an upset win back in October. Kansas (Kansas!) forced him into three interceptions in a closer than expected defeat. The Sooners, however, haven’t exactly been defensive stalwarts this season. Oklahoma has given up 40+ points in each of its last three games, which includes a 40 pointer against Kansas (...Kansas!). Expect a shootout in the John Denver State Friday.