MORGANTOWN - If you listen to ESPN, the college football player gaining in the Heisman Trophy race behind Louisville's Lamar Jackson is Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield.
And, hey, if Mayfield is your guy, you'll catch no flak from me. The QB is No. 1 nationally in passing efficiency, No. 7 in passing yards a game and No. 12 in total offense.
It's just that if I'm picking the Big 12 offensive player of the year, I'm going with Mayfield's favorite target: receiver Dede Westbrook.
More than likely, it'll be Westbrook that ends up on my Heisman ballot. And were I an NFL scout, I'd be absolutely drooling over the wideout.
"Best in the Big 12," said WVU receivers coach Tyron Carrier.
Check the stats if you like. Westbrook is No. 2 nationally in receiving yards a game at 125.4. And if that doesn't impress you, check his videos. His tightrope walk into the end zone against Baylor was killer. In sum, the man is on an absolute tear.
"Offensively, they're playing as good as anyone in the country," said WVU coach Dana Holgorsen on Tuesday. "They have an outstanding quarterback in [Baker] Mayfield, who continues to get better... But what he's doing with the Westbrook dude is impressive. I haven't seen a combo put up those numbers in a long time. He's the best receiver we've seen this year, no doubt."
Understand the Sooners' offense is loaded. Mayfield and running backs Samaje Perine and Joe Mixon are intimidating enough. But WVU defensive coordinator Tony Gibson and company also has to solve the puzzle of Westbrook.
Has he?
"No," Gibson said. "Nobody has... Runs. Catches. And he's tough. You saw what Karl [Joseph] did to him a year ago and he bounced right back up and played the rest of the game. He's special."
Oh yeah. In 2015, Joseph, the former Mountaineer now with the Oakland Raiders, broke up a pass to Westbrook in an effort the Big 12 office later said should have been flagged for targeting. Yet in the end, Westbrook had five catches for 107 yards and OU had a 44-24 win in Norman.
"I can't sleep at night," said WVU cornerbacks coach Blue Adams. "[Westbrook is] a good player - a GOOD player. Good change of direction. Good acceleration. Good decel. Good route runner. Good speed. I think this will be a good test for us."
WVU, by the way, once recruited Westbrook. And the staff apparently had a puncher's chance because of one reason. See, the receiver was asked on Monday which pass catcher he followed when young.
At first, he pointed to Mike Wallace, now a Baltimore Raven who used to play for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
"When he left [Pittsburgh], though, I got a new favorite receiver: [former WVU star] Tavon Austin. That's why I now wear No. 11."
"There's always an initial interest," Holgorsen said of recruiting Westbrook. "But he's from Texas. He's a Texas kid. [Oklahoma] was a good fit."
Apparently. Westbrook has been named a semifinalist for the Maxwell (overall player of the year) and Biletnikoff (receiver) awards.
"It means a lot to me," Westbrook told Sooner Sports. "Growing up in a small town [Cameron, Texas] you always dream big, but, at the end of the day, what are the odds?
"Coming into the season, one of my goals was to be the best receiver in the country. And to see I'm one step closer to where I want to be is impressive."
He said "you can tell West Virginia is a really good team by their record."
"Put the film on," he added. "They're a really good football team."
While Oklahoma has the nation's No. 10 pass offense, averaging 338.1 yards, West Virginia's pass defense is No. 89, allowing an average of 253.8. The Mountaineers, though, are No. 28 in pass defense efficiency.
So what's the WVU game plan? Match up Maurice Fleming on Westbrook? Match Rasul Douglas on him?
"I don't know yet," Adams said on Tuesday. "I still have to watch the tape and see which one of those guys gives us the best chance of winning."
He did say starting Mountaineer wideout Shelton Gibson and redshirting freshman Steven Smothers would provide the best imitations in practice.
Also, WVU could simply allow Fleming and Douglas to play right and left cornerbacks and go with wherever Westbrook lines up.
"We've kind of gone both ways," Adams said. "Some weeks we've gone with matchups and some weeks right and left."
The guess is West Virginia will try multiple attacks against the standout.
"The guy is fast," Carrier said of Westbrook. "He knows how to keep his leverage. He never gets too close to the defender. He's great at shooting hands down. Gets in and out of his breaks well.
"And he's a hands catcher - no body catches - and always makes big plays. He's everything you want."
On any other given night, he means.