Casey Thompson makes his second career start for the Texas Longhorns on Saturday when they square off against the Texas Tech Red Raiders in the teams’ Big 12 opener at Royal-Memorial Stadium in Austin. A 6-foot-1 junior from Oklahoma City, Thompson made his first start in last week’s 58-0 destruction of Rice, completing 15-of-18 attempts for 164 yards and two touchdowns with one interception. In the 13 drives he has led this season the Longhorns have scored 11 times, including 10 touchdowns.
On Saturday he faces a Texas Tech defense that’s giving up 238.0 passing yards per game, which ranks last in the conference and 88th in the country. Kickoff is noon ET. The Longhorns are nine-point favorites in the latest Texas vs. Texas Tech odds from Caesars Sportsbook, while the over-under for total points scored is 62. Before locking in any Texas Tech vs. Texas picks and college football predictions, make sure you check out what the proven SportsLine Projection Model has to say.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every FBS college football game 10,000 times. Over the past five-plus years, the proprietary computer model has generated a stunning profit of almost $3,000 for $100 players on its top-rated college football picks against the spread. It also enters Week 4 of the 2021 season on a 72-58 run on all top-rated college football picks. Anyone who has followed it has seen huge returns.
Now the model has dialed in on Texas vs. Texas Tech and just revealed its picks and predictions. You can head to SportsLine now to see the model’s Texas vs. Texas Tech picks and analysis. Now, here are the college football odds and betting lines for Texas Tech vs. Texas:
- Texas vs. Texas Tech spread: Longhorns -9
- Texas vs. Texas Tech over-under: 62 points
- Texas vs. Texas Tech moneyline: Longhorns -380, Red Raiders +300
- TEX: RB Bijan Robinson leads the Big 12 in touchdowns (six)
- TTU: WR Erik Ezukanma is first in the conference in receiving yards per game (116.7)
Featured Game | Texas Longhorns vs. Texas Tech Red Raiders
Why the Longhorns can cover
Texas has one of the best — if not the best — running backs in the country in Bijan Robinson. A 6-foot sophomore from Tucson, Ariz., Robinson has rushed for 1,002 yards and nine touchdowns on 138 carries in his career, averaging 7.3 yards per attempt. He also has 287 receiving yards and three touchdowns on 21 receptions. In last week’s victory against Rice, Robinson helped the Longhorns run for 428 yards and six touchdowns, averaging 10.4 yards per carry.
In addition, the Texas defense is coming off its best performance of the season. The Longhorns allowed zero points and 284 total yards to the Owls. The shutout was Texas’ first since 2017.
Why the Red Raiders can cover
Texas Tech has shown an ability to stop the run this season. Through three games the Red Raiders are giving up just 57.3 yards per game on the ground, which ranks ninth in the country. The team’s 163 rushing yards allowed this season are its fewest through three games dating back to 2000.
In addition, Tech quarterback Tyler Shough is coming off a career game. In just his third start as a Red Raider, the transfer from Oregon completed 26-of-35 passes for 399 yards and four touchdowns in the win over Florida International. The 399 passing yards marked the third 300-yard outing of his career, snapping his previous career-high in the process.
How to make Texas vs. Texas Tech picks
SportsLine’s model is leaning over on the point total, projecting the teams to combine for 68 points. The model also has an against-the-spread pick that cashes in well over 50 percent of simulations. You can only see the model’s Texas vs. Texas Tech ATS pick at SportsLine.
So who wins Texas vs. Texas Tech? And which side of the spread cashes in well over 50 percent of simulations? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Texas Tech vs. Texas spread to jump on, all from the advanced model that finished the past five-plus years up nearly $3,000 on its FBS college football picks, and find out.
