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The Texas Longhorns take on the Houston Cougars. Check out our college football odds series for our Texas Houston prediction and pick. Find how to watch Texas Houston.
Texas and Houston were both members of the same conference for multiple decades when Houston joined the Longhorns in the Southwest Conference in 1976. For 20 seasons, these schools fought for a conference title and a chance to go to the Cotton Bowl. They were both SWC contenders for the first decade of their shared relationship in the same conference. Then the SWC died after the 1995 season and Houston was kicked out of the Power Five conferences. The Cougars eventually went to Conference USA and then the American Athletic Conference before joining the Big 12 for this season. Texas and Houston will be conference competitors for one season, but it won't go beyond that. Texas will leave the Big 12 for the SEC next year. The Longhorns and Cougars' meeting on the gridiron in Week 8 of the 2023 season will be a very special game for older fans at both schools. They remember how good this matchup was for a period of several years. This will be a very nostalgic moment for the two schools.
Here are the Texas-Houston College Football odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
College Football Odds: Texas-Houston Odds
Texas Longhorns: -22.5 (-118)
Houston Cougars: +22.5 (-104)
Over: 60.5 (-115)
Under: 60.5 (-105)
How To Watch Texas vs Houston
Time: 4:00 pm ET / 1:00 pm PT
TV: Fox
Stream: fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
Why Texas Could Cover the Spread
The Longhorns are a lot better than Houston. Whereas Texas has won at Alabama and played a very tough, close game against unbeaten Oklahoma, Houston has been thrashed at home by a mediocre TCU team. The Cougars were lucky to beat West Virginia on a Hail Mary pass. Houston lost to Rice as well. The Cougars lost by 21 points to a struggling Texas Tech team. This is a below-average team, going against a Texas squad which just had a much-needed week off following the Oklahoma game. If Texas did not have the week off, the Longhorns would be in a position where they would be vulnerable to an emotional letdown. Because of the week off, however, Texas really won't have to worry about letting down its guard. The Longhorns will be eager to get back on the field, play a good ballgame, and make a push for the Big 12 Championship Game, which is still a powerful incentive for this team.
Why Houston Could Cover the Spread
The Texas Longhorns have a lot of talent, but they definitely came up short against Oklahoma. They also struggled markedly against Wyoming in a game which was tied at 10-10 after three quarters. Texas also struggled in the first half of a win over Kansas before playing a lot better in the second half. This team has a lot of potential, but it doesn't consistently play to that potential. Houston is not a good team, but the Cougars will be really fired up for this one, will be playing at home, and will generally treat this game as their Super Bowl for the season. The spread is large enough that Houston can play Texas close for a half — not nearly enough to win, but certainly enough to lose by no more than three touchdowns.
Final Texas-Houston Prediction & Pick
The gap between these teams is enormous. Crucially, Texas will not have a letdown because it had the past weekend off in which to decompress.
Final Texas-Houston Prediction & Pick: Texas -22.5
