We have you covered with our college football odds series with a BYU–Texas prediction and pick.

After racing out to an impressive 3-0 to start the season, which included an impressive win over Arkansas, the BYU Cougars have had a back-and-forth stretch to begin conference play. However, they showed their true potential in last week's win over Texas Tech. They led from wire to wire, and the defense had its best performance of the season. So far, BYU has had an impressive opening season in the Big 12 as they have shown for the past four weeks that they have been able to hand around with their new conference rivals. Now, they will face one of the best teams the Big 12 offers and seem more than ready for the challenge.

The biggest storyline for Texas coming into this game is how they will fare without starting quarterback Quinn Ewers. With him listed as “week to week” with an injury in his throwing shoulder, it is the next-man-up mentality in Austin. While it would be fun to see true Freshman Arch Manning get the starting nod, all signs point to Maalik Murphy being QB1. With him being a true freshman as well, the Longhorns are heading into the unknown this week at home in a must-win game to keep their playoff hopes alive.

Here are the college football odds, courtesy of FanDuel. 

College Football Odds: BYU-Texas Odds

BYU: +18.5 (-110)

Texas: -18.5 (-110)

Over: 50.5 (-110)

Under: 50.5 (-110)

How to Watch BYU vs. Texas Week 9

Time: 3:30 p.m. ET/12:30 p.m. PT

TV: ABC

Stream: fuboTV (Click for free trial)

Why BYU Will Cover The Spread

Whoever is getting the starting nod at quarterback for Texas on Saturday will surely be in for a long day. This is because BYU has two of the most electric lockdown cornerbacks in the Big 12. Corners Jakob Robinson and Eddie Heckard both rank in the top three in the conference in interceptions. Robinson has the second most and has collected four on the year so far, including a 42-yard pick-six against Cincinnati. Locking down the other side of the field is Heckard, who has reeled in three interceptions, tied for third in the conference. He also has four pass deflections, tied for the twelfth most in the Big 12. Whether it is Murphy or Manning taking the field on Saturday, both of these inexperienced quarterbacks are not ready for what these two upperclassmen corners can do.

With Quinn Ewers out for the game, the Cougars now have the most talented quarterback taking the field on Saturday. This is the third university journeyman Kedon Slovis has played for in the past three years. But fortunately for him, BYU is where he has found the most success. Leading his team to a 5-2 record and a 2-2 record so far in Big 12 play is impressive, considering this is BYU's first season in the Power Five conference. In these seven games, he has thrown for the fourth most yards in the Big 12 with 1,519 and has an impressive touchdown to interception ratio of 12 to 4. His experience and poise will pay dividends for the Cougars in this matchup.

Why Texas Will Cover The Spread

Although it is a significant setback for Texas with Quinn Ewers being unable to play, they still have one of the best running attacks in the country to lean on. The Longhorns are averaging the sixth most rushing yards per game in the Big 12 and have been consistent on the ground all season. This success as a team is because Sophomore running back Jonathan Brooks is having a lights-out year. Brooks ranks seventh in the nation in total rushing yards, with 825 on a remarkable 6.4 yards per carry. Additionally, he has racked up six rushing touchdowns, which is tied for 37th in the nation. Texas is going to have to lean on the ground game if they want to be able to cover this steep line. Fortunately, they can do that with one of the best running backs in all of college football.

On the other side of the ball, they will force Slovis to beat them because if one thing is for sure, the BYU running game will not be able to get anything going against this Texas run defense. Led by seniors T'Vondre Sweat and Jaylan Ford, the run-stoppers on this defensive front have been some of the best in the country. Texas currently ranks 17th in the nation and first in the Big 12 in fewest rushing yards allowed per game, with an average of only 98.3 yards on the ground given to their opponents. This defense is ready for the challenge, and points will be tough to come by for BYU.

Final BYU-Texas Prediction & Pick

Many people expect the BYU Cougars to not only cover this line of 17.5 but to upset the Longhorns in Texas this Saturday. While the Longhorns have not announced a starting quarterback for the game yet, they will hand the ball over to one of two freshman players. As scary as that may sound, I still believe that the Longhorns will be able to cover at home. With all eyes on this position, the Longhorns have shown all season long that they have some of the nation's most talented skill position players. Whether on offense or defense, Texas has more than enough firepower to take care of business while Ewers recovers from this injury. Amid this adversity, I will be taking the Longhorns at -17.5.

Final BYU-Texas Prediction & Pick: Texas Longhorns -18.5 (-110)