The UTSA Roadrunners take on the Texas Longhorns. Check out our college football odds series for our UTSA Texas prediction and pick.
Is there a more fun and interesting team in the United States than the UTSA Roadrunners? Maybe, but the list can't be very long. UTSA has played two wild thrillers to start the 2022 season, barely losing to Houston in the season opener but then rebounding and edging Army in a deliciously entertaining back-and-forth game. Army has a good program under head coach Jeff Monken, so the ability of the Roadrunners to go into West Point and prevail says a lot about them. They're still a legitimately competitive team on a national level, one year after winning the Conference USA championship. Coach Jeff Traylor is going to be a hot name on the market in the upcoming college football coaching carousel in late November and early December. UTSA continues to win respect as a program which is building an established identity in San Antonio.
Texas is trying to heal, physically and emotionally, after last weekend's game against Alabama. The Longhorns lost quarterback Quinn Ewers to injury, and the real shame of that incident (beyond the simple fact that every injury is painful and unfortunate) is that Ewers started the Alabama game in good form, throwing darts and showing the range of his skills. It seems clear that Ewers gave Texas its best chance to win in that game, so the Longhorns are a diminished team without a fully healthy Ewers.
The emotional healing from the Alabama game is also self-evident. The Longhorns outplayed Alabama for most of the day. Their defense was terrific and greatly exceeded expectations. They weren't as sloppy as Alabama. They were playing shorthanded and yet took the fight to Nick Saban's team. Steve Sarkisian had his group prepared to play for 60 minutes. In a small-margin game, however, giving Alabama any sort of chance heading into the final minutes is a risky proposition. Bryce Young was able to lead a last-minute field goal drive and guide Bama past Texas, 20-19. The crushing ending to a game which was very winnable — and which would have transformed the Longhorns' outlook on the season had they won — will not be easy to bounce back from. Texas has to pick itself up one week later and be ready for the challenge posed by a feisty UTSA side.
Courtesy of FanDuel, here are the UTSA-Texas College Football odds.
College Football Odds: UTSA-Texas Odds
UTSA Roadrunners: +11.5 (-108)
Texas Longhorns: -11.5 (-112)
Over: 59.5 (-110)
Under: 59.5 (-110)
Why UTSA Could Cover the Spread
The Roadrunners are all heart, but they have plenty of skill as well. Houston and Army are good teams. The Roadrunners played them both on even terms. They could easily be 0-2, but they could also be 2-0. Jeff Traylor is a rising star in the coaching business, and the idea of playing the University of Texas will get this UTSA team fired up. There will not be a letdown after the Army win. Also, Texas will be emotionally spent and will not have an ideal quarterback situation in this game. The reality of a letdown after the Alabama loss will lead to a flat Texas performance which will enable UTSA to keep this game close throughout and cover.
Why Texas Could Cover the Spread
After Ewers went down against Alabama, Hudson Card did an admirable job of filling in at quarterback. He isn't as good as Ewers, but he is not chopped liver. Getting a decent showing from Card and getting the level of defensive quality we all saw against Alabama will enable the Longhorns to win this game decisively. Texas looked like it belonged on the same field against Alabama. If we see that team against UTSA, the Longhorns will win big.
Final UTSA-Texas Prediction & Pick
If you have followed Texas football over the years, you know that a letdown is certainly very possible. On that basis, picking UTSA makes more sense in a game which feels like a stay-away situation for bettors.
Final UTSA-Texas Prediction & Pick: UTSA +11.5
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