The Texas Longhorns take on the Iowa State Cyclones. Check out our college football odds series for our Texas Iowa State prediction and pick. Find how to watch Texas Iowa State.

The Texas Longhorns aren't playing dominant football, but they are winning games. They are winning games past Texas teams would have lost. It's progress for head coach Steve Sarkisian, who has a 9-1 team with a chance at the College Football Playoff. Texas has had to deal with injuries to a number of players, one being quarterback Quinn Ewers. The Longhorns have had to confront those obstacles and find solutions. They have managed to handle stressful situations with poise and resilience. Texas has scratched out close wins against Houston, Kansas State, and most recently TCU. The Longhorns have struggled to land an early knockout punch which would have made their games so much easier, but they also haven't allowed these games to spiral out of control the way the past few Texas teams would have done. The 2023 Longhorns are not allowing a negative snowball effect to swamp them. When an opponent gets on a roll and the flow of the game goes against them, they find a way to minimize damage and steer the game back in their favor. Here is one more road test for the Horns, in Ames against Matt Campbell's Iowa State team.

Iowa State started the season poorly, losing to Iowa and Ohio in September and looking like a group which was going to be lucky to win four games all season long. In October, however, Campbell was able to get his team right. Iowa State has looked like a dramatically different team in October and early November, rising to the upper tier of the Big 12 and clinching bowl eligibility with a 6-4 record. Now, Iowa State will try to spoil Texas' season and make a late push for the Big 12 Championship Game at the same time.

Here are the Texas-Iowa State College Football odds, courtesy of FanDuel.

College Football Odds: Texas-Iowa State Odds

Texas Longhorns: -7.5 (-105)

Iowa State Cyclones: +7.5 (-115)

Over: 46.5 (-110)

Under: 46.5 (-110)

How To Watch Texas vs Iowa State

Time: 8:00 pm ET / 5:00 pm PT

TV: Fox

Stream: fuboTV (click for a free trial)*

Why Texas Could Cover the Spread

The Iowa State offense has benefited from playing a lot of bad Big 12 teams. Iowa State has scored 30 or more points against Cincinnati, Baylor, and BYU in recent weeks. Against a reasonably strong opponent — Kansas — Iowa State managed to score only 21 points. Iowa State has largely fattened up its record against the low end of the Big 12. Against the high-quality athletes Texas will put on the field, the physical challenge for the Cyclones will be enormous, and they won't hold up well in the face of what the Longhorns have to offer.

Texas has continuously passed tough tests this season. The Longhorns have earned the benefit of the doubt.

Why Iowa State Could Cover the Spread

The Texas Longhorns have won nine games this season, and they have obviously improved relative to previous seasons. However, they're not winning by large margins. Texas won by one score over Houston, one score over Kansas State, and most recently, one score over TCU. Kansas State is a good team, but Houston and TCU are not. Houston won't make a bowl game this season, and TCU needs to win the rest of its games in order to make a bowl. Texas might win this game outright, but even if the Longhorns prevail, their patterns and tendencies this season point to a one-score game, which means Iowa State covers unless the final margin is exactly eight points.

Final Texas-Iowa State Prediction & Pick

Texas usually wins but struggles to win by large margins. It's hard to get a read on this game. Stay away and wait for a live-betting chance.

Final Texas-Iowa State Prediction & Pick: Texas -7.5