Texas football opens as two-score favorite over Baylor

Texas football opens Big 12 play on the road on Sep. 23 against the struggling Baylor Bears and head coach Dave Aranda. Texas and head coach Steve Sarkisian still have plenty to prove heading into Big 12 play, despite making a statement in Week 2 with a big win on the road in Tuscaloosa over the No. 3 Alabama Crimson Tide by double digits.

Sark and the Longhorns looked hungover out of the gates in Week 3 against the Wyoming Cowboys at home in front of a sellout crowd at Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. Texas did snag the 31-10 win over Wyoming thanks to a 21-0 steamrolling of the Cowboys in the fourth quarter.

But Wyoming gave Texas a real scare for the first three quarters. Texas came alive in the fourth quarter, outscoring the Cowboys by a score of 21-0 to close out the three-score win at home. After the win over Wyoming, Texas heads into Big 12 play with a record of 3-0 (0-0 Big 12).

The Longhorns also have wins over Alabama and the Rice Owls to cap non-conference play.

Moreover, Baylor had a lot of struggles in the first few weeks of the regular season. Aranda and the Bears started the season on a bad note with a pretty stunning 11-point loss to the Texas State Bobcats and head coach GJ Kinne.

Baylor also suffered a rough loss when head coach Kyle Whittingham and the Utah Utes pulled off a fourth-quarter comeback against the Bears in Week 2.

The Bears finally got their first win of the season on Sep. 16 in Waco against FCS Long Island by a score of 30-7. The win over Long Island gives Baylor a record of 1-2 (0-0 Big 12) heading into the conference opener on Sep. 23 in Waco against Texas.

Here’s a look at the opening betting odds as No. 3 Texas heads to Waco, TX, on Sep. 23 to face Baylor in the Big 12 opener at McLane Stadium, with the kickoff time set for 6:30 p.m. CT.

Texas football vs. Baylor: Opening odds for Week 4

Texas opens up as a 15.0-point favorite against Baylor in this game (per Caesers Sportsbook). The over/under is set at 51.5 points.

According to the ESPN Football Power Index, Texas has a 90.2 percent chance of beating Baylor in the Big 12 opener this weekend.

Texas is 1-2-0 against the spread this season. The Longhorns were a 30-point favorite over Wyoming pre-game. Texas covered the +7.5-point spread in Week 2 against Alabama and didn’t cover in Week 1 (-35.5) against Rice.

Baylor is 0-2-1 against the spread this season. The spread Baylor matched was +7 pre-game against Utah at home in Week 2. Baylor didn’t cover in Week 1 against Texas State (-37.5) and in Week 3 against Long Island (-45.0).