Texas vs. UTSA: Final odds and prediction

The crowd will be energized and excited to see No. 2 Texas football return home to DKR in Austin this weekend for the first game since the convincing double-digit win on the road over the No. 10 Michigan Wolverines at the Big House on Sep. 7.

Head coach Steve Sarkisian and the Longhorns will be looking to continue to build momentum entering SEC play in a couple of weeks when they take on the UTSA Roadrunners at DKR on Saturday night. Texas is facing head coach Jeff Traylor and UTSA at DKR for the first time since the 2022 season.

The convincing 31-12 win over the defending National Champion Michigan last weekend lifted Sarkisian and the Longhorns into the AP Top 2 for the first time in over a decade. The last time Texas ranked No. 2 in the AP Poll in Week 3 or after in the regular season was in 2009.

Here's a look at the final betting odds and game prediction as No. 2 Texas faces UTSA at home at Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium in Austin, TX, on Sep. 14 at 6 p.m. CT.

Texas football vs. UTSA odds

Texas is a 35.5-point favorite against UTSA a few hours before kickoff in Week 3. And the Longhorns are favored heavily in the money line (-20000) over the Wolverines (+4000), per FanDuel. The over/under is 55.5 points.

The betting line has moved 0.5 points in Texas's favor since it was listed at the Longhorns by a touchdown earlier this week.

Texas football vs. UTSA prediction

Sarkisian and the Longhorns are decisive favorites for this game after rolling over their first two opponents, the Colorado State Rams and Michigan, by a combined score of 83-12.

This isn't the same UTSA team that gave the Longhorns a real challenge at home two years ago. Traylor and the Roadrunners lost a lot of key pieces during the offseason, including Texas transfer and the reigning AAC Defensive Player of the Year, edge rusher Trey Moore.

As long as Texas is ready to go for this game in the first quarter, it should be able to keep its foot on the gas against UTSA entering the locker room at halftime. Texas should have the opportunity to get ahead early in this one, and get the likes of redshirt freshman quarterback Arch Manning into the game by the third or fourth quarter if things are going well for the Longhorns in the first half.

This probably won't be a game where we see star quarterback Quinn Ewers put up massive stats through the air for the Longhorns against UTSA. Sarkisian probably wants to take advantage of the opportunity to get more young guys valuable live-game reps during non-conference play.

"He just doesn’t consume himself of what other people think. He’s more focused on what he needs to do to perform. He’s more focused on how he can support his teammates and be the best quarterback, leader, teammate that he can be."

- Steve Sarkisian on Quinn Ewers

In a press conference this week, Sarkisian said he believes Ewers has his mindset in the right place to be a good teammate and help the Longhorns reach their ultimate goal this fall.

I expect Texas to use its massive size advantage in the trenches on both sides of the ball and all the speed on the outside to jump out to a quick and comfortable lead over UTSA and never look back. Texas should also realistically be in play for a second consecutive home shutout against non-conference foes early in the regular season today against UTSA.

Final score prediction: Texas-55, UTSA-6

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