Texas vs. Texas A&M: Final odds and prediction

During the Thanksgiving rivalry week, all eyes will be on No. 3 Texas football and the No. 20 Texas A&M Aggies tonight when the Lone Star Showdown is renewed for the first time in over a decade (since 2011). Texas and head coach Steve Sarkisian are embracing the hate from its rejuvenated rivals in the SEC this fall to motivate and succeed on the field for 2024.

The winner of the Lone Star Showdown between the Longhorns and Aggies in College Station tonight will punch their ticket to the SEC Championship Game on Dec. 7 in Atlanta against the No. 7 Georgia Bulldogs.

With so much on the line for the Texas-Texas A&M renewed rivalry game this week, the stakes and excitement couldn't be much higher for both fan bases.

On ESPN College GameDay this morning, Sarkisian said it's "okay to be the villain" for the Longhorns heading into this Texas A&M rivalry matchup tonight in primetime.

"You need to embrace the hate. It needs to fuel you, and it’s okay to be the villain. We’re the villain in this movie this week."

- Steve Sarkisian on facing Texas A&M

The biggest question mark for the Longhorns entering this matchup against Texas A&M is the health of starting quarterback Quinn Ewers. Last week on Senior Day in a win over Kentucky, Ewers suffered an ankle injury that hampered him for the rest of the game.

Ewers is listed as "probable" on the most recent SEC injury report update as of Friday night (Nov. 29). Both Ewers and redshirt freshman Arch Manning have taken first-team reps with the offense in practice this week at quarterback.

Here's a look at the final betting odds and game prediction for the Week 14 matchup between No. 3 Texas and No. 20 Texas A&M in the Lone Star Showdown at Kyle Field in College Station, TX, on Nov. 30 at 6:30 p.m. CT.

Texas football vs. Texas A&M odds

Texas is a 4.5-point favorite against Texas A&M on the road in Week 14. And the Longhorns are favored in the money line (-184) over the Aggies (+152), per FanDuel. The over/under is 48.5 points.

The spread has moved one point in the Aggies' favor since the Longhorns were listed as a 5.5-point favorite to start this week.

Texas football vs. Texas A&M prediction

If Ewers is healthy enough to play effectively through the ankle injury in this game against Texas A&M, the Longhorns will have a good chance of getting the victory at Kyle Field tonight. There is a sizable difference between what can happen for Texas whether it's Ewers or Manning leading the offense at quarterback in this game.

Manning has not started a game for the Longhorns on the road in his collegiate career. Walking into this hostile environment with over 100,000 Texas A&M fans energized for this rivalry game at Kyle Field would be something Manning has never seen before in his collegiate career.

Texas's defense also has the tall task of trying to defend and contain Texas A&M starting quarterback Marcel Reed. The redshirt freshman dual-threat signal caller is one of the best quarterbacks the Texas defense had to face in the SEC this fall.

I think the Longhorns have enough firepower on offense and can take advantage of mistakes from the Texas A&M offense and Reed, who has six turnovers in the past three games, to come out of College Station with a close victory.

Final score prediction: Texas-30, Texas A&M-24

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