Longhorns, Red Raiders Renew Rivalry with Little on the Line

The Chancellor’s Spurs are virtually the only thing at stake when the Texas Tech Red Raiders visit the Texas Longhorns. Texas Tech has already been eliminated from bowl eligibility, while the Longhorns’ Big 12 title hopes died last week with a loss at Baylor. Texas is 7-2 ATS in the last nine meetings.

Sportsbook Odds Analysis

This is the highest point spread between these rivals since 2011, when the Longhorns won 52-20 as 14-point favorites. The road team has won the last five meetings, including two victories by Texas Tech in Austin.

Texas Tech News & Notes

It’s fitting that a close loss was the final nail in the coffin of Texas Tech’s bowl eligibility hopes. Close but no cigar has been the story of the season for the Red Raiders, whose four losses by three points or less are their most in one year since 1985. The latest, a 30-27 defeat at home to Kansas State last weekend, eliminated them from bowl eligibility contention. “The fact that we can’t make a bowl game is really heartbreaking, really devastating,” said Texas Tech’s Adrian Frye.

Slow starts have been especially costly for Texas Tech, which earned just eight first downs in the Sportsbook half last week and trailed 6-3 at the intermission. The previous week at home to TCU, the Red Raiders dug themselves an early 17-0 hole that they couldn’t quite climb out of in a 33-31 defeat.

Texas News & Notes

It’s been a tale of two seasons for the Texas offense, and things are not trending in the right direction. Through their first five games, the Longhorns boasted one of the most prolific attacks in college football, scoring 36 points or more in each of them — including 38 against LSU and 42 at West Virginia.

Since, however, Texas’ offense has gone into the tank. The ’Horns have failed to crack the 30-point mark in five of their last six outings, and last week at Baylor may have been rock bottom. Texas didn’t penetrate the Bears’ 30-yard line until its final possession, and a meaningless touchdown with one second left was the Longhorns’ only major in a 24-10 loss that snapped their streak of 28 games with at least 21 points.

Texas’ lack of a consistent running game has allowed opponents to drop eight into coverage, and the absence of star receiver Collin Johnson (he’s missed the last two weeks) hasn’t helped either. Even though the Longhorns defense has been credible over the past month, Texas’ inability to score is keeping opponents in games. In fact, the ’Horns needed last-second field goals to win each of their last two home games, edging out Kansas and Kansas State.

Betting Pick: Red Raiders +9