The Texas Longhorns are 21-point home favorites over the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs, as the legal sports betting websites’ spread goes for the NCAA Football game on August 31st at 7pm CT in the Darrell K Royal–Texas Memorial Stadium in Austin, TX.
Texas vs. Louisiana Tech Odds by XBet Sportsbook
| Team | SP/RL | TOTAL | ML | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Louisiana Tech | +20½ (-110) | 55 (-110) | +950 |  |
| Texas | -20½ (-110) | 55 (-110) | -1450 | |
|
||||
Betting Louisiana Tech Bulldogs
The Bulldogs last season 8-5 SU, 5-3 in C-USA, and, according to the best online sportsbooks, 7-6 ATS. La. Tech tied with two other schools for second place in the West Division. They played the Hawaii Bowl where they defeated home team 31-14. Thus they comfortably covered the one-point spread set by the legal sports betting websites.
The Bulldogs ranked No. 27 in total defense, allowing 23.0 points, 191.6 passing yards, and 149.7 rushing yards per game. The program’s defensive success did not go unnoticed. For example, the Miami Hurricanes were impressed enough to snatch defensive coordinator Blake Baker away. In turn, La. Tech hired Bob Diaco to fill the spot. Diaco was the defensive coordinator at Cincinnati in 2009 under head coach Brian Kelly. Cincinnati finished the season ranking 44th in points allowed per game (23.1) and 23rd in sacks (37.0). Kelly took Diaco with him when he moved to Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish finished the year second in points allowed per game (12.8) and went to the 2013 BCS National Championship Game. Diaco had since receded into obscurity.
Betting Texas Longhorns
The Longhorns 2018 record was 10-4 SU, 7–2 in Big 12, and 6-7-1 ATS. This was UT’s first ten-win season in nearly a decade. The Longhorns finished second in the conference and were invited to the Sugar Bowl. There they defeated Georgia 28-21 even though the legal sports betting websites had them as 13.5-point underdogs.
Texas’ defense was nowhere near as good as that of Louisiana Tech’s. And it currently does not appear to be very deep either. The Longhorns lost eight defensive starters who had previously combined for 233 starts and 366 games. By way of comparison, the 2015 Longhorns defense lost 200 combined starts. Quandre Diggs, Cedric Reed, Mykkele Thompson, Steve Edmond, Malcom Brown and Jordan Hicks all exited stage left. What was left was one of the worst Texas defenses in recent memory. Lowlights included 452.6 total yards and 219.2 rushing yards allowed per game, and 30.3 points allowed per game.
Now the question is, is there any reason to believe history will repeat? And the answer is yes, yes there is. Since 2010 there has been a clear pattern in Texas. That year and 2011, 2014 and 2017 were fat and sleek. On the other hand, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016 were lean and ugly years. As hinted above, 2018 already saw a decline from the previous season. And the worst may be yet to come.
Expert Picks and analysis for Texas Longhorns vs. Louisiana Tech Bulldogs
Unlike Texas, La. Tech’s defense is returning several 2018 standouts. Including cornerback Amik Robertson (four interceptions and 12 passes defended), L’Jarius Sneed (three picks, broke up eight passes), linebacker Collin Scott (87 tackles), and safety James Jackson (74). And on offense, quarterback J’Mar Smith is also returning. As are running backs Jaqwis Dancy and Israel Tucker (who combined for 1,044 yards rushing and 12 touchdowns on 219 carries). And wide receiver Adrian Hardy (75 receptions for 1,145 yards and six TDs). All things considered, I would say there’s a bridging of the gap between the two programs. There is, mind you, still a chasm in between, but it may not be, you know, 21-point wide. Texas starting QB Sam Ehlinger may be good enough to led the Longhorns to the straight-up win. But, as far as covering the spread goes… well, to quote Terry Bradshaw, he ain’t that good.
