Kentucky Wildcats (4-6) vs. Texas Longhorns (9-1)
November 23, 2024 3:30 pm EDT
The Line: Texas Longhorns -20.5 / Kentucky Wildcats +20.5; Over/Under: +46.5
(Get latest betting odds)
The Kentucky Wildcats and the Texas Longhorns meet Saturday in college football action from Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. Here’s a Texas vs Kentucky prediction. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best Texas vs Kentucky pick.
Kentucky Wildcats Betting Preview
Kentucky beat Southern Miss in their opener this year but then fell to South Carolina and Georgia before recovering on wins over Ohio and Ole Miss. The Wildcats would lose their next four games to Vanderbilt, Florida, Auburn, and Tennessee.
On Saturday versus Murray State, the Wildcats scored double-digit points in every quarter along the way to a 48-6 blowout win. QB Brock Vandagriff threw for 183 yards and two scores, while Jamarion Wilcox rushed 13 times for 123 yards and a TD of his own on the ground.
Texas Longhorns Betting Preview
Over on the Texas side, they took out Colorado State, Michigan, UTSA, LA-Monroe, Mississippi State, and Oklahoma in their first six before a loss to Georgia. The Longhorns would take out Vanderbilt and Florida in the next pair.
Matched up against Arkansas last weekend, Texas put up points in every quarter along the way to a 20-10 road win. Quinn Ewers finished with 176 yards and two touchdowns. Jaydon Blue rushed 14 times for 83 yards, and Isaiah Bond caught four balls for 48 yards.
Why the Texas Longhorns will win
- Texas has won each of its last 19 games against non-AP-ranked teams.
- Kentucky has lost eight of its last nine games against conference opponents.
- Texas has covered the spread in each of its last four November home games against non-AP-ranked teams.
- Kentucky has failed to cover the spread in three of its last four games against conference opponents.
- Texas has won the first half in 12 of its last 13 games against conference opponents.
- Texas has won the first quarter in seven of its last eight games against conference opponents at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium.
Why the Kentucky Wildcats will win
- The underdog has won four of Kentucky’s last six games.
- Kentucky has covered the spread in each of its last five games as an underdog.
- Texas has failed to cover the spread in three of its last four games.
Total Points Facts
- Each of Texas’ last four home games in November has gone OVER the total points line.
- Six of Kentucky’s last seven November road games against AP-ranked teams have gone OVER the total points line.
Texas vs Kentucky Prediction
I’ll lean toward Texas, but the line’s probably too hefty to mess with. The Longhorns didn’t exactly dominate Arkansas on the scoreboard last weekend but got the job done sufficiently. The Texas defense was the star of the show, giving up just 231 yards (149 passing) with two takeaways and 15 first downs allowed. That makes three straight wins for Texas with 20 or more points in each.
As for Kentucky, they demolished an overmatched Murray State team over the weekend, giving up just 259 yards (169 passing), 13 first downs, and 1-of-12 on third-down tries. The Wildcats’ offense posted 582 yards (313 passing) themselves but did get hampered by two turnovers and nine overall penalties. All things considered though, this weekend’s matchup will be much, much tougher.
