Texas opens as 4.5-point favorites at home against Baylor

On3 imageby:Griffin McVeigh11/19/22

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For what could possibly be the last time in Austin, Baylor and Texas will meet up for an in-state Big 12 showdown. Both are each other’s most-played opponents, with the Bears surpassing Texas A&M on the Longhorns’ side recently. Going all the way back to the TIAA conference day, it’s a huge matchup in the Lone Star State.

Heading into game week, Texas is going to be considered the favorite. According to VegasInsider, the Longhorns will be 4.5-point favorites at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. Even with some of the struggles along the way, the oddsmakers have still liked Texas in all of their Big 12 games this season.

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Baylor will be coming off another rivalry game but wound up on the short end against TCU. A last-second, walk-off field goal sent the crowd in Waco home with heartbreak. Even with a loss, getting a win over Texas could be a nice present for what has been an otherwise down year for head coach Dave Aranda.

Texas will still have some Big 12 Championship implications on the line but are far from controlling its own destiny. They will need some help from the outside, assuming Sarkisian’s squad can get business done on Friday. If they can, both Kansas State and Oklahoma State will need to drop a game.

In the past five matchups between the two, Texas has wound up on the winning end three times. However, it’s been a bit of a flip-flop over the past three years, with Baylor getting a win in Waco last season. Home teams have won four in a row.

An early 11 a.m. kickoff is nothing unusual but playing the day after Thanksgiving, it’s a short week for both programs. Texas will honor its seniors on Senior Day, hoping to live up to the line Vegas set for them.