Texas Longhorns Open as Betting Favorites vs. Florida Gators

Vegas has released the odds for the Texas Longhorns matchup against the Florida Gators

Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning against the Florida Gators at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. | Scott Wachter-Imagn Images

The Texas Longhorns are idle this weekend of college football, getting their first bye of the season, at a well-deserved time, as they exit the other side of the break, entering the SEC gauntlet on the road against the Florida Gators.

Vegas has set the opening line for the Longhorns' matchup, dubbing them 7.5-point favorites against the Gators, per FanDuel. This equates to between nine and 10, with home field advantage also being taken into effect.

This is a high mark for the Longhorns, who will face their first real challenge of the season since losing to the Ohio State Buckeyes in their week one matchup. They've been a different team since that week and look to make an impression out of their break.

Teams On Different Paths

Sep 20, 2025; Austin, Texas, USA; Texas Longhorns tight end Emaree Winston (85) runs after a catching pass while defended by Sam Houston Bearkats defensive back Jace Arnold (9) during the second half at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott Wachter-Imagn Images | Scott Wachter-Imagn Images

After a letdown in week one, a loss to the Buckeyes, the Longhorns struggled to find a rhythm on offense after that, leaving many questions around the performance of the skill players and quarterback Arch Manning. But his performance in a dominant win over the Sam Houston State Bearkats, including a controversial end-zone stare down, may have been the secret to unlocking the offense.

Manning and the rest of the offense played with a different level of confidence and swagger in the performance, giving hope that they are turning the corner, just in time for the most challenging part of their schedule, starting with a road trip to Gainesville, known for being one of the most hostile road environments in college football.

Head coach Steve Sarkisian has been harping on getting the offense confident and sharper, allowing them to play loose and enjoy the game, believing it would lead to them figuring things out. It seemed that methodology worked for their week four performance at least, leading to their highest offensive output of the season.

On the other side of the field, the Gators are in the same boat the Longhorns were in, scrambling to fix an offense that has been struggling to find anything behind the play of the struggling DJ Lagway. On the other hand, their defense has been lights out, allowing just five touchdowns on the season, but it hasn't helped their 1-3 record on the year.

With how stout both teams are on defense, it could be a low-scoring affair, but Vegas gives the upper hand to the Longhorns, believing in them to win by at least a touchdown at the time of the opening lines.

The Longhorns will travel to Gainesville to play Florida on Oct. 4 at 2:30 p.m. CT.