Texas Longhorns Open As Favorites In Majority of Biggest Matchups

The Texas Longhorns will play in many of the biggest games of the 2024 CFB season

Texas Longhorns Head Coach Steve Sarkisian during spring practice at the Frank Denius practice fields in Austin, Tuesday, March 19, 2024. / Ricardo B. Brazziell/American-Statesman

Circa Sports, a notable sportsbook, especially surrounding college football, has released its opening lines for the top games of the year. The Texas Longhorns are featured five times in the list of over 60 games from the entire college football season, one of the most recognized teams on the list.

Texas notably begins the season with a bang, as in week two the Longhorns travel to Ann Arbor, Michigan, to play the reigning national champion Michigan Wolverines. The game is one of the first five notable matchups all season, according to Circa, and opens with Texas favored by five points.

In general, teams with the home-field advantage are expected to be favored by around three points if both teams are evenly matched. In that case, Circa places a lot of value on the Longhorns. If the two teams played on a neutral field to start the season, it's likely the Longhorns would be over a touchdown favorite, but you can never underestimate the problems a crowd like The Big House can create.

Heading into the middle of the year Texas faces two extremely tough matchups. Starting in October, Texas will play Oklahoma in the Red River Rivalry and host Georgia, a tough duo of teams to play in such short time periods. Texas is an eight-point favorite against the Sooners, but are two-point underdogs against Georgia. The October 19 matchup against the Bulldogs is projected to be the closest game all year for Texas, with just two points favoring the high-powered Kirby Smart-led team.

Texas Longhorns lonebacker Jaylan Ford (41) chases Oklahoma quarterback Dillon Gabriel (8) during the game at the Cotton Bowl on Saturday, Oct. 7, 2023 in Dallas, Texas. / Aaron E. Martinez/American-Statesman /

Circa also notes the Florida matchup as one of the best games all year but has Texas as a near-three-touchdown favorite with a -18 line for Texas. Florida plays arguably the hardest schedule all year, and with many question marks surrounding the head coach and quarterback positions, it's hard to expect the Gators to upset the Longhorns in Austin.

Lastly, the Longhorns will be playing in College Station to end the year, facing former rivals Texas A&M in the reinstallment of the Lone Star Showdown. Texas is a five-point-favorite yet again on the road, with the Aggies looking to be one of the tougher matchups for Texas all season. 

Texas will play in some of the most entertaining college football games all year, and head coach Steve Sarkisian will have his hands full against the likes of Georgia and Michigan, two teams Texas hasn’t seen much of in its illustrious history. Sportsbooks are showing belief in the Longhorns, and based on this list they are favored to win all but one game all year. 

Can Texas reach that 11-1 record and the SEC Championship, or will it falter in its first year in the conference? Only time will tell.